Today I travelled to the Home Office in London for a meeting with Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson.
This meeting followed an extensive exchange of letters about the funding situation regarding policing, crime prevention, victim support and other related services across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. I went well prepared and accompanied by the Chief Finance Officer of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
This morning, while I was in another meeting in London, the minister sent me a formal letter that changed the funding situation slightly. This letter related to the ring-fenced money for Neighbourhood Policing that the government is giving to us for one year only. The provisions are rather complex, and my Finance Office and I were able to discuss them only briefly before going into the ministerial meeting. From what we could see we were being asked to recruit permanent officers, PCSOs and staff, but being given the money to pay for them for only one year. I'll take a longer look at this ring fenced money shortly.
Meanwhile, the meeting with minister covered the following:
- Previous correspondence between myself and the current and former Policing Ministers regarding the inequity in Police Funding.
- The fact that despite a 4.8% increase in funding under the new Government, there was still a £9.3million budget deficit for 2025-26.
- Over the course of the next four years an estimated £8.5million deficit will need to be cleared.
- The Office of the PCC and the Police in Leicestershire between them had to close a deficit of £8.6million in 2024-25 & £3.9million in 2023-24
- This is unsustainable. With police officer numbers protected it is the other essential functions that will get cut i.e. CSI, investigative work.
- Officers will then have to spend more time away from the frontline fulfilling these other essential functions, reducing police visibility, negatively effecting trust and confidence.
- A modern force is more than officers on the street.
- The Police Funding Formula is an important element in the underlying problem. It is based on an archaic system that no longer reflects the drivers of demand today. Without reform, those of us that are at the mercy of those drivers (ongoing protest, increasing prison number etc) will not be properly funded to police our areas.
- Home Office support to cover pension shortfalls and a multiyear budget settlement are necessary to enable a better approach to financial management.
- National Insurance increase complications. Government promised to pay in full but funding has ultimately fallen £0.3million short.
- Centrally imposed, unfunded policy decisions have a direct impact on local budgets.
- The XL Bully dog duty alone is forecast to cost Leicestershire Police £0.8 million to implement in the next financial year.
- The Government seem to take the local policing precept for granted, modelling funding with precept set at the maximum.
- Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland taxpayers have paid the maximum increase for the last 5 years.
The meeting was very positive and cordial, but we will have to wait and see what results from our conversation.
