Council Tax

How your council tax will be spent on fighting crime and keeping communities safe

Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones and Chief Constable Paul Gibson explain how the extra council tax raised this year will be invested in front line policing to keep you and your community safe.

This extra money will be dedicated to:

• Maximising the number of police officers in the Force
• New approach to preventing and tackling anti-social behaviour to improve safety for all residents 
• Explore and exploit emerging technologies such as facial recognition to identify and apprehend criminals faster than ever before
• Expand the successful Roads Policing "Operation Stronghold" - denying criminals use of the roads and keeping our communities even safer
• Develop and use targeted approaches and teams to tackle issues such as summertime demand, rural crime, burglary and retail crime
• Introduce rapid video technology - speeding up engagement with victims of crime, getting them the help they need even faster
• Transform availability and quality of crime prevention advice and guidance to help keep communities safe from crime 
• Build on crime reduction results in local neighbourhoods, developing new ways to target organised criminality and drug supply in our communities

Great strides have been made in Lincolnshire to create a police force to be proud of; one that prevents and tackles crime and continues to evolve to meet new crime types and challenges to keep us all safe. A debt of gratitude is owed to county tax payers for supporting that development.

Without the financial backing of residents, prudent financial planning and investment in innovation and new technology we would not have the effective and efficient police force of today. Last year that support meant the PCC funded the maximising of officer numbers, additional 999/101 call handlers, more specialists to tackle the worst of crimes and invest in a new deployment model, so more officers are available when they are needed most to tackle and reduce crime.

However, we must do more to protect and serve our communities. The PCC has appointed a new Chief Constable, Paul Gibson, who is eager to build on current successes and make Lincolnshire communities even safer.

For next year the planned budget for the Chief Constable will be £160m – up from £146m the previous year.

The PCC and the Chief Constable both recognise the financial challenges ahead and are experienced in meeting them. They are committed to managing the Lincolnshire Police finances effectively and efficiently.

Government has committed to changing the national funding method for policing but it is unclear when any changes would
take place. Any changes that are delivered would be phased over a number of years leaving the tough financial challenges still to be met and managed locally.

However, Lincolnshire has a history of meeting challenges head on with determination and innovation and the dedication to keeping the county’s communities safe will continue.

What money do we receive and how is it spent?

Income - £178.1m

• Government grants - £93.2m (52.3%)
• Council tax - £74.8m (42%)
• Contribution from reserves and other income - £10.2m – 5.7%

Expenditure - £178.1m

• Police officers - £80m - 44.9%
• Police staff and PCSOs - £46.8m - 26.3%
• Other costs (including custody, fleet, premises and regional collaboration) - £44.6m - 25%
• Capital financing - £5.3m - 3%
• Office of the PCC - £1.4m - 0.8%