South Wales Police budget gap 'equivalent to 320 officers'

South Wales Police has the biggest budget of the four Welsh forces

South Wales Police faces a £16m budget gap for next year - the equivalent cost of 320 officers - its chief finance officer has said.

Umar Hussain told South Wales Police and Crime Panel the force had to spend an extra £23m on matters such as pay rises and higher pension contributions.

He said £6m of savings had been found but warned council tax could increase.

Police and crime commissioner Alun Michael said it was "outrageous" the UK Treasury was not plugging the gap.

South Wales Police has the biggest budget of the four Welsh forces - £271m in 2018/19.

Nearly three-fifths of its funding comes from the Home Office, with the rest covered by a precept - a charge included in council tax bills.

'On the edge'

Mr Hussain told the panel on Tuesday the force could look again at the number of stations it maintained, more than any force outside of London, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We are very progressive and making the best we can out of our resources," he said.

Mr Hussain added that while the Home Office had accepted the case for additional funding, the burden was being passed onto local taxpayers.

"We are on that edge now," he said.

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Chief Constable Matt Jukes told panel members the force had to meet the cost of recent pay increases for staff, while Mr Hussain said the employers' contribution to pensions had risen from 24% to 34%.

Mr Michael claimed the pension changes would cost the force an extra £4m this year and £10m next year, and called on the UK government to meet the cost.

"They have a moral obligation to fund it - we should not be filling the gap," he said.

Meanwhile the commissioner and chief constable said attempts were continuing to persuade the Home Office to provide extra funding to police Cardiff as a capital city, cash already provided to forces serving London, Edinburgh and Belfast.