Police cuts: George Osborne's pledge to protect funding challenged amid claims forces could still be left out of pocket
Letter from Theresa May to chief constables says central Government funding for policing will fall in real terms
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George Osborne’s pledge to protect police funding is being challenged by senior police figures amid claims the budget “freeze” could still leave forces out of pocket.
The Chancellor was greeted with cheers from the Conservative back benches when he announced in the Autumn Statement on Wednesday that there would be no cuts to the police budget.
Mr Osborne said: “I am today announcing there will be no cuts in the police budget at all. There will be real terms protection for police funding. The police protects us, and we’re going to protect the police.”
But a letter sent by the Home Secretary Theresa May to chief constables following the Chancellor’s statement says central Government funding for policing – including funding for counter-terrorism – will fall in real-terms.
The letter, seen by The Independent, says police spending will be protected over the next four years “when local income is taken into account”, which it says is an increase in £900m over four years.
But it added: “Total central Government resource funding to policing, including funding for counter-terrorism, will be reduced by 1.3 per cent in real terms over four years.
“Taking into account the scope that you have to raise local council tax, this means a flat real settlement for policing as a whole.”
A number of police and crime commissioners have now raised concerns and say Mr Osborne’s announcement needs to be clarified.
Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “It is clear that the budget freeze relies on PCCs increasing council tax every year over the term of the Parliament and also doesn’t mean individual force budgets are frozen.
“It’s clear we will still struggle to maintain our police numbers at current levels, so while I welcome the Chancellor’s change of heart on cuts, to say budgets will be protected is somewhat misleading.”
Ms May’s letter says £1bn will be invested to link up emergency services and up to £1.65bn to drive closer collaboration between forces in areas such as firearms, cyber-crime and child sexual exploitation.
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird said Mr Osborne’s announcement represented a “remarkable U-turn” when cuts of 25 per cent were expected by police forces.
But she added: “A letter from the Home Secretary says that there will actually be a small cut of 1.3pc over four years.
“It also indicates no funding to pay for the increase in cash for counter-terrorism, nor for the pledged enhancement to mobile communications, nor to fund collaborative back office savings.
“That suggests that these funds will be sliced off the top of our cash once it has been received. This could well mean less cash for local policing after all.”
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson has now written to Ms May asking for clarity amid fears the force could lose £49m if cash for these projects is “top-sliced” from the total police budget.
He said: “I sincerely hope that my suspicions are wrong and will graciously acknowledge if that is the case. If I am correct and the amount of local police funding is in fact cut, some may portray the Chancellor’s assertion that police funding has been protected as a deception.
“I challenge the Home Office to allay my fears on this crucial matter as soon as possible. I am in the process of planning my budget for next year and need clarity on this pressing matter.”
Shadow Policing Minister Jack Dromey said: “The outlook for police forces is not as rosy as the Chancellor made it seem. Osborne has not ruled out a real-terms cut to forces and his claims rely on police forces charging local people extra to keep police on the beat."
The Home Office said ten police and crime commissioners with the lowest council tax bill for policing will be given flexibility to raise council tax by £5 a year over four years. Other forces will remain at a two per cent threshold.
Ms May said: “The first duty of Government is to keep the public safe and secure and this is exactly what this settlement does.”
She said the counter-terrorism budget will increase by £500m over the next four year.
She said: “The Chancellor and I have agreed a fair deal for the police. This settlement gives chief constables and police and crime commissioners immediate certainty that police spending will be protected in real terms over the spending review period when local precept income is taken into account.”