Kent PCC calls for police funding review

Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott says urgent changes are needed after last week's budget

Kent’s police and crime commissioner is seeking an urgent review of the way police funding is allocated following October's Budget.

Matthew Scott said the changes announced to employers’ National Insurance contributions would lead to an additional cost of £5.7m to the force.

In an open letter to the Home Office, he said Kent Police was now facing "an acute problem" exacerbated by an "unfair funding arrangement".

A Home Office spokesperson said the budget delivered "real increases in funding for policing".

Police funding comes from a government grant and also from a portion of the council tax paid each year.

The amount received by each force from the government is based on a complex formula that considers a number of factors, including population.

In his letter, Mr Scott said as any additional funding to help cover the increases in employers’ National Insurance contributions would be based on the funding formula, it would leave them with a shortfall of over £1m.

'Savings will impact front line policing'

He asked for the Home Office to "rapidly reconsider the way in which in-year adjustments to police funding are allocated".

Mr Scott warned: “We are rapidly approaching the point where any savings we make will inevitably have an impact on front line policing, something the Chief Constable and I are strenuously trying to avoid.

"The cost pressure of these changes would be on top of our existing savings requirements over the next four years of £28m.”

Mr Scott, who was re-elected to the role of police and crime commissioner earlier this year, said “policing does not need to pay the price of this Government’s budget like pensioners and farmers will be”.

He said there needed to be "urgent action to address the shortfall" which he said would equate to the salaries of 25 full-time police officers and that the Home Office should work with PCCs to "make sure policing doesn’t have to make further cuts next year”.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Last week's Budget delivers real increases in funding for policing.

“Further details on the allowance on national insurance contributions for public sector organisations will be provided in due course and force level allocations will be confirmed at the provisional police settlement in December."