'Victory' as police get extra £11m

6:09am Sunday 9th December 2007

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POLICE in North Yorkshire will receive £11 million in Government funding in addition to the general grant announced this week.

The Press told yesterday how MPs hailed a "great victory" for The Press' Fund Our Force campaign, after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith revealed that North Yorkshire Police had been saved from a massive cut in funding.

The campaign was launched after Chief Constable Graham Maxwell said he feared a £10 million cut in the force's grant from the Government, because of proposed changes in the funding formula.

He warned that such a cut would have "devastating" consequences for frontline policing.

But the Home Secretary said on Thursday that the formula would not be changing, and the force would instead receive a 2.5 per cent increase in the base grant in 2008/09 to £74,797,000, compared with this year's grant of £72,973,000.

On top of that figure, North Yorkshire Police will receive an additional £11million from a range of other Government funding.

That includes £3.44million in "special formula" grant, made up of what used to be specific grants such as the rural policing fund, forensic grant and the initial police learning and development programme.

The force will also receive £1.95million from the crime-fighting fund and £3.24million from the neighbourhood policing fund and funding for police community support officers (PCSOs).

North Yorkshire benefits from the decision to provide a funding floor of 2.5 per cent. If the formula had been strictly applied, they would have received £68.6million. Instead, they will receive £74.8million - £6.2million more.

Ms Smith said: "Historically high numbers of police, supported by 16,000 police community support officers (PCSOs), are delivering real changes on the ground, fighting crime and making communities feel safer.

"The roll-out of neighbourhood policing by next April will embed those improvements across the country, with every area covered.

"This settlement will give the police the flexibility to make the best possible use of resources to maintain the historically high number of police officers and will enable the police to plan for the future, improve productivity and modernise their workforce.

"This settlement will deliver for the public safer and more confident communities, an effective neighbourhood policing team in every area, sustained action on antisocial behaviour and reductions in serious violence and alcohol and drug misuse."

The news was greeted with jubilation by York MP Hugh Bayley who presented The Press' Fund Our Force dossier - including a petition signed by 1,350 people - to the Minister in October.

He said: "This is a great victory for The Press campaign - and a victory for democracy.

"The Home Secretary listened to the arguments against the change in the funding formula."