Police and Crime Commissioner threatens legal action against policing cuts
Six police and crime commissioners - including Tony Hogg of Devon and Cornwall Police - have threatened the Government with legal action over the "potentially serious implications" of further police funding cuts.
In a letter to policing minister Mike Penning, they said changes to the police funding formula will result in cuts that are "unfair, unjustified and deeply flawed".
They've urged him to delay a decision on force budgets expected in the Government's spending review this month.
Their intervention comes after senior police officers warned of safety fears as front-line services could be affected by further cuts.
34 police stations and offices across Devon & Cornwall are to close in the next five years as the Force strives to save £29m from its current budget
Petition for fairer police funding handed in to Downing Street
THE LETTER
Arguing that the Government had ignored its own consultation guidelines in drawing up reforms to the police funding formula, the letter continued :
"Regrettably, we feel the most recent consultation to be wholly inadequate. We have been given just three weeks to consider and comment on major revisions to the initial proposals. This is not in keeping with the Government's own guidelines on consultation, which were also ignored for the original consultation."
Chancellor George Osborne has asked ministers in non-protected departments to come up with reductions in their budgets of between 25% and 40% by 2019/20 ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review on November 25, when the Government's plans for the next four years will be set out.