There’s been a stark warning that policing is likely to face cuts ‘significantly higher’ than four per cent a year for the next four years suggested by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
That was the warning today from the Chair of Cleveland Police Authority Councillor Dave McLuckie when he revealed that Home Secretary Theresa May has told authorities that in fact ‘core Government funding’ to the police service will be cut back by 20 per cent over the four years...and next year, when there will be freeze on Council Tax precepts, the cut will be six per cent.
In her letter Theresa May says that the funding will be ‘reduced by 20 per cent in real terms: 6% in 2011/12, 8% in 2012/13, 4% in 2013/14 and 4% in 2014/15.’
Said Councillor McLuckie “There may have been a feeling in some quarters that policing had got off relatively lightly when George Osborne announced on Wednesday that his proposals would see police spending ‘falling by 4% each year’ but it is now becoming clear that the reality is very different—and very alarming.
“It would seem that the Home Secretary argues that the cuts in Government funding can be cushioned to some degree by police authorities imposing increases in their Council Tax precepts—but, of course next year, when we now know there will be a six per cent cut, precepts will be frozen.
“Even after that the scope for authorities to raise precepts is likely to be extremely limited—not least because of the Government’s plan to allow authorities to be challenged through referendums, with all the costs that would involve.
“What is now clear is that the true level of cuts is likely to be significantly higher than the suggestion from the Chancellor and the ability to meet the regular promises from Ministers that, to quote George Osborne, their aim is ‘to avoid any reduction in the visibility and availability of police in our streets’ will become even more difficult.
“Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary reported in July that cuts above 12 per cent would lead to a reduction in police availability. We know that nationally the totally impact of the cuts, both directly and with our partners, will be well beyond 12 per cent.
“We now know that core Government funding is to be cut by 20 per cent over the four years. We also know that many of our partners, such as the local authorities, who are crucial to tackling crime and improving public safety, may have to scale back their activities because of cuts—and, of course, we will have to deal with four years of inflation at the same time as our resources are falling.
“We have made clear that we will do everything humanly possible to maintain—and even enhance—the level of front-line policing which has been central to our success in bringing down crime in recent years and, of course we will only know the exact scale of the problem we will face in Cleveland when the Government announces its grant allocations to individual authorities and forces, probably in early December.
“However I do think it is vital that we work on a realistic assessment of the cuts we will face.”