Federation calls for greater Government funding as it backs Force over budget shortfall
15 August 2025
West Mercia Police Federation has pointed the finger squarely at the Government over the £8 million funding gap in the Force's budget that is forcing it to make further redundancies.
The Federation said that ‘cuts have consequences’ as West Mercia Police revealed the extent of the financial pressures is is facing – despite already making significant savings.
The Force said the financial pressures are caused by the funding it receives from the Government.
The funding has failed to keep pace with inflation, as well as increased demand from the public and rises in officer pay, it said.
Speaking on behalf of the Federation, Steve Butler said it would continue to support members through ‘what could be an extremely difficult time’.
Steve Butler says the Force's budget shortfall underlines the need for a greater investment in policing.
Steve said: "The saying goes cuts have consequences, and that is undoubtedly being proven here in West Mercia.
“This is no fault of the Force. This is down to years of poor investment in policing.
“We echo comments from the Force, pinning this on the Home Office. The Government needs to listen.
“If they want the police to perform effectively and efficiently, it is critical that they invest adequately.
Impact of job lossess
“While it might be police staff that will be directly impacted through job losses, we must not forget the wider – and potentially damaging – impact this might have across the Force.
“And not forgetting how this will be directly be impacting the public too. That is on the Government, not our Force.
“As their Federation, we will continue to support our members throughout what could be an extremely difficult time. We are here, whenever you need us.”
In a message to officers and staff on Thursday (14 August), the Force outlined the scale of the financial challenge.
Additional cuts
Significant savings have already been made through redundancies in police staff roles (non-police officer posts), two voluntary schemes for staff to reduce salary costs, and a change to PCSOs shift patterns. However, additional cuts are now needed.
Chief Constable Richard Cooper said: “Police staff bring a wealth of skills, knowledge and experience, often from the private sector and areas outside of policing, and make a huge contribution to the service we deliver and the communities we serve.
“The difficult decision we have made, to make further police staff redundancies, is certainly not something we would choose to be doing.
“This decision should not undervalue or undermine the contribution police staff make, and their absence will be sharply felt.
Public protection
“Protecting people from harm remains our absolute priority.
“We absolutely stand by our commitment to the neighbourhood policing guarantee and ensuring our local communities can continue to have confidence in the service we deliver and that we continue to respond to emergencies.”
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “This is not a position that I or the public would expect for their police force to be in.
“However, I want to reassure our communities that action is being taken to address these issues and ensure that the force is able to continue delivering an efficient and effective service and keep communities safe.
“The Chief Constable and I are making best use of all the resources and flexibilities we have at our disposal. But it is not enough.
Fundamental issues
“Let’s be clear. There are wider, fundamental issues around how central funding is distributed to police forces that hasn’t been fixed by the current, or previous, Governments. This unfairness, that I have raised on a number of occasions, has exacerbated the current challenges we face. In addition, there are growing mandates from the Government dictating how we should spend the grant we receive for our police force, communities and their needs.
“I will support the force as they navigate these budgetary challenges, continuing to play my part and ensuring that the communities of West Mercia are kept safe and feel safe.”
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