Conservative Police Commissioner splashes cash on branding while bobbies on beat face cuts

Tim Farron has accused the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner of wasting public money, following the revelation that his office has spent almost £9000 on rebranding since coming to power a year ago, while the county's police face severe cuts.

A Freedom of Information request revealed that £8850 has been spent on rebranding, including on new logos and a new website, since the election last year.

At the same time, Cumbria Police was last year forced to cut 69 police officers and staff. Planned changes to the police funding formula, which would have seen Cumbria Police lose around £15million, were scrapped in 2015 but there are plans to bring back the changes.

Tim said: "The Conservatives seem to think they can make up for slashing bobbies on the beat in Cumbria by splashing the cash on a fancy rebranding exercise.

"The people of Cumbria don't want a swish new website or fancy new logos - they want a police force that isn't being decimated by Conservative cuts. They want to feel safe because there are enough police to look after our area.

"This shows the Conservatives can't be trusted to look after our police force."