Matt Warman, MP for Boston and Skegness, has welcomed the Government’s recent announcement of funding increases for the police and local councils.

In plans announced on 13^th December, funding for the police nationally will increase by £970 million next year, the biggest increase since 2010, while national funding for councils will rise by £1.3 billion, bringing the level of local government funding to more than £200 billion in the five years to 2020. The increases will allow police services to be protected and improved, and also help councils deliver the services residents need while protecting them from unfair hikes in their council tax bills.

Locally, funding for Lincolnshire Police could increase by up to £9 million in 2019/20, up 7.5 per cent, and funding for Lincolnshire County Council will rise by £19 million, up 3.9 per cent in cash terms.

As part of the police funding settlement, the Home Office also committed to fighting serious and organised crime, including economic crime and drug trafficking, with a £90 million investment in national, regional and local capabilities. The settlement also sees £175 million going into the Police Transformation Fund, which includes investment for innovative new crime prevention techniques and a new national welfare service for front line officers, and £495 million for national police technology capabilities.

The Government is also giving councils £650 million for social care next year – building on the £240 million announced to relieve winter pressures on the NHS, £420 million to tackle potholes and £84 million more for children’s social care. This is in addition to increasing business rates retention to 75 per cent from 2020, to give councils even more incentive to grow the local economy so both Boston Borough and East Lindsey District Councils keep more of the revenue raised locally to spend on local services for residents.

Matt commented,

“I am delighted with the announcement of extra funding for 2019/20 for our police and local government. The increases of £9 million for Lincolnshire Police and £19 million for Lincolnshire County Council will help to protect and improve services for local residents. This is part of the Government’s balanced approach to the economy – spending on key public services while keeping taxes down and getting debt falling.

The settlement also gives local authorities more control over the money they raise, while protecting residents against excessive council tax rises. I will continue to ensure that the core Conservative values of law and order and localism remain central to government policy, and that Lincolnshire receives its fair share of public funding.”

Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Marc Jones, also welcomed the police funding settlement, saying,

“The Government’s announcement of the provisional policing funding settlement is a significant step in delivering sustainable funding for Lincolnshire Police. It is heartening that through the efforts of my team and local MPs we, along with our counterparts elsewhere in the country, have made a persuasive case for additional funding to tackle the growing demands and increasing complexity of policing.”

• More information on the police funding settlement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/police-to-get-largest-funding-increase-since-2010
• More information on the local government finance settlement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-2019-to-2020-statement
• The full statement from Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commission, Marc Jones, can be found here: https://lincolnshire-pcc.gov.uk/news-archive/2018/pcc-marc-jones-provides-a-statement-about-provisonal-police-funding-settlement/