Please see below additional comments fromChairman of Dorset Police and Crime Panel,Councillor John Adams, providing further clarity following yesterday’s meeting:
Councillor John Adams, Chair of the Police and Crime Panel, said:
“The decision to increase the police precept by 1.96% was that of the Police & Crime Commissioner, Martyn Underhill. The Panel’s role is to scrutinise the Commissioner’s plans and determine whether his funding sources are the most appropriate. The Panel’s view is that there were other more suitable funding options that could have been utilised by the Commissioner, including using the previous year’s underspend, drawing on reserves or taking advantage of affordable, competitive borrowing.
“Given the alternative funding options available, the Panel voted 9 against and 7 for the budget proposed by the Police and Crime Commissioner and did not approve the 1.96% increase. Under the legislation, 12 votes were needed in order to veto the Commissioner’s plans and so the Commissioner’s proposal stood.”
