In his latest column, Chris Nelson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire, examines why Gloucestershire’s Police precept is rising and why it matters.

Over the past 12 months, I’ve been frank about the financial strain Gloucestershire Constabulary continues to face. Across the country, forces are dealing with rising demand and rising costs, while national funding settlements fall well short of what modern policing requires. Gloucestershire is no exception.

We’ve already made over £12 million in savings, cutting into teams, capabilities and programmes. These are not choices any of us want to make, but they reflect the reality of national policing under significant financial pressure.

At the heart of this challenge is a simple truth: the cost of policing Gloucestershire has risen far faster than the funding the government makes available to us. This leaves forces like ours facing painful decisions about visibility, investigative capability, and investment in essential technology. We are being asked to meet increasingly complex crime with outdated systems and stretched resources, and that is not sustainable.

A police precept is a portion of your council tax that goes towards funding your local police force.

The maximum precept rise allowed this year is £15, but with Gloucestershire in a particularly underfunded position, along with around ten other forces, I asked the Government for permission to increase it, to £25. This wasn’t a request made lightly.

It was the level needed to prevent further cuts to policing, maintain response capability, and fund technology upgrades that would make the force more efficient and effective.

You’ve told me consistently through consultations that you value visible policing and that you would be willing to pay more to safeguard the service you expect from your local force.

However, the Government declined the £25 request I made. But they did permit an increase to £18.50 for a Band D property. This is higher than the standard limit, but still short of the level required to fully stabilise the Constabulary’s budget.

Earlier this week the Police and Crime Panel unanimously approved the £18.50 precept during a panel meeting that was robust, with healthy challenge about cost-of-living pressures and debate across all parties. Their support reflects a shared understanding of what is at stake: community safety, neighbourhood policing, response times, and our ability to invest in the tools needed to deal with modern crime.

The £18.50 rise will help us safeguard frontline visibility and support investigations. It isn’t everything we asked for, and some cuts are still likely, but it is a proportionate step that is much needed.

I do recognise how seeing extra money leave your bank accounts to pay for policing is not pleasant, and it makes me uncomfortable to raise the precept. But I truly believe we have no other choice to secure our police force here in Gloucestershire.

I remain committed to fighting for fairer national funding, because Gloucestershire should not be left behind. I am grateful for the support shown by both the Panel and you, our communities.