MERSEYSIDE POLICE FUNDING

That this House notes with great concern that, as a consequence of the Treasury's revaluation of the National Police Pension Scheme, local police forces will be £165 million worse off; further notes that in the case of Merseyside Police this will amount to an additional bill of £5 million in 2019-20 and £7 million in the following year, the equivalent of 300 police officer posts; expresses alarm that this is an additional burden to carry on top of existing cots of £15 million imposed by the Government by 2022-23; draws attention to the National Audit Office's report of September 2018 which highlighted the deeply concerning fact that the Government grant to Merseyside Police has fallen by 31 per cent since 2010 and that, even accounting or additional resources through the local Council Tax precept, Merseyside's Police budget has been reduced by 23 per cent; agrees with Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner, the Right hon. Jane Kennedy, that the reduction in the workforce by nearly a quarter by 2022 will be like playing a game of football against a full-strength opposition with seven players; notes that the Chief Constable for Merseyside, Andy Cooke, states that the impact of these cuts will be crippling; expresses dismay that the already alarming increase of knife and gun crime in the force area and crime in general will inevitably go up as a result of these cuts; and calls on the Government to increase the police grant to cover the full cost of the revaluation of the National Police Pension Scheme.