The Policing Minister has delayed the changes currently being consulted on under the police funding formula.
Mike Penning confirmed that the existing funding formula will be used for the 2016/17 financial year, but told the House of Commons that “the data does not change the principles of the funding formula”.
The news has been welcomed by South Lakes MP & Lib Dem Leader Tim Farron, Cumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner Richard Rhodes and Chief Constable Jerry Graham, who say that while they are pleased with the delay, the policing budget remains unclear.
Commissioner Rhodes said: “I welcome the announcement from Policing Minister, Mike Penning today in the House of Commons to delay the implementation of the changes currently being consulted on under the police funding formula. The existing funding formula will be used for the 2016/17 budget year.
“I welcome that the funding formula will now be consulted upon properly and robustly and will ask to be part of any discussions about the future of the formula, however, the financial situation in Cumbria remains challenging and we wait with some trepidation the announcement about future budget cuts under the Comprehensive Spending Review to be announced on 25 November.”
Chief Constable Jerry Graham said: “I am pleased that the Home Office is delaying the changes in the funding formula at this time. The policing budget is still unclear whilst we await the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review on the 26th November.
“The work we have done recently outlines the massive operational impact that significant level of cuts would have on policing services in Cumbria. Previous proposals would have left policing unrecognisable in the county.
“We continue to support the Police and Crime Commissioner to feed back the implications that further reductions in our budget would have on policing the county effectively.”
Tim Farron said it's important to remember that while the changes to the funding formula have been delayed, they haven't been scrapped altogether.
He said: "It’s good that the government has finally recognised the funding formula consultation process as a shambles and has decided to delay it.
"However, the fact remains that the government has not acknowledged that the principles behind the new formula are wrong. I am therefore extremely concerned that the government will simply bring back the same set of proposals to the table.
"What we need is a funding formula which recognises the challenges involved in policing large rural areas, and provides the funding to enable this.
"It is also important to remember that, regardless of the funding formula changes, Cumbria Police is likely to face significant cuts as a result of the government spending review at the end of the month."