POLICE in North Yorkshire are on course to win a multi-million pound savings battle.
The region’s police chiefs needed to shave £2.232 million off their budget this year to balance the books, and also earmarked the need to save a further £4 million in the face of tough Government funding cuts.
With just days to go before the end of the current financial year, figures which will go before North Yorkshire Police Authority next week have revealed the force had managed to make £5.069 million in savings by the end of January.
Added to an underspend of £729,000 across various areas of its budget, which has been achieved through measures such as a recruitment and promotion freeze and reducing the force’s use of agency staff, it means North Yorkshire Police has come within £434,000 of meeting its financial aims.
The latest rundown on its budget, which totalled £139.7 million in 2010/11, will go before a meeting of North Yorkshire Police Authority (NYPA) next week, with a report by the organisation’s chief finance officer Joanna Carter revealing a combined underspend of almost £1.1 million on employee costs other than salaries and premises and transport costs at the end of January.
During the first ten months of the current financial year, the force has also drawn in more than £1 million in extra income than it originally budgeted for, but this was balanced out by a £521,000 overspend on salary-related costs and an £851,000 overspend on supplies and services.
If the force ultimately succeeds in meeting its additional £4 million savings target, £1.1 million of this will be eaten up by this year’s reduction in its Government grant, with the remainder being transferred to police reserves for future use.
The report, which will be heard by a meeting of members to be held at the Novotel Hotel, in Fishergate, on Monday, said the force has also managed an underspend through transport costs.
It read: “The conversion of most of the vehicle fleet to diesel has reduced the cost of fuel and overall vacancies have resulted in an underspend on travelling expense.
• Plans for policing in East Yorkshire for the next four years have been agreed by members of Humberside Police Authority.
Coun Chris Matthews, chairman of Humberside Police Authority said 999 response times, persistent offenders, who cause the most harm in local communities, antisocial behaviour, criminal damage, hate crime, household burglaries and domestic violence are among the list of priorities set by the force.
Forcing the issue
NO-ONE is, or indeed should be, immune from the present round of austerity measures. So it is good that North Yorkshire police has managed to save more than £5 million by January with the pain identified with the cuts largely known in advance, and no significant reduction in bobbies on the beat.
But for now the announcement that the force has almost met its target can only receive a qualified welcome until we are sure the reductions will not be accompanied by an increase in crime. We also need assurance that police on the streets are not left with an unsustainable burden, and that public satisfaction is being maintained.
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