Chief constable's warning over council tax freeze is ignored

First Published by: The Guardian

Tony Melville says Gloucestershire may be unable to provide basic policing, yet police authority votes against rise in share of tax.

A police chief constable has warned that a Council Tax freeze means his force may be unable to provide basic services, and could lead to a drop in public confidence and morale among officers.

Gloucestershire Police Authority ignored the warnings of the chief constable, Tony Melville, that cuts had already pushed his force to a "cliff edge" and on Thursday voted against an increase in the police share of the council tax.

Melville told members, who had convened to set the budget, that the potential impact of more lost revenue could be "catastrophic" with the force unable to guarantee basic operational services across the county. That could lead to public confidence in the police, as well as staff morale, falling, he added.

Freezing the precept – the part of council tax set aside for policing – would put neighbourhood policing at risk. "We know people are more confident in policing if they believe neighbourhood policing is effective in their area," he said.

Melville dismissed the idea there were thousands of officers working in the "back office" that could be called upon. "There is no cupboard full of police officers that I can turn out onto the streets."

Melville made headlines last month when he decided to go public about his fears. It was the starkest warning yet from a police chief about the challenges forces are facing because of cuts.

Detective Chief Superintendent Gavin Thomas, the chairman of the Gloucestershire branch of the Superintendents' Association, told the authority meeting that any decision other than increasing the precept would take the force "one step too far". There would potentially be no choice but to reduce in "frontline" areas, such as tackling burglars and protecting children, he said.

The police are arguing the decision to veto a 2.9% rise – the equivalent of an annual increase of £6 a household – means a cut of another £1.3m. That equates to the loss of more than 40 officers. Gloucestershire police has already shut police stations and made officers and staff redundant to cope with cuts of £24M on its £103m budget.

The budget shortfall will be covered this year by a one-off council tax grant from central government. But police in Gloucestershire, and in other forces, said the grant will only help in the short term.

Initially the budget meeting in Cheltenham was deadlocked. But the members eventually voted by 10-4 to freeze the tax. The authority, which is chaired by the Conservative councillor Rob Garnham, has been accused of pushing forward with the freeze for political reasons.

Garnham said a government grant would help maintain the service, keep people safe and drive down crime.

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