The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gwent, Jeff Cuthbert, has called on the UK Government to increase funding for the police service and reduce pressure on local communities as he launched a public consultation last week asking residents how much they are willing to pay for their local policing.

Gwent PCC Jeff Cuthbert has launched his Have Your Say consultation survey which can be found at: www.bit.ly/GwentPrecept18-19 .

Gwent Police has seen its budget reduced by 40 per cent in real terms since the start of the UK Government’s austerity programme in 2010/11.

The precept consultation launched by Mr Cuthbert will help inform his considerations when setting next year’s budget (2018/19) and the level of his precept.

An increase of 3.99 per cent in the precept (an extra 18p per week per band D household) would enable the commissioner to maintain the 320 new police officers recruited since April 2016.

An increase of 5.99 per cent a year (equalling 26p a week extra for an average band D property) would increase police and crime funding over the medium term and add a further £1 million to the budget, which equates to 20 police officers. The closing date for the survey for all responses is 4pm on Sunday 7th January 2018.

The results of this survey will be used to help inform the police precept setting for 2018 / 2019.

Follow the link to complete the online version of the survey: www.bit.ly/Gwent