The Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Jeff Cuthbert, is to raise the amount the average household pays for policing through council tax by £1.73 per month.

This equals a 6.82per cent increase and means that an average band D property will pay an additional £20.72 each year.

This decision was unanimously approved by the Gwent Police and Crime Panel, a body made up of representatives from each of Gwent’s five counties, at a meeting on Friday January 27.

It follows a robust financial case put forward by Chief Constable Pam Kelly for a budget of about £170m for 2023-24, and extensive public engagement throughout 2022.

Jeff Cuthbert said: “I have listened to residents across Gwent throughout the year. Overwhelmingly, they have told me that they are prepared to pay more to support essential services but also that they are struggling.

‘‘The pressures that the cost of living crisis is putting on our residents is clear.

“However, unfortunately, policing is not immune to these rising costs.

‘‘We are seeing rising demand across services and this increase is a compromise between affordability for residents and the money Chief Constable Pam Kelly needs to maintain services for the next year.

‘‘I will make up the shortfall from reserves but, even then, further efficiency savings will have to be identified.

‘‘This is not a sustainable solution, and I will continue to call on the Home Office to provide policing with more funding to meet the exceptional costs we now face to maintain service delivery.”