West Yorkshire Police facing financial crisis with deficit of up to £40m, leaked email to staff reveals

An email sent to West Yorkshire Police staff from Deputy Chief Constable Russ Foster which has been seen by The Yorkshire Post claimed the force was facing cuts of up to 15 per cent across all departments due to a hole of between £30 to £40m for the year 2021/2022.

It has been described by staff as "a kick in the teeth", leaving many "fearful for their jobs".

The email, which is dated Monday June 29, said: “West Yorkshire Police is facing an unprecedented financial deficit, estimated at between £30-40m for the next financial year 2021/22.

“There are still some uncertainties around the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review and Council Tax precept, but we must take action now to address predicted shortfalls.

"This is a huge challenge in a short timeframe and I am asking all Districts and Departments to assist, by identifying potential savings options of 5, 10 and 15 per cent.”

West Yorkshire Police is England’s fourth biggest police force, serving approximately 2.2m people across five districts.

Its budget for 2020/2021, published in February, was £475.95m – allowing for the recruitment of 311 officers and 100 staff. However, the total sum for the next financial year will not be published until next February.

The Yorkshire Post understands "most forces" currently face financial challenges, with Humberside Police's chief constable meanwhile saying they too face a deficit, albeit on a smaller scale, with a £10m hole over the next five years.

The email adds that attempts were underway to mitigate the impending crisis by reviewing areas where savings could be made, warning recruitment of police community support officers (PCSOs) and detention officers (DOs) would be frozen.

District and department chiefs across the force have also been made aware of the situation while a series of meetings called ‘Star Chambers’, headed by Deputy Chief Con Foster, are to commence on July 20 to discuss savings to be made.

It comes as the Home Office announces today that more than 70,000 people have applied to police forces in England and Wales following its announcement in October of a recruitment drive for 20,000 extra officers.

One staff member for West Yorkshire Police told The Yorkshire Post: “This is a real kick in the teeth for staff who have worked so hard and been run ragged during the pandemic. Many have been at high risk doing their job.”

Another source from within the force described the email as “lengthy and impersonal”, adding: “This does not inspire the confidence of the police staff, many of whom are now fearful for their jobs.”

A spokeswoman for Unison said it had "serious concerns" about the impact the cuts would have on staff and the wider community.

Addressing West Yorkshire Police staff, the email added: “These are significantly challenging times and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support and commitment to West Yorkshire Police and to the public we serve.”

West Yorkshire Police’s Federation Chair Brian Booth declined to comment on the announcement, but the Police Federation of England and Wales said it warned the Government in January that long-term funding was key to future stability.

The national Federation responded on January 15 to a strategic review of policing being carried out by the Police Foundation, calling for a “sustained funding settlement which could allow forces to make long-term plans to battle crime and support communities”.

The Federation also called for the end of “boom and bust, short-term, one year financial settlements”.

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson, who oversees the police budget, said it was still "too early to say with any certainty" what the "full financial picture" would actually be, adding that the force had been in "an extremely challenging position since 2010 with government cuts leading to the loss of over 2000 police jobs".

He said: “I have done everything in my power locally to help mitigate against this long term period of austerity including maximising the local policing precept in starting to gradually rebuild the numbers of police officers and protect PCSOs in our core budget, investing in the frontline and working to maximise its effectiveness."

Meanwhile, the GMB Trade Union said it had only just been made aware of the deficit, adding it was "very disappointed" to hear there would be another comprehensive spending review later in the year.

A spokesman said: "As the union that represents police staff, GMB is aware of the disproportionate effect that such cuts in funding will have on non police officer numbers. Police staff perform vital functions within the police service including control room operations, crime scene investigation and PCSOs by way of example. Many roles are specialist, in some cases requiring years of training.

"The unions have not yet been invited to discuss these shocking funding challenges. We have been told that WYP are looking at all options with a view to consulting with the unions once they have a fuller picture of the issue. We were also very disappointed to hear today that we will potentially face another comprehensive spending review later this year. The last few governments, and the austerity they have placed on our service, has caused our hard working police staff a great deal of stress and anxiety. We thought that we had already reached the point where there was no scope to make further savings. The pledge from the current government to uplift police officer numbers, we fear to be a smoke screen if ultimately officers will be utilised in staff roles."

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Government is providing the biggest increase in funding for the police in over a decade and as part of that West Yorkshire Police are receiving up to £485m in funding in 2020/21, an increase of up to £36.5m on 2019/20.

“Police forces in Yorkshire and the Humber will be recruiting more than 500 additional officers in this year alone, as part of the Government’s plan to get 20,000 additional police officers on our streets.”

Yorkshire’s three other police forces, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Humberside, were also contacted for transparency on their future finances.

Humberside Chief Constable Lee Freeman said: "As with most other forces, we have financial challenges as a result of austerity measures. However, our position does not present the same level of challenge as that faced by West Yorkshire in 2021/22. Over the next 5 years, we have a £15m budget gap. We are being supported by our Police and Crime Commissioner, to bridge £5m of that budget gap with funds from his reserves.

"Our remaining budget gap over the next 5 years therefore stands at £10m, much of which will be achieved through our usual efficiency savings programme focusing on improved IT systems, and more efficient procurement."

North Yorkshire Police said it would be unable to comment at this time while South Yorkshire Police did not respond.