Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 2017 to Question 70888, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes to funding to police and crime commissioners on police force budgets in regions where revenue from the council tax precept is relatively low in comparison to other regions in England and Wales.

The 2015 Spending Review looked at police funding, including council tax precept. Since Spending Review 2015, we have provided additional flexibility for the 10 Police & Crime Commissioners in England with the lowest precept bills each year (the lower quartile). These PCCS are able to raise their precept by £5 per Band D household, compared to the usual 2%, without triggering a local referendum.