Commissioner demands Home Secretary comes clean on fresh policing cuts

Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd

Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner has condemned the Home Secretary for ignoring calls to come clean on planned cuts to local policing.

Tony Lloyd was speaking out as a flawed consultation exercise about changes to how the Government allocates funding to the police service closed.

The Home Office has repeatedly failed to provide information on how the proposals will impact Greater Manchester and other forces across the country - despite numerous demands from police leaders and politicians.

Based on the scant information they have provided, Greater Manchester could be facing up to a further £52m slashed from the policing budget - on top of the £275m already cut.

Mr Lloyd said: “Theresa May and her army of civil servants have ignored pleas from myself, the Chief Constable and local politicians for them to ditch the secrecy and tell the truth about what these changes will mean for Greater Manchester.

“Policing Minister Mike Penning let the cat out the bag in Parliament last week, admitting that they know the impact these changes will have on local policing – but are refusing to say.

“This secrecy and silence fuels further uncertainty about the future of policing in Greater Manchester and highlights the Government’s blatant disregard for local policing and the safety of our communities – this is unacceptable. I have written to Greater Manchester’s MPs asking them to urgently raise this issue in Parliament and demand answers from the Home Secretary.

“This process has been a shambles. The Home Office needs to first come clean and then re-run the consultation process, but this time make it transparent.”

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