Andrew Dismore

The impact on the Met.’s budget of the Government’s unfunded extra demands due to police pay rises and changes to pensions announced by the, as the Chancellor’s October Budget did not announce any increase in police funding.

As a result of Conservative Government policy so far, the Metropolitan Police have been forced to make cuts of £720m over recent years with a further £325m of cuts required by 2021.

Last financial year, the police officers’ well deserved  pay rise cost £28.1m. This equates to the cost of approximately 468 officers. This financial year, the cost to the Met. of the police officers’ pay increase was £28.8m. This equates to approximately the cost of 480 officers.

The Home Office has now informed the police that they expect their  pension rule changes to result in increased employer contributions, which the Met. has estimated will amount to  a further  £43 million unfunded cost in 2019-20, then £108 million in 2020-21 and the years which follow.  On top of this there are likely to be further costs associated with an increase in contributions to police staff’s  pensions too. These costs are less clear at this stage, but the Met’s current estimate is around £9 million in 2019-20, then £22 million in 2020-21 and beyond.

Altogether, this approximately equates to the cost of over 850 officers in 2019/20 and over 2,150 officers from 2020/21 onwards.

It can therefore be seen, that in the forthcoming police settlement for next year, the Government must recognise that extra funding is needed if we are to avoid yet more massive cuts in London’s police service and even fewer officers to protect London and Londoners.

Andrew Dismore

London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden