THE Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gwent has launched a public consultation asking residents how much they are willing to pay for policing.

Gwent PCC Ian Johnston is required to ensure that all the people who live in Gwent have an efficient and effective police service and he has a legal requirement to set the police budget. With this in mind, Mr Johnston has launched his ‘Have Your Say’ consultation survey.

Between the period 2008 to 2021, Gwent Police will potentially face a deficit of £64 million. To date, the policing service in Gwent has delivered over £37 million of efficiency savings to address this gap.

The consultation is being hosted to help inform the Commissioner’s considerations when setting next year’s budget. It provides a range of options and asks residents what level of precept setting they believe to be fair and also explains the financial outcomes of those choices.

Urging as many people in Gwent to have their say by completing the survey, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Ian Johnston, said: “There is no doubt that the reduced budget and the need to continue to make efficiency savings will mean that the Chief Constable and I will have to continue to change the way the policing service is delivered in Gwent. I am keen to hear what you think so that my decisions take your views into account when setting the policing precept for next year.”

The closing date for all responses is 5pm on Tuesday 19th January. The results of this survey will inform the police precept setting for 2016/2017.

Follow the link to complete the online version of the survey http://bit.ly/precept1617  

Other formats of the survey are also available on request from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office by emailing [email protected]