South Yorkshire Police cash plea over past mistakes

Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings is to ask the Home Office for extra cash

South Yorkshire's police boss will ask the government to help cover the estimated annual £7m cost of previous mistakes by the force.

Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings said he hopes new Home Secretary Sajid Javid will reduce the pressure caused by "legacy issues".

These are the Hillsborough disaster, child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, and the resulting Operation Stovewood.

The Home Office was contacted for a comment.

The government covers some costs but the force has to find three "excess" payments of £2.4m every year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Dr Billings said: "We need a home secretary who 'gets it', who understands why these pressures on South Yorkshire Police are different to everywhere else in the country.

"We will have to beat a path to his door rather a lot in the next 12 months because of legacy issues.

"The things which will make a difference to South Yorkshire Police finances are decisions which can only be taken by the home secretary."

In response the Home Office said: "There are established processes for police authorities to make an application for additional funding if they face unexpected and exceptional expenditure, which would otherwise create a serious threat to the authority's financial stability and their capacity to deliver normal policing.

"As of now the Home Office has not received a special grant funding request from South Yorkshire police for 2018/19".