Apology after minister admits funding error

Mike Penning said the Government ‘regrets’ the mistake and apologised to MPs and the 43 police forces in England and Wales.

He admitted the proposed changes were ‘never indicative’ of police budgets under the formula and the changes for 2016/17 will now be delayed.

Answering an urgent question in the Commons, Mr Penning said: “Within this process I am sad to say there was a statistical error made on the data that has been used.

“While this data does not change the principles of what was consulted on, the allocation provided to the forces was never indicative.

“We recognise this has caused a great deal of concern to police forces around the country. I and the Government regret this mistake and I apologise to the House.

“I also apologise to the 43 authorities that I wrote to during the extended consultation period as part of the funding formula review.

Lancashire Constabulary now looks set to lose £8m, rather than £24.5m.

Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (pictured), said: “The whole process has been really badly handled.

“This outcome totally vindicates my stance on the issue and I want to thank all the Lancashire MPs for agreeing to meet with me and taking this forward.

“To be clear though, this is a deferral. This is not the end. We also still face significant, if not devastating, cuts in the Comprehensive Spending Review.”