Today I challenged the Home Secretary Theresa May over cuts to police funding and the Government’s short-term budget setting for police services.

In an exchange about elected Police and Crime Commissioners in Parliament, I said:

The main problem the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner faces is the shortfall in his budget as a result of police cuts. This will result in the loss of more than 250 police jobs in 2016/17. It is made worse by the lack of certainty over future budgets, which makes rational planning difficult. Would the Minister agree that Police and Crime Commissioners could do their job better if they had budgets set for the remainder of this Parliament, and what will she do about it?

I’m disappointed that the Home Secretary doesn’t recognise the impact of her cuts on local policing and that she ignored my request for her to give Police and Crime Commissioners the information they need to plan policing effectively. She is putting the safety of local communities at risk. This is an issue I’ll keep pressing on.