Farron Urges Police Cuts Rethink

South Lakeland MP Tim Farron has urged the government to reconsider plans to further cut police funding in the Comprehensive Spending Review this week.

Cumbria Police are bracing themselves for the announcement of further cuts to their budget, expected to be set out in the government's Comprehensive Spending Review on Wednesday. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has calculated that non-protected government departments, including the Home Office, will face average cuts of 27% in their budgets. Cumbria Police are estimating that their budget will be reduced by at least £11.5 million.

Tim met recently with officers from Cumbria Police, and discussed the challenges they faced. The force has already faced cuts of over £20 million, and there are real concerns about the impact which further cuts will have.

Tim has vowed to continue the fight to get a fair deal for Cumbria Police, commenting: "We are facing the worrying prospect of extremely severe cuts to police budgets being announced in the Spending Review this week.

"I am urging the government to reconsider, and to provide the police with proper funding to enable them to keep our communities safe.

"Cumbria Police cover a very large area, and any cuts are likely to have a severe impact on police presence across the county."

Visit Tim's website to sign his petition to Protect Our Police: www.timfarron.co.uk/protect-our-police