Sussex Police need to find £8 million savings in 2024/25 – even with the maximum council tax increase allowed

The news was shared by Chief Constable Jo Shiner during a performance and accountability meeting with Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne on Friday (January 19). The government has allowed a maximum £13 increase on the police’s portion of the council tax bill.

Chief Constable Shiner said: “The £13 precept is absolutely fundamental in enabling us to minimise, frankly, what would be otherwise quite destructive savings that have to be made over the medium term.

“And I can’t put that strongly enough really.”

In December, the government announced that Sussex Police would receive a grant settlement of £394m in 2024/25.

Of that, the Home Office has provided grant resources of £229.6m.

The balance of £164.3m is predicated on the £13 increase for Band D properties for the year.

The latest increase, whatever it may be, follows last year’s maximum rise of £15 and the various demands from county, district and borough councils.

While the ever-increasing bills are likely to hit people hard, it was pointed out that the council tax precept taken by Sussex Police was the seventh lowest in England and Wales, while the total funding received by the force – including council tax – was the sixth lowest per head of population.

Mrs Bourne said: “I always maintain to members of the public that Sussex Police is a very efficient force compared to the amount of funding received.”

The gross budget for 2024/25 stands at just over £402m, including more than £33m to cover inflation costs.

The Chief Constable outlined some of those inflation pressures as coming from wages, services for victims and witnesses, the cost of forensic work, and the cost of maintaining the force’s properties.