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19
Jan
Cuts may be needed to balance budget at North Yorkshire Police
Cuts may be needed to balance the budget at North Yorkshire Police after the force received a lower than expected settlement from the government, councillors will be told this week.
York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, which is responsible for policing in the county, says the force is facing an unexpected funding cut of £2.6m.
The authority received a 2.8% increase in funding for 2026/27 for the police — compared to a national average of 3.3%.
Even if it introduces the maximum £15 increase in the police share of the tax precept for a band D property, the authority says it will still be left with a shortfall.
North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel will meet this week to discuss the provisional police settlement.
A report prepared for the meeting states:
The lower-than-expected financial settlement provides a challenging financial position as it simply doesn’t provide enough to cover inflation.
It is possible that cuts will be required simply to balance the 2026/27 budget.
The report notes that the force is likely to see a total increase in its core funding of four per cent for 2026/27, although 1.4% of this will be used on a pay award agreed last year.
This leaves only 2.6% to cover inflation that is currently 3.5% and pay awards that are forecast to be 3%.
The report adds:
Clearly, this will be impossible to meet and will require very difficult decisions, especially given that there are pressures beyond just inflation.
Commenting on the provisional settlements for the police and fire service, David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said:
Our police and fire services do an amazing job keeping us all safe.
It’s vital they have the resources to do that well, but I’m also mindful that when family finances are tight that it’s really important that all public money is being spent well.
In setting the precept level this year I wanted to ensure we balanced delivering the public services people rightly expect, ensuring those services are able to deliver on the priorities I’ve set out, and placing the minimum burden on council tax payers.
The report says it appears that funding to support the recruitment of 29 additional police officers in North Yorkshire has been reduced or removed.
The authority is expecting further information on police funding, which will be reported to the panel next month.
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