Surrey residents are being asked whether they would be prepared to pay a little extra so police teams can continue taking the fight to criminals in our communities.
Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend said Surrey Police have made incredible strides over the last two years.
Reports of residential burglaries and vehicle crimes are falling, charges for shoplifting have risen by 465% and the overall charge rate has more than doubled in Surrey.
Those who live or work in the county are now being invited to fill in a brief survey on whether they would support the Commissioner’s proposed increase of a little over £1 extra a month on an average council tax bill for 2026/27.
One of Lisa’s key tasks as Commissioner is to set the Surrey Police budget, which includes deciding the level of council tax raised for policing in the county. This is known as the precept.
The precept funds the Force together with a grant from central Government.
The Government assumes in their police funding announcements that all Commissioners will increase to the maximum limit.
This year’s settlement, which will include the limit, is yet to be announced but it is anticipated that it will be in line with last year at £14 for an average Band D property.
Surrey Police remains one of the most poorly funded forces in the country.
Every pound raised through this tax amounts to an extra half-a-million pounds in the policing budget.
Lisa said: “I vowed last year that the contributions Surrey residents make through their council tax would go towards what policing does best - fighting crime in our local communities, getting tough on offenders and protecting people.
“The improvements we have seen have been nothing short of incredible. This has all been made possible by the contributions you, the Surrey public, make through your council tax contributions.
“It is important to me to find out what Surrey residents think and whether they would be willing to pay a little extra to support our policing teams again this year."
