§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the real terms change in funding from central Government funds for each police force in the next financial year; what was the real terms change in funding from central Government funds for each police force between 1997–98 and 1998–99; and if he will make a statement. [63674]
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Police funding 1997–98 to 1999–2000 1997–98 £million1 Percentage change (real terms) 1998–99 £ million1 Percentage change (real terms) 1999–2000 £ million1 Avon and Somerset 158.7 0.76 164.3 0.00 168.4 Bedfordshire 58.9 0.63 60.9 -1.64 61.4 Cambridgeshire 68.2 2.60 71.9 1.50 74.8 Cheshire 101.1 0.79 104.7 1.57 109 City of London2 61.6 -9.79 57.1 -5.34 55.4 Cleveland 75.2 4.05 80.4 -1.10 81.5 Cumbria 58.6 -2.01 59.0 -0.79 60 Derbyshire 95.3 -0.23 97.7 1.56 101.7 Devon and Cornwall 158.6 2.72 167.4 1.64 174.4 Dorset 66.6 -0.92 67.8 0.87 70.1 Durham 73.3 3.70 78.1 1.56 81.3 Dyfed Powys 49.9 -0.34 51.1 -1.68 51.5 Essex 155.9 -1.12 158.4 0.39 163 Gloucestershire 60.1 -0.41 61.5 -1.01 62.4 Greater Manchester 351.2 1.09 364.8 0.48 375.7 Gwent 64.5 1.55 67.3 0.46 69.3 Hampshire 180.0 2.24 189.1 0.40 194.6 Hertfordshire 92.4 -0.89 94.1 3.78 100.1 Humberside 105.9 1.64 110.6 -0.32 113 Kent 168.5 3.33 178.9 -0.09 183.2 Lancashire 167.7 1.50 174.9 -0.54 178.3 Leicestershire 97.3 -0.88 99.1 0.71 102.3 Lincolnshire 61.5 -3.94 60.7 1.90 63.4 Merseyside 227.3 -0.11 233.3 -1.18 236.3 Metropolitan Police3 1,688.0 -1.10 1,715.3 -0.80 1,744.1 Norfolk 78.1 0.81 80.9 0.70 83.5 North Wales 71.2 0.06 73.2 0.09 75.1 North Yorkshire 71.9 2.33 75.6 0.14 77.6 Northamptonshire 60.0 1.87 62.8 1.29 65.2 Northumbria 193.4 3.36 205.4 1.17 213 Nottinghamshire 119.3 0.34 123.0 0.26 126.4 South Wales 155.1 1.21 161.3 -1.35 163.1 South Yorkshire 158.8 1.37 165.4 1.04 171.3 Staffordshire 111.8 -3.29 111.1 -0.77 113 Suffolk 63.4 1.31 66.0 1.55 68.7 Surrey 91.8 -10.73 84.2 6.60 92 Sussex 155.2 1.96 162.6 -0.16 166.4 Thames Valley Police 208.2 2.51 219.3 -0.08 224.6 Warwickshire 50.6 -1.71 51.1 -0.72 52 West Mercia 106.3 0.71 110.0 0.31 113.1 West Midlands 353.4 2.42 371.9 -0.16 380.6 West Yorkshire 267.5 1.69 279.5 -0.07 286.3 Wiltshire 62.2 -0.80 63.4 -0.13 64.9 1 Rounded to the nearest £100,000. The allocation is the sum of: Police Grant, Transitional grant, Police SSA, Capital Finance SSA, SSA Reduction Grant and Central Support Reduction Grant. 2 Figure for the City includes Police SSA, Grant and SSA Reduction Grant, but excludes other SSAs (eg Capital Financing) and Central Support Reduction Grant. These are allocated to the Common Council of the City of London as a whole in respect of all its functions. 3 Figure for the Metropolitan Police does not include funding allocated to the Receiver under the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services SSA for school crossing patrols, Magistrates' Courts and the Probation Service. It does include its Special Payment.
§ Mr. BoatengMy right hon. Friend announced on 2 December 1998,Official Report, columns 194–97, the revenue funding proposals for each police authority for 1999–2000. The table shows the real terms changes between these and comparative funding allocations in 1998–99, and between 1998–99 and 1997–98. In actual terms, the national increase in Total Standard Spending on the police is 2.67 per cent. or £186 million over 1998–99.
In addition, the Government have announced the abolition of crude and universal capping of local authority spending from April 1999. This will provide some flexibility at local level to enable police authorities to increase their spending power. Nevertheless, police authorities are expected to set budgets which are prudent and reasonable, and which do not impose an excessive increase in council tax next year.