But before I do so, Deputy Presiding Officer, I'd like to pay
tribute to all those who serve in our police forces for the
work that is done by police forces across Wales keeping our
communities safe, maintaining the highest standards of duty,
dedication and, at times, bravery, in maintaining the
community safety matters that are within the settlement for
this place.
Members will be aware that the core funding for the police in
Wales is delivered through a three-way arrangement involving
the Home Office, the Welsh Government and council tax. As
policing policy and operational matters are non-devolved, the
overall funding picture is determined and driven by the Home
Office. The established approach to setting and distributing
the Welsh Government component has therefore been based on a
principle of ensuring consistency and fairness across England
and Wales.
As outlined in the final police settlement announcement on 24
January, the total unhypothecated revenue support for the
police service in Wales for 2019-20 amounts to £357 million.
The Welsh Government's contribution to this amount, through
revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates,
is £143.4 million, and it is this funding you are being asked
to approve today.
As in previous years, the Home Office has decided to overlay
it's needs-based formula with a floor mechanism. This means
that for 2019-20 Police and Crime Commissioners across
England and Wales will all receive an increase in funding of
2.1 per cent when compared to 2018-19. The Home Office will
provide top-up grant totalling £4.1 million to ensure that
both Dyfed-Powys and North Wales Police meet the floor level.
As you will be aware, for 2019-20, PCCs will have the
additional pressure of funding the increased costs of
pensions. We've repeatedly called on the UK Government to
fully fund the increased costs associated with changes to
pensions, which are estimated to cost PCCs in England and
Wales around £330 million. The Home Office has allocated an
additional grant of £143 million specifically to help with
these increased pension costs, and £7.3 million of this has
been allocated to PCCs in Wales. This was above what was
expected at the time of the UK budget in 2016.
PCCs also have the ability to raise additional funding
through their council tax precept. The UK Government has
doubled the precept flexibility to allow PCCs in England to
raise their council tax precept by £24 in 2019-20, estimating
this will raise an additional £500 million. Police and Crime Commissioners in
Wales have the freedom to make their own decisions about
council tax increases, and are not subject to the limits that
apply in England. In settling their element of council
tax, I expect each PCC to act in a reasonable manner and to
take account of the pressures on hard-pressed households.
We appreciate that difficult decisions are necessary in
developing plans for the coming years. The Welsh Government
is committed to working with PCCs and chief constables to
ensure funding challenges are managed in ways that minimise
the impact on community safety in Wales. As part of this, the
Welsh Government in its 2019-20 budget has made provision for
a further year of funding for the 500 additional community
support officers recruited under the previous programme for
government commitment.
The Welsh Government has maintained the same level of funding
for the delivery of this commitment as in 2018-19, with £16.8
million earmarked in the budget for next year. The full
complement of officers has been deployed since October 2013,
and they are making a positive contribution to public safety
across Wales. One of the main drivers behind this project was
to add visible police presence on our streets at a time when
the UK Government is cutting back on police funding. The
research suggests Wales has not seen the same decline in
officer numbers that has been seen in England, and our
additional officers are successfully dealing with low-level
crime and anti-social behaviour.
Llywydd, the motion is to agree the local government finance
report for Police and Crime Commissioners that
has been laid before the Assembly. If approved, this will
allow the commissioners to confirm their budgets for the next
financial year, and I therefore ask Assembly Members to
support this motion today...
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