The decision by the Labour Plaid Cymru Assembly Government to apply more stringent capping criteria to police authorities in Wales than those in England, even though it is not a devolved service, was partly responsible for the chaos that ensued at the South Wales Police Authority yesterday.
A majority of members present at the meeting voted for a 9.8 per cent increase in council tax precepts to pay for the force, but the plan failed because local councillors sitting on the authority refused to support it:
Without the increase in funding, the police will withdraw patrols on the M4, and major public events, including sports, concerts and festivals, will be in jeopardy unless organisers stump-up the cash to pay for policing.
Chief Constable Barbara Wilding and the authority treasurer urged members at yesterday’s meeting to be “brave” and to agree the increase — otherwise the force would face a financial blackhole and services would have to be cut.
It is understood that from April 6 the force will no longer mount routine patrols along the M4 from the border of the Gwent constabulary to its end at the Pont Abraham junction, though it will respond to accidents.
In England, highways agencies pay for motorway policing — something the chief constable said the Assembly had refused to do.
Although there were concerns amongst authority members at the size of the Council Tax increase the position was made more difficult by the threat of capping if the 9.8% increase had proceeded.
If the authority was in England this would not have been an issue because the increase in South Wales Police’s budget would still have been less than 5%. In Wales the Minister set this cap at 3.8% leaving the authority with nowhere to go other than to cut mainstream policing.
It is not only Councils who are suffering from being underfunded but Police forces as well. Ministers are tying the hands of local government whilst making sure that they have sufficient money for their own pet schemes.
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