§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for the HomeDepartment (I) which police forces he classifies as rural; [75184]
92W(2) how much of the Rural Policing Fund was spent by forces in (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–03 to date. [75185]
§ Mr. DenhamThe Rural Policing Fund was introduced in June 2000 to support the particular needs of forces with the most widespread populations. £15million was allocated in 2000–01 and £30million a year in 2001–02 and 2002–03.
There is no formal definition of a rural force. Many police force areas will cover both rural and more urban areas. The Rural Policing Fund is allocated to police authorities with the most dispersed populations, weighted for the degree of sparsity of population. Thirty one of the forty three police forces in England and Wales benefit. A table of grant allocations is given in the table.
Rural Funding Allocations—2000–01 to 2002–03 Police Authority: 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Avon & Somerset £494,892 £992,875 £993,718 Bedfordshire £81,390 £163,540 £163,555 Cambridgeshire £561,585 £1,125,169 £1,126,395 Cheshire £115,058 £228,487 £227,493 City of London 0 0 £0 Cleveland 0 0 £0 Cumbria £690,613 £1,370,910 £1,360,324 Derbyshire £208,347 £416,190 £415,196 Devon & Cornwall £1,554,673 £3,114,489 £3,128,806 Dorset £221,858 £442,209 £443,158 Durham £124,270 £246,803 £245,259 Dyfed Powys £1,297,570 £2,588,337 £2,583,979 Essex £251,315 £503,710 £504,105 Gloucestershire £387,093 £776,548 £775,749 Greater Manchester 0 0 0 Gwent £102,895 £204,476 £203,489 Hampshire £110,175 £220,430 £219,680 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 Humberside £357,640 £710,250 £705,395 Kent £298,863 £599,342 £599,700 Lancashire £32,228 £64,054 £63,835 Leicestershire £216,758 £433,988 £433,164 Lincolnshire £985,951 £1,978,690 £1,984,449 Merseyside 0 0 0 Metropolitan 0 0 0 Norfolk £1,036,848 £2,078,830 £2,085,509 North Wales £770,617 £1,533,723 £1,530,130 North Yorkshire £1,005,224 £2,013,806 £2,018,359 Northamptonshire £350,892 £704,141 £705,137 Northumbria 0 0 0 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 South Wales 0 0 0 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 Staffordshire £138,358 £275,072 £273,147 Suffolk £711,353 £1,422,627 £1,424,923 Surrey £5,463 £11,048 £11,006 Sussex £273,834 £550,563 £549,849 Thames Valley £629,559 £1,262,860 £1,261,933 Warwickshire £282,108 £562,546 £561,338 West Mercia £1,157,670 £2,311,653 £2,309,690 West Midlands 0 0 0 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 Wiltshire £544,900 £1,092,634 £1,091,530 All Police Authorities £15,000,00 £30,000,000 £30,000,000 It is a matter for the Police Authority and the Chief Officer to decide how the money will be spent for the benefit of rural communities. Police authorities which 93W have been allocated a share of the rural policing fund are required to publish a statement on the use of the grant, in their Annual Policing and Best Value Performance Plan. Records are not collated centrally of spending by each force.