Ellesmere Port MP calls on Government to strengthen local police

Incorrect figures could have cost Cheshire force £5.7m, sufficient to pay for 184 officers claims Justin Madders

Bookmark
Share
Comments

11:10, 25 NOV 2015

Cheshire police stock image — Justin Madders wants to see more police on the beat (Image: Kevin Osborne Photography)

Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Justin Madders has joined in what has been described as the farce over future police funding.

Policing minister Mike Penning MP has agreed to delay the introduction of new arrangements for calculating the funding of police forces including Cheshire.

The complex formula which determines how Home Office funding is distributed to forces across England and Wales is currently under review and a new approach was due for 2016/17. This has now been put back by 12 months.

Mr Penning has apologised for an error in the figures which were being used which would have left 31 of the 43 police forces in the UK set to receive less funding than expected, with Cheshire £5.7m worse off Mr Madders says.

Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner John Dwyer (Con) has welcomed the decision.

He commented: “I fully support and welcome the minister’s decision to delay the implementation of a new funding formula. The minister and the Home Secretary are right, the current formula is not fit for purpose and needs review, therefore it is essential that we get this right.”

He continued: “Over the summer I have been working to shape both local and national responses to Government on the comprehensive spending review and the police funding formula.

“I am committed to working with the Home Office to ensure the impact of the funding challenges in Cheshire is fully understood and that Cheshire receives the funding that is needed to protect its communities. I will continue to help develop a new funding formula which is fair, robust, stable, transparent and future-proofed.

“The new timetable will allow further consideration of how the formula should be designed and enable the impact of the upcoming comprehensive spending review to be fully understood.”

The commissioner insists: “I will continue to ensure that Cheshire has a voice that is heard and respected at a national level.

“We will face continued financial challenges in the coming years but working alongside the Home Office and locally with Simon Byrne, the Chief Constable, I am determined that we will be in the best possible position to make the choices that will keep making Cheshire a safer place to live and continue to deliver an outstanding police force.”

Police response

Mr Byrne added: “I welcome the news that the Home Office has delayed implementing changes to the funding formula until 2017. I have watched closely the development of the current proposals, but it has become clear, with the acceptance of the Home Office that key data that underpinned their proposals was out-of-date, it is only right to suspend implementation.

“I will continue to work with the Police and Crime Commissioner and fellow chief constables nationally to push for a funding formula that is fair, robust and transparent.”

Labour MP Mr Madders believes: “The incompetence of ministers led to the consultation being based on completely bogus figures, undermining the financial stability of police forces across the country including Cheshire.”

He points out £5.7m could pay for 184 police officers in the county.

With the Autumn Statement due from Chancellor George Osborne Mr Madders said: “I am calling on the Government to strengthen our local police in the Autumn Statement instead of threatening them by cutting their budgets.”