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The county’s cross-party Police and Crime Panel, which holds the PCC to account, unanimously backed the budget for 2025/26 to enable the force to maintain quality and efficient policing services while tackling its financial challenges.
This support will raise police element of council tax by 5.2% - £14 per year, per household, increase for a Band D property. Lower bandings will pay less and higher bandings will pay more. The money raised from the precept sits alongside the core funding from Government and makes up the entire policing budget for Wiltshire.
Mr Wilkinson said: “I thank the panel for setting aside any political differences and giving approval to a budget which is desperately needed to continue making Wiltshire a safer place for people to live, work and visit.
“Wiltshire Police still needs to make £6.8m savings and I am asking the Chief Constable to do ever more with less funding. In fact, I am asking her to improve the policing service in Wiltshire, asking them to be more visible and effective with less than the majority of Chief Constables across the country.
“The truth is Wiltshire Police is delivering - there have been increased outcome rates, crime is decreasing in some crime types year on year, and communities are seeing more visible policing. Our contact centre is improving 999 and 101 response times, but all of this comes at a cost and that is why I have had to ask for the maximum increase.”
To find out more about what the Commissioner said, visit https://bit.ly/PolicingBudgetApproved | 
