APCC response to NAO financial sustainability of police forces report
Responding to the National Audit Office report on the financial sustainability of police forces, APCC Chair, Mark Burns-Williamson PCC said:
“The National Audit Office rightly raises the issue of the financial stability and sustainability of policing to meet the ever growing complexity and demand faced by forces and PCCs. Addressing the balance between purely local and national strategies for effective and consistent policing across England and Wales is at the heart of the report.
“The prolonged period in not addressing how the funding formula is allocated has contributed to the uncertainty, along with the overall reductions in central grant, both of which need to be tackled if the overall financial position of policing is to improve in the future.”
APCC Finance Lead, Roger Hirst PFCC said
“This is an important report which highlights some of the challenges that policing is currently facing. The demand on the service is increasing as is the complexity of the cases forces deal with and this trend is predicted to continue over the next few years.
“The last policing settlement gave PCCs the welcome opportunity to increase their precept, however, given the different levels of precept and share of budget accounted for by council tax across different areas, some forces still face significant challenges. The funding formula has been subject of discussion for a number of years and Police and Crime Commissioners support the need for its review.
“PCCs are working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Home Office to review our demand and resources in the run up to the next Government spending review.”