South Yorkshire police boss expecting a "tight settlement" from the government to fund the force next year

The funding each police force receives from the Home Office is known as a settlement, and the PCC for each force sets a police precept, which is taken from residents' council tax.

In February, the council tax precept was increased by seven per cent, equivalent to an extra £15 per year for a Band D property.

Dr Alan Billings, PCC for South Yorkshire, told a meeting of the police and crime panel today (December 13) that although there has been no confirmation yet as to how much South Yorkshire Police will receive from the government, he anticipates some "hard choices" ahead.

"We are now putting together the budget for next year," said Dr Billings.

"We need to know what the available funding is from the government.... to make some sort of decision around precepts.

"I think we are going to have to make some really quite hard choices and decisions around saving and reserves."

"We continue to have in this area something which other forces do not have, and that is legacy issues such as civil claims arising out of Hillsbrough, and arising out of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, so we've got those added pressures, and we have to make a judgement around those as well."

South Yorkshire Police's legal bill for the handling of compensation claims by victims of Child Sexual Exploitation currently stands at £2.3 million.

The total cost of financial support required from the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner during the Hillsborough Inquests was £24.7m, of which £20.4m was provided by the Home Office.