Richard arranged a meeting for Bedfordshire MPs, the Chief Constable and our Police and Crime Commissioner to meet with the Policing Minister, Chris Philp MP, to address the limitations on funding of Bedfordshire Police, which results from the 2004 settlement of the police national funding formula. This has meant that each year Bedfordshire Police rely on “stop gap” funding to meet our local policing needs.
In our small county, our police force has to deal with two large urban centres, an international airport requiring complex counter-terrorism resources, as well as county lines, serious organised crime, social community cohesion in our urban centres and rural crime too.
Richard Fuller MP said:
This week I arranged for Bedfordshire MPs, the Chief Constable and Police and Crime Commissioner to meet with the Policing Minister to make the case for longer term increased funding for our police force.
Bedfordshire DID receive an above average increase again this year (a 7% increase in core funding) and significant grants were awarded including £1.5 million for hot spot policing and antisocial behaviour next year. There has also been a significant uplift in police numbers – which are at their highest number ever with 200 more officers than in 2010. However the underlying problems with the funding formula have not been resolved and all MPs across Bedfordshire are united in saying that this situation is not sustainable and we need a permanent solution.
I was encouraged by the Minister saying that the work the Home Office is doing on a permanent change to the funding formula is at an advanced stage; that in the meantime the Minister is doing all he can to protect the special grant money going towards Bedfordshire and to stress the urgency for change for Bedfordshire at the highest levels of government.
I also thank the Chief Constable and PCC for effectively working with the resources they have, for successfully bidding for grants and for moving to use technology to save police time and operate more efficiently.
Richard requested the meeting during Home Office Questions in the House of Commons in January. More information can be read here; https://www.richardfuller.co.uk/news/richard-secures-meeting-beds-mps-policing-minister-discuss-police-funding
