Brunstrom targeted while Labour short change Wales

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Eleanor Burnham <info@eburnham.org.uk>

Brunstrom targeted while Labour short change Wales - Burnham

February 16, 2007 4:39 PM

Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for North Wales Eleanor Burnham has condemned Labour in Cardiff and Westminster government for using the North Wales Police Authority as a scapegoat for their funding mistakes.

Three Labour-led North Wales councils have stated their lack of faith in Chief Constable Brunstrom since the North Wales Police Authority has been forced to raise council tax precepts in the face of a cash flow crisis.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly leader Mike German has supported Ms Burnham's stance, revealing that Wales' police forces are losing out more than £50m of police funding every year - enough to pay for more than 1,000 extra police officers - due to Labour underfunding.

Under Home Office spending plans Wales receives 5.2% of police funding for England and Wales. Under the Barnett Formula, Wales receives 5.89% of spending in English departments - the difference adds up to an extra £50m next year.

Ms Burnham said: "While I sympathise with the councils in question, we shouldn't stand idly by while Labour members attack police officers for the shortfall.

"Brunstrom is doing his job in exceptionally difficult circumstances and I believe Labour politicians should stand back and let him and the North Wales Police Authority do their job.

"Considering that it's Labour in Westminster that has landed the force in such a cash crisis they are the last people who should be pointing the finger at the police.

"The latest move by Labour Assembly Ministers threatening to cap the money police can raise from the local community is not going to help the situation either."

Ms Burnham's comments were backed by her colleague Mike German, Assembly leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, who said: "Wales is being short-changed on a shocking scale. We are missing out on the equivalent of more than 1,000 additional police officers. No wonder police chiefs are concerned about future funding.

"Labour Ministers in the Home Office have overlooked Wales since devolution. They have squeezed our funding to focus on the problems in the big cities of England.

"I want our senior police officers to decide what they need to keep our communities safe - they need to do that responsibly, but safety should be the priority, not meeting some accounting target imposed by Labour Ministers."

Ms Burnham said: "I have written to finance Minister Sue Essex asking for the Welsh Assembly Government to talk to UK government and get the police funding lost through Westminster's bungled merger plans back into Wales.

"Unfortunately she didn't seem to think this was an issue for the Assembly, despite Rhodri Morgan's statement last October that the Welsh Assembly Government would be keeping an eye on the progress of the negotiations.

"Labour seem to have abandoned our regional police forces, and now they are attacking North Wales Police after leaving them in a dire financial situation."

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