North Yorkshire police chiefs need to save £5m (From York Press)

North Yorkshire police chiefs need to save £5m

9:31am Wednesday 8th February 2012 in Ryedale news By Jennifer Bell, jennifer.bell@thepress.co.uk

POLICE chiefs in North Yorkshire have outlined plans to save £5 million next year as they face another huge cut in Government funding.

North Yorkshire Police’s budget for 2012/13 will be thrashed out at a meeting in York next week, with the force saying the fact its officer numbers are now lower than originally anticipated could allow it to cut £1.525 million from its costs.

The end of the “special priority payments” bonus scheme for officers is earmarked to save £886,000.

But the force also expects to face a £500,000 bill for policing the Olympics and £705,000 in the cost of agency staff to help it make changes amid funding cuts.

Next week’s North Yorkshire Police Authority meeting will be told the county is likely to have 1,411 officers in 2012/13, but this is set to fall to 1,300 by 2015/16, and 30 of those who remain would be student officers.

The report said the force made the £8.9 million in savings they needed to make this year but the “unavoidable reality has been the workforce needed to reduce”.

All officers who left went voluntarily, the report said.

At Monday’s meeting, the authority must also decide whether to accept a Government grant allowing the police precept on council tax bills across North Yorkshire to be frozen next year, or vote for a 3.135 per cent rise.

North Yorkshire Police’s grant from Westminster for 2012/13 will be £73.661 million – a £5.292 million year-on-year drop – although it will also receive £1.532 million from the Government because it did not increase its council tax precept for 2011/12.

Figures show the county’s police force budget proposals include saving £2.9 million on officer salaries and £390,000 on staff salaries, with no pay rises apart from a £250 award for employees earning less than £21,000.

However, rising overtime, premises and transport costs, as well as increases in fuel and power bills, are marked out as some of the main financial pressures on the force.