THE police part of council tax in Wiltshire will rise by 1.9 per cent this year to cover £800,000-worth of government cuts the force is facing.

Following an extensive public consultation, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire, Angus Macpherson, has announced tax would will up by £3.17 per year (or 6p a week) for the average Band D property.

The increase was unanimously supported by the Police and Crime Panel at a meeting today at Monkton Park in Chippenham.

The increase will provide the commissioner with an additional £790,000 of local income for 2017-18.

With an £814,000 cut in government funding, Mr Macpherson says he is materially left with a standstill budget for the year ahead.

“I carried out an extensive consultation because I don’t take decisions like this lightly,” he said.

“People were invited to let me have their views via a feedback form on my website, by email or by post. Parish and town councils and the business community were also invited to contribute.

“Of the hundreds of responses I received from the public, 66 per cent supported the increase.

“This was backed up by my specific Twitter poll where 68 per cent of respondents also supported the increase.

“The consultation demonstrated that the public are in favour of the increase to help maintain local community policing.

“I am pleased that the Police and Crime Panel have recognised the strength of the case, and have endorsed the increase in the police part of council tax.

“I have been lobbying hard for the Home Office to provide fairer funding for Wiltshire Police.

“Earlier this week I met the Policing Minister Brandon Lewis to press the case for a better deal for our county, which is among the lowest-funded Force areas in England and Wales.

“During meetings with our area’s MPs before seeing the minister it was clear that they were supportive of our case.”