PEOPLE in Hampshire face a council tax hike as the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Hayes, looks to plug the gap in the force’s budget.

Mr Hayes has asked the public to have their say on a potential 1.99 per cent council tax precept for the policing budget next year.

This equates to a rise of £3.07 a year for an average band D household paying council tax.

The increase would generate an additional £2m, which is the cost of employing 43 officers, he says.

The results of a public consultation are now being assessed to decide if the hike should be imposed, if a larger increase should be made of almost three per cent, or if both amounts are too high and should be lowered.

As reported by the Daily Echo, Mr Hayes was left disappointed last year after a two per cent cap was imposed by the Government on the policing tax precept, which forced him to dip into the force’s reserves to make up a £973,000 shortfall.

He has warned that he may need to look at further increases in the coming years as the extent of the cuts and imposed cap start to emerge.

Savage Just last month it was revealed in a letter how Hampshire police is at “very significant risk” because of savage funding cuts.

The letter – sent by the Force Strategic Independent Advisory Group – called on MPs to join a campaign to stem the cuts and the damage being done.

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It also called on the county’s MPs to attend a meeting with Mr Hayes on January 20 when the impact of the cuts will be discussed.

The force needs to save £25m by 2016 as part of the Government’s Spending Review, which could see hundreds of jobs lost, police stations shut, and roles changed as it looks to plug the gap.

Mr Hayes said: “With Hampshire Constabulary currently making significant changes to the way it operates, to enable it to make £80m in savings, due to Government imposed cuts that have already been imposed, it has never been more important to consult with the public over the policing element of the council tax precept.

“HMIC (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary) recently announced that Hampshire Constabulary remains a low-cost, well-performing force and I question whether the constabulary can withstand any further cuts without it impacting on the level of neighbourhood policing people expect.

“If we are to continue delivering the highest possible levels of service, and honour my commitment to protect neighbourhood policing across the communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, we must have the funding in place to do so. I am therefore left with no option but to propose a precept increase.”