Lack of cash prompts Greater Manchester policing fears as Andy Burnham hits out at Government

Residents may see the quality of local policing drop amid financial difficulties, bosses have warned.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is facing a £32 million gap in its budget for the coming year and savings have to be made.

Deputy mayor of Greater Manchester Kate Green warned at today’s (Wednesday, January 28) Greater Manchester Combined Authority Police, Fire and Crime meeting that she is “not confident” that the quality of services provided by the force will not be impacted by this.

The stark financial picture came despite a proposed £15 rise for Band D properties in the portion of residents’ council tax bills set aside for policing. It has been, in part, blamed on a “disappointing” funding settlement from the Government which will see GMP receive the second lowest cash increase of all police forces in England and Wales.

Ms Green said: “The mayor and I and GMP will do our absolute utmost to protect our frontline services, to protect the services that our residents have told us are important to them: neighbourhood policing, responding to incidents, protecting children and those vulnerable to organised crime. But we will not pretend that we are confident that the scale of the gap that we have to close will not impact on the quality of the service, and that will be a matter of huge concern to us.”

Despite these difficulties, mayor Andy Burnham said he and Ms Green had made a deliberate choice to not raise the police precept by more than the £15 limit typically allowed each year. This comes despite an invitation from central government to do just that. 

Mr Burnham said he did not think it would be fair on residents to “ask for even more”. He added: “This year it wouldn’t feel right to do what we were offered in response to that poor settlement and just say ‘oh okay, it’s the residents of Greater Manchester who would be asked to pay.”

The Greater Manchester mayor’s proposed £15 tax rise was still met with heckling from those watching from the public gallery, however. Repeated interruptions resulted in the meeting being paused and police officers stepping in in an attempt to quieten down those protesting. 

One heckler then got into an argument with meeting chair Janet Emsley who, after repeated warnings, told him to “shut up”, “sit” and “not interrupt”. The group said they did not want to see the funds going to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), which it accused of “institutional racism”, but instead be invested into communities. The protesters criticised what they saw as a lack of proper engagement with local people over the funding and called for a conversation about “what else the money [could] go on”.

The meeting also saw the Greater Manchester mayor express discontent with decisions made by the Labour Government when it came to cash for GMP. Mr Burnham said he believes Manchester needs to be recognised as the “gathering-point capital of the north”, with the additional policing pressures this brings, and be granted exceptional funding in a similar way to the Metropolitan Police in London.

Mr Burnham added: “[There was a] very disappointing response from central government in relation to police funding central grant. Out of 43 police forces in England and Wales, GMP’s increase was 42nd. Only Cleveland were offered a lower increase.

“It’s particularly disappointing given what I have described as the level of pressure on GMP. The attack at the synagogue has obviously had an impact in terms of extra reassurance [being needed] in all communities, but particularly the Jewish community […]

“There is a difference here to other police forces across the north and the Midlands in terms of the level of pressure GMP are facing.”

Where additional money is being raised through the tax rise, this is expected in part to pay for greater police presence in a key problem area in Manchester. A new policing hub is planned for Piccadilly Gardens, in the city centre. 

Mr Burnham added: “The main concern I hear expressed now is around the heart of the city centre and specifically in Piccadilly Gardens […] There is an ongoing issue and there is a sense from the public that it’s not as safe as it should be.”

Ultimately, the committee opted to endorse Mr Burnham’s financial plan for the coming year. Just two members did not vote in support of it.