Leicestershire councillors have approved an increased police precept on council tax bills after branding the original proposals from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) as "illogical".

Leicestershire's PCC Rupert Matthews originally put forward plans to raise Leicestershire Police's share of council tax by £11, but they were vetoed by the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Panel for being too low, after fears were raised it would create a "massive hole" in the policing budget.

Mr Matthews subsequently U-turned and put forward proposals to increase the share to £15 – the maximum amount that it can be raised to. He said he had been keen to ease the tax burden on Leicestershire residents but added that the panel's decision "did not lead him to question his original decision-making process".

At a meeting of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Panel today (Thursday, February 12), councillors unanimously agreed to pass the new precept proposals.

During the meeting, the cross-party panel of city and county councillors thanked Mr Matthews and his team, but called the original proposals and the first panel meeting "embarrassing" and "illogical".

Despite the new precept being passed, there were also fears that the police force still faces significant funding pressures, with deficits of £8 million in 2027/28 and £14 million in 2029/30.

Leicestershire Police is one of the lowest-funded police forces in the country, being the seventh lowest out of 43 forces across the country.

Deputy PCC Oliver Bryan, who appeared in place of Mr Matthews, said there were "problems in the medium to long term" funding of the police and the problem rested with central government.

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He said: "We're still committed to fairer funding. We're paying more for our policing services and that fight does goes on.

"I think a lot of the arguments he [Mr Matthews] made are still valid and we'll have to put that case to central government".

Chair of the panel, Conservative councillor Les Phillimore, said he was "disappointed" about the tone of PCC's new proposal, saying that he believed that Mr Matthews thought "he was right" and called it "disingenuous".

He said: "We are very aware of the funding issues with Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland; therefore, it didn't make any sense to come forward with a lower precept in the first place, and that was the unanimous decision of this panel".

When asked why the PCC didn't raise the precept by only a few pounds rather than the maximum amount, Mr Bryan, in his view, said it was "splitting hairs over pounds" and that it was worth going to the full £15.

He also said that the government is keen to keep "offsetting its plans onto the local taxpayer".

Cllr Phillimore replied: "I reiterate that it is illogical that the Police and Crime Commissioner would underfund the police for today or the future".

Temporary chief constable David Sandall thanked the panel for their original decision and scrutiny on behalf of Leicestershire Police, but reiterated the funding issues he and the force were facing.

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He said: "We really appreciate the fact that the PCC has changed the decision, and that is appreciated. This is the first step. The financial challenges that we have, and as the deputy PCC has outlined, funding for us [Leicestershire Police] is dropping again.

"I'm extremely proud of our people who go above and beyond. We certainly need more people, not less".

T/cc Sandall also said that the new precept would help "close the budget deficit for this year", calling it "really, really good news". He warned that £3.4m in resources could be taken out of the force if budgets do not change during an operating review in March.

He added: "The reality is, if these budgets do not change, there will be further cuts."

Cllr Phillimore concluded the meeting, saying he was worried about the "trust, respect and confidence" in the PCC's decision-making process following the original proposals.

The panel voted unanimously to support the revised precept proposals.