Southport Tory MP challenged to “take a stand” over police cuts

7th February 2018

Damien Moore MP has been told “we cannot go on like this” and challenged to oppose against further cuts in the police budget during today‘s vote in Parliament.

The Police Grant Report 2018/19 is being put before the House of Commons and opponents say that the Government’s proposals will mean yet more budget difficulties for already hugely overstretched police forces across the country.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats cut £2.3 billion from police budgets between 2010 and 2015 and despite Theresa May promising to protect funding after 2015, direct Government funding has fallen by over £400m in real-terms since then.

Over 21,000 police officers and over 6,700 Police Community Support Officers and 17,000 police staff have also gone since 2010. The latest Tory plans will see a further real-term cut of £100m from police services that are already at breaking point it’s claimed.

Liz savage Labour Southport
Liz Savage

Liz Savage, Labour’s Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Southport, says it’s time the local MP showed support for the police, not his party:

“Damien Moore has an impeccable “Yes” man record of voting with the Government but it’s time he learnt to so say no, or he will earn himself a terrible reputation. The Government has already tried a soft shoe shuffle by claiming they were giving an extra £450million to policing when, in fact, £400 million of it will come not from them but by forcing Police and Crime Commissioners to go cap in hand to local residents, thus pushing up their council tax bills if they agree to it.”

The Government’s own contribution will be on par with last year, which in real terms means an estimated £4 million less for Merseyside. Local Chief Constable Andy Cooke admitted last year that:

“We have 1,000 less police officers than we had in 2010. If you take one quarter of the workforce out of any organisation it is going to have a massive impact. And it as had a massive impact on Merseyside Police… So have I got sufficient resources to fight gun crime? No, I haven’t.”

In the past year, police recorded crime has risen 14% in Merseyside, with violence up 16%, robberies up 29% and a 22% increase in weapons offences.

As a result, Liz Savage wrote to the Southport MP telling him:

” This Wednesday, instead of simply falling in line behind Theresa May as she imposes an eighth year of cuts on our overstretched police, as our MP it is time for you to take a stand.

Labour will be calling on the Government to urgently think again and come back with a fair settlement that properly protects our communities. And we are calling on Tory MPs to stand up for their constituents by voting down Theresa May’s latest cuts to police budget”.