division_name: Police Grant Report
motion: <p class="indent" pid="d189.0/2" pwmotiontext="yes">That the Police Grant Report (England and Wales) for 2019/20 (HC 1896), which was laid before this House on <phrase class="date" code="2019-01-24">24 January</phrase>, be approved.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d197.1/2" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;This appears to be a quick fix. A sticking plaster solution that injects extra money in the short-term, but one which sees the burden falling unfairly on local council tax payers.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d197.1/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Whilst I welcome this injection of funding, it is still far short of what the service requires to effectively meet the challenges of 21st century policing.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d197.5/2" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;This government funding does not come anywhere near to covering what the force requires&#8230;&#163;25.6m is needed to cover extra pension costs, government-set pay increases and rising fuel costs this year.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d198.4/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Over the last year we&#8217;ve seen rises in vehicle offences, robbery, and some lower-volume but higher-harm types of violence.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d199.3/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Annualised funding allocations result in short term strategies that deliver short term impact&#8221;,</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d199.3/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;imposition of one year funding settlements&#8230;hampers effective long term financial planning&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d199.3/8" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;absence of any indication of funding beyond 12 months&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d199.3/10" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;a realistic medium term financial plan&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d200.1/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;We concluded that there were significant gaps in the Department&#8217;s understanding of demand and of pressures on the service, and it needed to be better informed to discharge its duties of overseeing the police and distributing funding.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d200.3/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;The Home Office&#8217;s light touch approach to overseeing police forces means it does not know if the police system is financially sustainable. It lacks a long-term plan for policing and significant gaps remain in its understanding of demand for police services and their costs.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d200.3/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;the Home Office&#8217;s Head of Profession for Statistics speak to communications colleagues about the importance of clear public statements about police funding and ensure they understand the structure of police funding.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d201.7/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;They are passing the buck of funding the police service to the public by doubling the council tax precept that police and crime commissioners are allowed to charge.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d209.0/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;things in policing are not ok&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d209.0/7" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;nowhere near where it needs to be.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d211.0/7" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;enquiries from public and media&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d211.0/9" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;experience of working with confidential and sensitive information&#8230;dealing with confrontation&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d211.0/11" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;working in a police environment or similar&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d211.0/13" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;with austerity, standing at a cordon is a luxury we cannot afford.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d216.0/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;I have lost count of the amount of times I have rang both the police and fire brigade because of youths trying to and succeeding in lighting fires on the playing field and also to the rear of my property. They are stealing wheelie bins, people&#8217;s fences and various items from the back of the shops to set on fire. There is also large groups of youths hanging around in the area. There are motor bikes and quads flying around like they are untouchable&#8221;&#8212;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d216.0/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;both on the roads, the paths and the children&#8217;s playing field. There is drug dealing (that is very clear to see) that has been reported countless times, regular vehicles back and forth that the police would catch in the act if there was enough of them in wait. In the 6 years I have lived here the last 18 months have been the worst and getting even worse. Why? Because they know they are getting away with whatever they please because we have no policing. Things are going from bad to worse and people are starting to take matters into their own hands. I hope and pray you get the funding that is needed.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d218.2/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;the lives of vulnerable people could be at risk.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d219.0/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;How can a force that&#8217;s rated one of the most efficient in the country not get to 30% of emergency calls on time if it&#8217;s not a resource problem?&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d219.0/11" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;the settlement for the West Midlands has been less favourable than for other areas.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d222.4/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Police Grant Report (England and Wales)&#8221;;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="d231.0/15" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Every police and crime commissioner will have their Government grant funding protected in real terms,&#8221;&#8212;[Official Report, <phrase class="date" code="2019-12-13">13 December</phrase> 2018; Vol. 651, c. 432.]</p>
  
  <p class="italic" pid="d237.3/2" pwmotiontext="yes">The House divided:</p>
  
  <p pid="d237.3/3" pwmotiontext="yes">Ayes 310289, Noes 254242.</p>