To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of funding provided to Gloucestershire Constabulary for the 2024-25 financial year on frontline policing; and if she will take steps to increase that level of funding.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of funding provided to Gloucestershire Constabulary for the 2024-25 financial year on frontline policing; and if she will take steps to increase that level of funding.

If she will increase funding for Gloucestershire Constabulary.

If she will increase funding for Gloucestershire Constabulary.

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales, which is an increase of £1.1 billion when compared to 2024-25. Of that, Gloucestershire will receive up to £168.2 million, an increase of over £10 million, including £1.5 million to kickstart the recruitment of additional neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers in Gloucestershire.

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales, which is an increase of £1.1 billion when compared to 2024-25. Of that, Gloucestershire will receive up to £168.2 million, an increase of over £10 million, including £1.5 million to kickstart the recruitment of additional neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers in Gloucestershire.

My constituency straddles two large counties, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, which both languish near the bottom of the league table of funding for constabularies. Despite the modest rise in funding, those constabularies will have to cut policing numbers, so can the Minister assure my constituents that crimes will be addressed on a timely basis?

My constituency straddles two large counties, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, which both languish near the bottom of the league table of funding for constabularies. Despite the modest rise in funding, those constabularies will have to cut policing numbers, so can the Minister assure my constituents that crimes will be addressed on a timely basis?

More money is going into policing, particularly around the neighbourhood policing guarantee that this Government promised in their manifesto. We are providing £200 million to kickstart the recruitment of police officers, PCSOs and specials in all our communities. I take the hon. Lady’s point about the funding formula and how that affects the two forces that straddle her constituency. We are going into a spending review and I know officials have met representatives from Gloucestershire constabulary to talk about the financial situation. We will keep that under review as we work towards the spending review.

More money is going into policing, particularly around the neighbourhood policing guarantee that this Government promised in their manifesto. We are providing £200 million to kickstart the recruitment of police officers, PCSOs and specials in all our communities. I take the hon. Lady’s point about the funding formula and how that affects the two forces that straddle her constituency. We are going into a spending review and I know officials have met representatives from Gloucestershire constabulary to talk about the financial situation. We will keep that under review as we work towards the spending review.

Like Gloucestershire police, Essex police is receiving additional funding this year; in fact, we are getting increased funding of £27 million. Despite that, the front desk at Harlow police station is under threat. Does the Minister agree that given the additional funding, police services in Harlow in Essex should be increasing not decreasing, and that any proposals not to do so are down to historical underfunding by the previous Government?

Like Gloucestershire police, Essex police is receiving additional funding this year; in fact, we are getting increased funding of £27 million. Despite that, the front desk at Harlow police station is under threat. Does the Minister agree that given the additional funding, police services in Harlow in Essex should be increasing not decreasing, and that any proposals not to do so are down to historical underfunding by the previous Government?

I am very pleased that Essex has got that increase in funding. I gently point out that the decisions around how those resources are used are for the police and crime commissioner and the chief constable, but, overall, more than £1.1 billion is going into policing, over and above what the previous Government put in in 2024-25.

I am very pleased that Essex has got that increase in funding. I gently point out that the decisions around how those resources are used are for the police and crime commissioner and the chief constable, but, overall, more than £1.1 billion is going into policing, over and above what the previous Government put in in 2024-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of funding provided to Gloucestershire Constabulary for the 2024-25 financial year on the effectiveness of frontline policing in Gloucestershire; and if she will take steps to increase...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of funding provided to Gloucestershire Constabulary for the 2024-25 financial year on the effectiveness of frontline policing in Gloucestershire; and if she will take steps to increase...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the suspension of firearm certificate grants by Gloucestershire Constabulary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the suspension of firearm certificate grants by Gloucestershire Constabulary.

In my constituency, many constituents have expressed concern over Gloucestershire constabulary’s decision to suspend new firearms licensing applications due to unexpected resourcing issues. It further says that there will be a minimum 24-month wait for applications currently in process. That has put many local businesses, including farmers and shooting clubs,...

In my constituency, many constituents have expressed concern over Gloucestershire constabulary’s decision to suspend new firearms licensing applications due to unexpected resourcing issues. It further says that there will be a minimum 24-month wait for applications currently in process. That has put many local businesses, including farmers and shooting clubs,...

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that important question. He will be aware that resources allocated to firearms licensing units are a matter for the relevant chief officer. However, we would expect forces to process these applications very quickly and efficiently so that resources can get to where they...

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that important question. He will be aware that resources allocated to firearms licensing units are a matter for the relevant chief officer. However, we would expect forces to process these applications very quickly and efficiently so that resources can get to where they...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for additional Police Community Support Officers being in post in Gloucestershire constabulary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for additional Police Community Support Officers being in post in Gloucestershire constabulary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will increase her Department's grant to Gloucestershire constabulary to pay for the cost of additional police officers recruited as a result of her policies; and if she will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will increase her Department's grant to Gloucestershire constabulary to pay for the cost of additional police officers recruited as a result of her policies; and if she will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will increase the grant to Gloucestershire constabulary so that its reliance on local precepts is no greater than that of metropolitan areas; and if she will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will increase the grant to Gloucestershire constabulary so that its reliance on local precepts is no greater than that of metropolitan areas; and if she will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) Chief Superintendents, (b) Superintendents, (c) Chief Inspectors, (d) Inspectors, (e) Sergeants and (f) Constables there have been in Gloucestershire Constabulary in each year from 2010 to the latest year for which figures are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) Chief Superintendents, (b) Superintendents, (c) Chief Inspectors, (d) Inspectors, (e) Sergeants and (f) Constables there have been in Gloucestershire Constabulary in each year from 2010 to the latest year for which figures are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many firearms units there are in (a) Avon and Somerset Police Constabulary, (b) Gloucestershire Police Constabulary, (c) Devon and Cornwall Police Constabulary and (d) South Wales Police.

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To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many firearms units there are in (a) Avon and Somerset Police Constabulary, (b) Gloucestershire Police Constabulary, (c) Devon and Cornwall Police Constabulary and (d) South Wales Police.

[108329]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Cummings. I know that the Minister for Security, Counter-Terrorism, Crime and Policing, the hon. Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker), has been taken ill because his office has had the courtesy to phone my office. I wish him the best of...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Cummings. I know that the Minister for Security, Counter-Terrorism, Crime and Policing, the hon. Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker), has been taken ill because his office has had the courtesy to phone my office. I wish him the best of...

My hon. Friend makes a very good point. The constabulary has significant cost pressures and is one of the more poorly funded police forces. If it is to do what I have suggested—keep council tax under control and not put a huge burden on local residents—it will have to look...

My hon. Friend makes a very good point. The constabulary has significant cost pressures and is one of the more poorly funded police forces. If it is to do what I have suggested—keep council tax under control and not put a huge burden on local residents—it will have to look...

I am very grateful to my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour in Gloucestershire for giving way. He makes a cogent case about the financial difficulties that the police face. Does he think that there is a danger in that financial stringency, whereby small police stations in rural constituencies such as...

I am very grateful to my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour in Gloucestershire for giving way. He makes a cogent case about the financial difficulties that the police face. Does he think that there is a danger in that financial stringency, whereby small police stations in rural constituencies such as...