Force must find £1.1m for policing Lib Dems

POLICe in South Yorkshire have been saddled with a bill for more than £1m for the large-scale security operation at the Lib Dem party conference in Sheffield earlier this year.

A “ring of steel” was set up outside Sheffield City Hall during the three-day party conference in March, during which time police leave was cancelled and officers from neighbouring forces were drafted in.

South Yorkshire Police had written to the Government in a bid to recoup the £1.04m spent on the policing operation, at a time when the force must save £15m over the next financial year and £40m overall by 2015.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, after deliberating for more than three months, the Home Office has now rejected the force’s claim for the money.

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said the force “accepts the decision made by the Home Office.”

He added: “South Yorkshire Police attempted to claim back the total cost to the force of the Liberal Democrats’ spring conference, which was £1.04m.

“There were around 1,000 officers deployed over the three days of the conference.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It is thought that the Lib Dem conference attracted around 3,000 delegates to Sheffield, who between them spent an estimated £2.5m in hotels, restaurants, shops and other businesses.

However, some shops reported that trade was down due to Sheffield’s biggest protest in 20 years, which began with a march from Devonshire Green through the city centre and culminated in a rally outside the City Hall.

Police said the size of the demonstration was at the lower end of what they had predicted and only one arrest was made.