HC Deb 24 March 2003 vol 402 cc12-3
6. Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York)

What recent representations he has received on the level of rural policing. [104112]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Hilary Benn)

The Home Office has received a number of representations about the funding of rural policing. Following consultation on the police funding formula last summer, it was decided to retain the rural policing fund. Police authorities in sparsely populated areas will this year share £30 million.

Miss McIntosh

Is the Minister aware that this year's budget for North Yorkshire police is a standstill budget and that there is a shortfall of £8.2 million? That meant that the police precept required a massive increase to enable rural policing to continue at the same level as the previous year. The Minister will know that the Vale of York is equidistant between Menwith Hill and Fylingdales and that a sizeable demonstration at Menwith Hill on Saturday required the presence of six police forces in addition to North Yorkshire police. That will have a big impact on the North Yorkshire police budget and might jeopardise rural policing in the forthcoming year. What additional resources will he make available?

Hilary Benn

I am, indeed, aware of the issue that the hon. Lady raises in relation to the policing of demonstrations. As she will know, North Yorkshire received, courtesy of the Home Secretary, an additional £1 million for policing the demonstrations at Fylingdales and Menwith Hill. My right hon. Friend will look sympathetically at further representations made by police authorities about the policing of current demonstrations.

Mr. Ian Cawsey (Brigg and Goole)

In a recent conversation with our chief constable, he told me that policing in the Isle of Axholme, which is one of the most rural parts of my constituency, had been more than doubled due to a combination of the crime fighting fund and the rural policing fund. However, he regretted that that was subject to an annual review of rural policing grants. Will the Minister, on behalf of the Government, assure him that the fund will give long-term funding to police authority budgets?

Hilary Benn

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for drawing attention to the improvements to policing made available by the funding to which he referred. I hope that I can reassure him by telling him that having established the rural policing fund, we do not intend to get rid of it.

Mr. Elfyn Llwyd (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy)

Is not the Minister being disingenuous? In reality, giving a standstill budget is effectively cutting what is available under the fund. All four Welsh police forces have had standstill rural fund budgets, despite the increasing cost of fuel, insurance and so on, which means that they are less able to do the work that they are supposed to do in rural areas. The Government, to their credit, identified the need for the fund. Unfortunately, however, they now seem to be back-pedalling.

Hilary Benn

I concur with the hon. Gentleman's final point; the rural policing fund did not exist until it was created by this Government precisely because we recognised the strength of the argument put forward by him and other hon. Members who represent rural areas. However, we need to look at the funding of police forces in the round, and the rural policing fund is only one element of the resources that have gone in. This year, the cash rise overall has been 6.2 per cent., which feeds its way into police authority budgets through both the core grant and the additional funding that police authorities get. It is precisely for that reason that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State was able to refer a moment ago to the record number of police officers that we now have in this country.

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