Fed chair calls for urgent overhaul of police funding

14 February 2023

Hertfordshire Police Federation chair Luke Mitchell has called for an urgent overhaul of the police funding model after the 2023/24 settlement was announced.

The Government said the new settlement will total £17.2 billion - an increase of £287 million on last year’s figure - but a lot of the extra cash will come from council tax precepts set by local Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC).

Policing minister Chris Philp told MPs: “Because of the way we are allocating the funding between PCCs who deliver frontline services, versus money spent by the Home Office centrally, the amount of money being received by PCCs will go up by over a half billion, it’ll go up by £523 million.

“I would, of course, want to remind the House and to remind PCCs that before they turn to local taxpayers to increase their contributions, it is important for PCCs and indeed chief constables to seek efficiencies and maximise productivity before increasing levels of tax.”

Many PCCs have already indicated they will seek to raise the precept by the maximum allowed under a change in the rules introduced by this Government.

Critics accused the Government of handing responsibility for the police budget to the council taxpayers.

And shadow Home Office minister Sarah Jones said the grant funding “is down in real terms” and blamed the Government for “further burdening local taxpayers instead of dealing with inflation and properly funding the police”.

Luke said it was time for a new funding mechanism to be introduced.

He said: “I have recently written to Chris Philp seeking reassurances on a number of issues including funding and his response was essentially the same as most of his predecessors - that the police are doing a great job and have the full support of the Government.

“But experience has taught me that fine words are not always backed up with serious actions and although the latest settlement appears to show a big increase, a lot of that extra funding is coming from local council taxpayers and is in reality just a short-term solution.

“Policing is crying out for a robust, long-term funding model which enables chief constables to plan and budget for years rather than months in advance.

“The organisation cannot run efficiently without knowing what finances are going to be available in 12 months’ time and that is bound to have an impact on policing in Hertfordshire and the communities that we serve.

“So once again we call on the Government to look at the way policing is resourced, to listen to the Police Federation and those on the frontline who face the consequences of the funding issues on a daily basis and to come up with a solution that means we can deliver the best and most effective service and keep our citizens safe and secure.”