Northamptonshire Police gets 'raw deal' in government funding says PCC

The comments from Stephen Mold came in his annual report for 2017-18. Mr Mold, who won at the ballot box as a Conservative candidate two years ago, has criticised Theresa May’s Tory government in his report, saying: “Policing in Northamptonshire faces ever greater demands on its budget.

“I have continued to raise my concerns with the Government that Northamptonshire Police does not get a fair funding settlement when compared to other police forces. Whilst I accept there is only a finite amount of money they can commit to policing, I do not believe the way this money is allocated is fair or equitable.”

Currently, the Police Funding Formula gives Northamptonshire Police £73m of its £123m budget, with the rest being raised from council tax precepts.

Earlier this year, the Home Office and police partners discussed potential changes to the police funding formula, and those changes will be revisited at the next police spending review.

Mr Mold says he has spent ‘a great deal of time and effort lobbying central government to recognise the weaknesses in the way policing is funded’ and how Northamptonshire Police has been historically underfunded. It is, he says, ‘a situation which has placed real pressures on the delivery of frontline policing in our county'.

He added: “I now look forward to a conclusion of the fairer funding formula review which I hope will yield a better outcome for Northamptonshire in the long term.

“This is vitally important as we currently get a raw deal for money per head of population in comparison to other police forces of a similar size – who receive more cash per person than we do.

“This is a situation which needs to be addressed and I will continue to work tirelessly to ensure we get a fairer settlement. Despite the funding pressures however, I will continue to ensure that I work closely with the Chief Constable to ensure the £123m we receive to provide policing in Northamptonshire is spent wisely.”