Message from Dan Price, Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner

Hello everyone,

I want to wish you a happy new year, and I look forward to seeing many of you in 2026.

I wanted to start by addressing a few things you may have seen in the press recently. I know that headlines can sometimes cause uncertainty, so I want to speak to you directly, clearly and openly, about what these developments mean for you and your communities.

Save PCSOs. Have your say on the police budget

During the extraordinary meeting of the Cheshire Police and Crime Panel last Friday, I announced the start of my annual policing budget consultation.

Following the news before Christmas about Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) being reduced, I am pleased to say that as part of ongoing budget discussions with the Chief Constable, 10 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) have been saved from redundancy.

I am now giving Cheshire residents the ability to help me save all 87 PCSOs if they are willing to pay less than a small takeaway coffee each month (based on a council tax property in Band B) in my ‘Do more’ option.

I would appreciate it if you could share the online survey with as many people as possible. Unfortunately, due to time constraints surrounding saving the PCSO roles, we are not able to send out paper copies this year but have been doing face-to-face consultations, for example, on our local train network.

We have created some social media graphics for you to use, to help promote the survey on the channels you have. The graphics can be accessed here.

The survey closes at 12 noon on Friday 23rd January.

Click here to have your say

Alternatively paste this link into your web browser (https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/PTC26-27precept/)

Police and Crime Commissioners to be abolished

You may also have seen the government announcement regarding plans to replace Police and Crime Commissioners with a new devolution model of police governance.

I want to reassure you that, here in Cheshire, it is absolutely business as usual.

Nothing changes until after May 2028.

Until then, my team and I will continue to:

Support victims
Reduce crime
Listen to residents
Modernise our police service
Hold the Chief Constable to account on behalf of the public

You can expect the same level of engagement, transparency and support that you have always received. And as ever, if you or your communities have questions or concerns, we are only a phone call or email away.

Finally…

Thank you for everything you continue to do for your parishes and towns. Your insight, your partnership and your commitment to your residents form an essential part of community safety across Cheshire.

As always, my team and I are here to support you. If you have any queries, concerns or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.