Provisional Police Grant Report – APCC Response
APCC Finance Lead, Roger Hirst PFCC said:
“Police and Crime Commissioners welcome today’s settlement which provides additional funding for police forces in 2018/19 and transparency on 2019/20’s settlement at this early stage. We have worked closely with the Home Office and Police Chiefs in recent months to make a detailed, evidenced based case for more investment in policing.
“Demand on policing is increasing as is the complexity of the cases forces deal with and this trend is predicted to continue over the next few years. This further investment by the Government will help forces across the country invest in the prevention and public protection that the public expect and deserve.
“The majority of PCCs will also warmly welcome the Government’s decision to allow flexibility around local council tax precept levels. We have strongly argued that democratically elected local representatives, such as PCCs, should be able to decide the funding of services in their areas and be held to account by their local communities for the decisions they make.
“However, given the different levels of precept and share of budget accounted for by council tax across different forces we must recognise that some forces still face significant challenges and we look forward to the conclusion of the work on a fairer funding formula ahead of the next spending review.
“In terms of future productivity and efficiency, there is a good deal of symmetry between what the Home Office is looking for police leaders to deliver and the work that we are progressing. PCCs clearly understand the need for further action in this area and we continue to work with the Home Office on this.
“While we welcome the additional £50 million funding for counter terrorism announced by the Government we remain concerned as to whether there is sufficient funding to meet increases in demand. PCCs will want to ensure that their communities are protected and will be mindful of the local policing support which is required to deliver this effectively.”