Meet your PCC – Mark Shelford
February 28th, 2023
Avon & Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Mark Shelford was elected as Conservative PCC in 2021.
As the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Avon and Somerset, I am the voice of local people in policing. My role is to hold the Chief Constable to account for delivering policing that is efficient and effective.
I spent over 30 years as an Army Officer, so I understand service life, and the pressures those protecting communities and people face.
One of my responsibilities includes setting the police and crime objectives for the area through the Police and Crime Plan. The Plan is the blueprint for local policing and outlines specific areas to be improved and delivered by the force.
I published my Police and Crime Plan last year and my objectives are: preventing and fighting crime; engaging, supporting and working with communities, victims and partner organisations; leading the police to be efficient and effective; and increasing the legitimacy of, and public confidence in, the police and criminal justice system.
You can read my Police and Crime Plan on my website: www.avonandsomerset-pcc.gov.uk
As part of my role, I’m also responsible for setting the force budget and determining the policing part of the council tax, known as the precept.
I would like to thank those who have recently completed my precept survey and shared their thoughts about my proposal to increase the policing part of the council tax by £15 for the average band D household.
At the start of February, the Police and Crime Panel supported my proposal to increase the precept.
This funding will help reduce the impact of Avon and Somerset Police’s funding gap but will still leave a projected deficit of £3.4 million in the year 2023/24.
Inflationary increases combined with limited additional funding from central Government have left a funding gap that, without the precept increase, would have resulted in significant cuts to police staff and services.
I know that many households are facing difficult financial circumstances. However, as your PCC, it would have been irresponsible for me not to address this issue and help reduce this deficit while I had the opportunity. We will be using the £3.4 million reserve funding to address the shortfall so that the Chief Constable has capacity to develop a sensible savings programme while still delivering an effective, efficient and legitimate service.
I always try to make myself available to those who need to speak with me. Over the past 18 months as PCC, I have regularly engaged with local people, communities, MPs, and councillors. I have been holding a series of Councillor Forums over the past few months around the Avon and Somerset region and when these come to an end in March, we will be restarting our community engagement days.
If you would be interested in meeting me when I am in your local area, please do get in contact via my website.
Website: www.avonandsomerset-pcc.gov.uk
Phone: 01278 646188
Post:
Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner,
Avon and Somerset Police HQ,
Valley Road, Portishead, Bristol, BS20 8JJ
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