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The Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, is calling on the Chancellor to use her upcoming Budget to redistribute police funding, so it adequately and fairly serves areas like the West Midlands.

Simon Foster has long insisted that the existing funding formula used to divvy up policing money in England and Wales is deeply unfair.

The PCC says rural, more affluent and lower crime areas with older populations, across the country benefit from the existing funding formula, whereas the West Midlands with greater levels of social deprivation, a younger population, higher crime and vulnerability are disproportionately disadvantaged

The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will deliver her autumn budget on 30th October. It will be used to announce big decisions concerning government spending and taxation.

Mr Foster wants to see levelling up for West Midlands Police, the return of our 800 missing police officers and a fair funding formula to be implemented, that would see an extra £40 million per year directed towards the West Midlands force.

In September the PCC met with West Midlands MPs cross party, in a bid to galvanise support for his campaign.  

“It is universally acknowledged that the existing Police Funding Formula, used to distribute money to forces up and down the country, is unfair and not fit for purpose” said Simon Foster, Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands.

“That’s why I am calling on the government to implement a new formula to ensure fair funding and levelling up for the West Midlands, so that we do not continue to be short changed.  

“The previous government spent 10 years promising to reform the unfair and unfit for purpose national funding formula, but never managed to deliver on its promise.

“It is important to understand that this is not about more money. It is about a fairer allocation of existing funding.”

“Think how different the West Midlands could be if we had an additional 800 police officers to rebuild community policing, prevent and tackle violence and knife crime, stamp out violence against women and girls and improve road safety.”

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