Date published: 20/04/2006

Liberal Democrat councillors, Councillor Angela Coric and Councillor Wera Hobhouse, are to put a motion before the forthcoming Rochdale Council meeting on 26 April expressing their concern over cuts in Greater Manchester Police Funding.

In February a package of measures, including cuts, was approved by Greater Manchester Police Authority as the police budget for 2006/7: GMP had to find savings of more than £14 million in order to balance the budget in the coming year. This is in addition to more than £50m worth of efficiency savings which the Force has made in the past three years.  

See:

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/News/news.asp?ID=1379

Notice of Motion for Council Meeting: 26/04/06
 
Proposed by Councillor Angela Coric
Seconded by Councillor Wera Hobhouse 

Greater Manchester Police Funding

That the Council Meeting:

• Is dismayed that because of the £14 million funding reduction in 2006/7 there will be a reduction of 216 police officers, a cut in essential overtime, a cut of £1 million allocated to fighting street crime and a severe reduction in the number of dogs and horses as used as support for divisions, all with an affect on front line policing in the Borough of Rochdale
  
• Notes that from 2006/7 Greater Manchester has had over £14 million  which the formula states that it should receive withheld by the Government and reallocated instead to other forces
  
• Notes that there is a further projected claw-back for Greater Manchester of £13.5 million in 2007/8 as a settlement for a two year period, this will almost certainly result in a further reduction of police officers in the Rochdale Borough
  
• Notes that in 2003/4 there was a 33% increase in the charges to the public that allowed the number of police officers to rise above 8,000, the minimum required by the Chief Constable and that the current cuts will reduce this strength to 7,848
  
• Notes that there was a general agreement nationally when the formula for funding police forces was set, that the formula was fair
  
• Strongly urges all MPs in the Rochdale  Borough to fight for the restoration of fair funding for Greater Manchester Police and for an increased allocation in 2007/8

The Rochdale Labour Group will be supporting this Notice of Motion at the full council meeting on 26 and share concerns over any cuts to GMP funding.
 
Further the Rochdale Labour Group will be adding the following Addendum: 

• Asks why the council representative, Liberal Democrat Barbara Todd, voted for all of this in voting for the budget.
• Welcomes the selection of Rochdale Borough as a pilot for the Neighbourhood Policing Initiative which will bring policing closer to the people that matter - the community.

The Addendum will be moved by Cllr Lynn Brosnan and seconded by Cllr Nick Maher.