Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden Gary Godden has proposed a rise in council tax which he says will help fund ensure Nottinghamshire Police remains a leading light in efforts to enhance neighbourhood policing.
Nottinghamshire Police already has 13% of its officers dedicated to a neighbourhood policing role – meaning it has one of the highest proportions of ‘bobbies on the beat’ in all forces in England and Wales and more than twice as many as the national average of six per cent.
PCC Godden’s latest policing precept proposal, which includes a £15 rise in council tax to £311.10 annually for Band D properties in 2026/27, will allow Nottinghamshire Police to retain the same number of police officers, PCSOs and staff across the force at a time when many forces nationally have announced they will have to make cuts to staffing and services.
It also means the force can continue to deliver PCC Godden’s Police and Crime Plan priority to enhance neighbourhood policing, embedding high-visibility officers in the heart of communities to engage with local people and tackle issues of concern.
The proposals are set to be discussed at the next Police and Crime Panel meeting at County Hall on Monday, February 2.
“I absolutely recognise that the rising cost of living is a big issue for many residents across Nottinghamshire and that budgets are stretched,” said PCC Godden.
“Unfortunately, policing budgets are not immune to this pressure, and I’ve had to make the difficult decision to put forward an increase to the policing precept to allow the force to maintain its policing and staffing levels.
“Our public consultation showed that most people are supportive of the need to pay a little bit more. For just 22p a week more for most people, it means we don’t have to make cuts to services or staffing.”
A comprehensive public survey of over 5,400 respondents, carried out door to door and online, showed “significantly” more support for an increase in the policing precept than a freeze.
PCC Godden added: “Around 80% of the policing budget relates to staffing costs, so whilst it is great for the public to maintain high staffing numbers, it does mean things like annual pay increases and pension costs have a big impact on the overall budget.
“However, £3m of savings and efficiencies have been identified over the next year to help reduce the impact on the public and I am continuing national lobbying for a fairer policing grant which would see Nottinghamshire Police receive a more proportionate national funding settlement.”
External auditors published a ‘value for money’ report into the budget in December, which concluded the Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable for Nottinghamshire Police had made proper arrangements for securing economy, efficiency and effectiveness in their use of resources, and did not identify any significant weaknesses in arrangements to secure financial sustainability.
The Government announced in December 2024 a commitment to put 13,000 more policing personnel into neighbourhood policing roles as part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.
Nottinghamshire Police’s rollout of its new neighbourhood policing model and abstraction policy – to safeguard neighbourhood police officers’ time in the communities they serve – came into effect in late 2024, putting the force ahead of the national curve.
try using whats allocated by the goverment for notts police instead of scrounging by pleading poverty again adding money to the council tax payer bill in nottinghamshire.these savings must be found at force level or shut it down and that would enable all the savings required thank you