6 December 2006
Fears of a future funding crsis loom.
Cotswolds MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown today hosted a meeting at the House of Commons with Dr Tim Brain, Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Constabulary, and all of Gloucestershire’s MPs to discuss funding issues for the Constabulary. Mr Clifton-Brown organised the meeting when it became clear to him that the Constabulary would be ongoing serious future financial problems. Owing to government insistence, the force had to waste around £200,000 investigating options to merge Gloucestershire’s Constabulary with the entire South West; or to merge the Gloucestershire force with Wiltshire, Avon, Somerset and Dorset. The planned merges were subsequently scrapped in a government u-turn, but costs have not yet been reimbursed by the Home Office.
Mr Clifton-Brown said:
"I was delighted that Dr Brain was able to come to London today, to brief us all on funding issues that will hit our Police force. His forecast was deeply worrying, and by 2008/09 there will be a crisis. The overall government grant is set for a 1.5% rise, but this is well below the 4% cost increase for wages and additional responsibilities. Similarly, because the government have capped raising money through Council Tax at 2.7%, this shuts off another avenue of funding.”
Dr Brain warned that as a result of both national resource issues, and a cap on local financial support, Gloucestershire is caught between a general grant settlement below real term needs and council tax capping, which may mean a decline in investment.
Mr Clifton-Brown added:
“He suggested that costs can be held down going into 2007/08 by slowing non-Police Officer recruitment. This is neither sustainable nor desirable; and any reserves that the Police may have prudently set aside are not inexhaustible. My constituents throughout the Cotswolds deserve better than this. Like the closure of our rural hospitals or post offices and indeed suffering longer on average ambulance waiting times, this is yet another example of this government using their power to short-change country dwellers. There is crime in rural areas. This needs to be addressed just as in any city; Gloucestershire and our excellent local Police force deserves better.”
Cotswolds MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown today hosted a meeting at the House of Commons with Dr Tim Brain, Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Constabulary, and all of Gloucestershire’s MPs to discuss funding issues for the Constabulary. Mr Clifton-Brown organised the meeting when it became clear to him that the Constabulary would be ongoing serious future financial problems. Owing to government insistence, the force had to waste around £200,000 investigating options to merge Gloucestershire’s Constabulary with the entire South West; or to merge the Gloucestershire force with Wiltshire, Avon, Somerset and Dorset. The planned merges were subsequently scrapped in a government u-turn, but costs have not yet been reimbursed by the Home Office.
Mr Clifton-Brown said:
"I was delighted that Dr Brain was able to come to London today, to brief us all on funding issues that will hit our Police force. His forecast was deeply worrying, and by 2008/09 there will be a crisis. The overall government grant is set for a 1.5% rise, but this is well below the 4% cost increase for wages and additional responsibilities. Similarly, because the government have capped raising money through Council Tax at 2.7%, this shuts off another avenue of funding.”
Dr Brain warned that as a result of both national resource issues, and a cap on local financial support, Gloucestershire is caught between a general grant settlement below real term needs and council tax capping, which may mean a decline in investment.
Mr Clifton-Brown added:
“He suggested that costs can be held down going into 2007/08 by slowing non-Police Officer recruitment. This is neither sustainable nor desirable; and any reserves that the Police may have prudently set aside are not inexhaustible. My constituents throughout the Cotswolds deserve better than this. Like the closure of our rural hospitals or post offices and indeed suffering longer on average ambulance waiting times, this is yet another example of this government using their power to short-change country dwellers. There is crime in rural areas. This needs to be addressed just as in any city; Gloucestershire and our excellent local Police force deserves better.”
