Council tax to rise to help pay for near £600m police budget

Matthew Barber, the police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley, has laid out his spending plans for 2025/26.
Almost half of the near £600 million budget for Thames Valley Police will be covered by local council tax payers.
This means an increase of £14 a year, or 27p a week, in council tax for a Band D property.
It comes in the face of extra costs of £8 million to cover increased National Insurance contributions and £30 million additional costs from inflation.
Matthew Barber said he wants to “ensure that the police have the resources they need” to “cut crime and catch criminals” (Image: File) Mr Barber said: “My priorities for Thames Valley Police are cutting crime and catching criminals.
“As your police and crime commissioner, it is my responsibility to ensure that the police have the resources they need to deliver on those priorities.
“Setting the policing budget remains a complex process and is particularly challenging this year given the uncertainty of funding from the Home Office.
“This year, I will be setting the budget against the backdrop of an uncertain economic situation which is affecting households as well as police forces up and down the country.”
He added: “Despite seeing a cash increase in central government funding, due to inflationary pressures it falls short of the amount necessary to maintain current levels of policing, let alone deliver the increases that we would all want to see in the Thames Valley.
“A rise in employer national insurance and lack of central funding for police pay rises add to this challenge.
“In order to maintain policing levels, keep communities safe, and address the policing priorities of residents identified through my ongoing local crime survey, I have made the decision to increase council tax contributions by 27p per week for a Band D property.
“This increase will ensure that we can continue to put more police officers into frontline roles to protect communities, people, and property across the Thames Valley.”
Mr Barber also highlighted the impact of previous investment made through last year’s policing budget.
He said it has “enabled us to recruit more frontline police officers across the force, alongside the delivery of a Thames Valley wide programme to help tackle and deter young people from knife crime”.
Last year’s investment has also supported Mr Barber’s Retail Crime Strategy, which has contributed to charges for shoplifting more than doubling in a year.
The budget was presented to the Police and Crime Panel on Friday, January 24, before being finalised.