Richard recently attended an Essex MP briefing with Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex (PFCC), and BJ Harrington, Chief Constable of Essex Police, to discuss the funding of the police for the next year.
Following that visit, and the positive news that funding has been increased by the Government after successfully lobbying from Roger Hirst, Richard met with the local PCSOs for Billericay in Waitrose on the High Street to discuss their efforts in tackling anti-social behaviour and retail crime.
Speaking on this issue, The Rt Hon Richard Holden MP said:
Over the last few weeks, you may have seen some alarming headlines, including that we might lose all of our PCSOs in Essex. I was contacted by high street businesses very concerned about the potential loss of PCSOs and popped by to meet a few of them this week at a supermarket on Billericay High Street.
The fundamental points are:
1. Essex Police and our Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst, have been given some massive budget pressures due to a rise in National Insurance Contributions of £8m a year extra, the police pay settlement of 4.75%, and other extra costs, including from legislative changes around kennelling XL bullies.
2. The Government gave an initial settlement of an extra circa £13 million million a year. This doesn't even cover the extra National Insurance increase and Pay Settlement (agreed nationally) of circa £21 million.
3. Therefore, our PFCC was left with no choice but to raise the police precept by the maximum allowed, taking an annual Band D policing precept of Council Tax to £260.37/year. This will raise an extra £9.7 million a year.
4. However, even after circa £13 million from Government, and £9.7 million extra from Council Tax payers, this still left a shortfall of £5.3 million a year - even with Essex Police making an additional £8 million of efficiency savings. This is why the proposal to cut all PCSOs, reduce police staff by 65, and cut police allowances was put forward as the Government just wouldn't meet the full extra costs they have placed on Essex Police.
5. Roger Hirst and your local MPs argued that, with the Government's stated position of - apparently - wanting to improve neighbourhood policing, this was not acceptable and demanded that the Government provide additional national funds to fix the situation they have created.
6. Roger managed to secure an additional £2.3 million for Essex from central government last week. This must meet Home Office approval for spending on their specific projects but it is hoped that Roger's negotiation will mean that, although we will see a £3 million gap in the budget, this can be met by a reduction in police staff of 65, a delay in non-critical building and technology projects, and reductions to police allowances. However, it is hoped that this extra funding will be that all of our PCSOs will now be saved.
I find it astonishing that good forces, like Essex, are being hammered, especially when they've led the way in tackling crime - with anti-social behaviour, burglary, and murder down over half since 2016. They've done this by spending a higher proportion of their income putting officers on the street than almost any other force.
This comes in sharp contrast to Greater London where Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is failing on crime and seems to be rewarded with even greater resources because of his failure. He is getting an extra £65 million on top of the base line increase that other forces, like Essex Police, are getting as part of a special London funding pot.
I've spent time on the ground with our Chief Constable, BJ Harrington, and our fantastic local policing teams who keep me updated about all issues of local importance as well as our PFCC. I'll continue to do so and press from them to meet your concerns when raised with me."
