Plea to reform 'unfair' police funding formula

A police force could struggle to balance next year's budget because of "underlying unfairness" in the way its funding is calculated, according to a report.

Phil Trussell, chief finance officer for Cambridgeshire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), said "unfunded population growth" in the county meant the force could only support a "baseline of public service and business as usual".

The report said an additional 15 officers were needed each year until 2041 to maintain current service levels.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said it had committed to reviewing the current formula and that funding was at a "historic high".

"A new approach to allocating funding will be brought in as part of our reforms to police structures," they added.

Cambridgeshire Police received £122m in government grant funding this year, with £99m raised through the police precept, which is collected through council tax.

Police funding is calculated on older census data, which the report said failed to reflect more recent "significant regional growth" in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Elected PCCs in England and Wales are responsible for balancing the budgets of their police forces.

The report estimated the funding formula did not account for about 74,000 people living in Cambridgeshire, and forecast further growth in the coming years.

"We will continue to fall further behind our funding needs without a change in methodology," the report said.

"We have little opportunity to invest in digital technology to improve efficiency, and with an ageing estate, we are seeing increasing pressure on maintenance costs."

According to the report, police funding in Cambridgeshire is £247 per head, compared with £282 nationally.

Stu Taylor, Cambridgeshire Police Federation chair, said Cambridgeshire needed "fair, sustainable funding" that kept pace with population growth and demand.

He said: "Officers and staff work hard to meet demand because they care about their communities.

"But goodwill cannot replace sustainable funding."

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