Farron: Police Cuts Shambles Not Over Yet

Tim Farron MP has warned today that the government's decision to delay severe police cuts still leaves Cumbria Police in a vulnerable situation.

The government this afternoon announced that the changes to the police funding formula, which would have seen Cumbria Police face over £15m of cuts, will be delayed.

However, it is still expected that the force will face around £11m worth of cuts as a result of the government's Comprehensive Spending Review, due to be announced at the end of November.

Additionally, the changes to the funding formula have only been delayed rather than scrapped. Mike Penning MP, the Policing Minister, told the House of Commons that "The data does not change the principles of the funding formula".

Tim has therefore raised doubts about the government's decision, insisting that the fight must continue to ensure that Cumbria Police are given a fair deal in the future, which recognises the challenge involved in policing rural areas.

Tim said: "It's good that the government has finally recognised the funding formula consultation process as a shambles and has decided to delay it.

However, the fact remains that the government has not acknowledged that the principles behind the new formula are wrong. I am therefore extremely concerned that the government will simply bring back the same set of proposals to the table.

What we need is a funding formula which recognises the challenges involved in policing large rural areas, and provides the funding to enable this.

It is also important to remember that, regardless of the funding formula changes, Cumbria Police is likely to face significant cuts as a result of the government spending review at the end of the month."