To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the spending review 2013, what the change in the budget for West Midlands police authority has been in 2013-14; and what assessment she has made of the effect of that change on the effectiveness of policing in the West Midlands.

holding answer 6 September 2013

The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s spending round announcement on 26 June concerned decisions on Government funding for the financial year 2015-16 only. It therefore had no impact on 2013-14 police budgets. Central Government funding for the West Midlands police and crime commissioner in 2013-14 was set out in the Home Office Police Grant Report 2013-14 laid on 4 February 2013 and accompanying written ministerial statement, 4 February 2013, Hansard, columns 3-6 WS.

In 2013-14, core funding to the West Midlands police and crime commissioner from the Home Office is £473 million. This is 1.6% lower than the equivalent funding in 2012-13.

As a result of spending round 2013 the Home Office has committed to resource savings of 6.1% in 2015-16. However, central Government revenue funding to the police has been prioritised, and will reduce by 4.9% in real terms in 2015-16.

Provisional funding allocations for 2014-15 will be laid in Parliament later in the year as part of the annual police funding settlement process.