Police chief warns of cuts despite funding boost

A chief constable said cuts would need to be made to police officer numbers, staff and services after a government funding announcement.

Lincolnshire Police has been allocated £173.2m for 2025, an increase of £8.9m on this year.

Chief Constable Paul Gibson said, while the force welcomes additional funding, the government grant was a "nominal increase" that does not "reflect the real and everyday challenges in the county".

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government was giving forces "a substantial increase" but Mr Gibson said he had asked for a meeting with the policing minister as the force faces a £57m deficit over the next four years.

Just over half of the increase will come from Home Office grants but £4.1m will come from rises in council tax bills which are expected to go up by an average £14.

Lincolnshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones said the funding settlement was "very disappointing" and the county's force was the worst funded in the country.

Mr Gibson described the current funding model as "outdated" which has resulted in Lincolnshire not receiving a "fair deal".

"In recent weeks I have warned about the possibility of cuts to our workforce, which means cuts to the public service that people in Lincolnshire will receive," he said.

"It's something I desperately want to avoid but with no financial respite in sight we simply will not be able to meet our budget needs without reducing officers and staff, and therefore our services.

"We cannot police on a shoestring and people in this county deserve better than that.

"Our modelling will now begin in earnest to explore how we can make these savings and, sadly, I cannot see a way we can do that without a detrimental impact on our communities, not to mention the people here who could find themselves out of a job."

Mr Gibson said the force was still responding to people, including over the Christmas and the New Year period, and "doing all it can to protect people and keep communities safe".

Announcing the provisional settlement of £17.4bn for forces in England and Wales in 2025-26 on Tuesday, Ms Cooper said the government was "providing a significant and much-needed increase in funding to help forces protect the public and keep our streets safe".

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