‘Perfect storm’ of funding problems led to Lincolnshire Police force on verge of bankruptcy

Lincolnshire has faced a “perfect storm” of funding problems which has led to its police force being on the verge of bankruptcy, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has said.

A 20-year-old way of allocating money plus changing expectations of police has dramatically stretched the force’s budget.

PCC Marc Jones is appealing to the government to change the way forces are funded, and take another look at what officers should be doing.

He argues that the current formula doesn’t take into account that Lincolnshire’s 750,000 residents are spread over a vast area.

It factors in statistics like the number of pubs – which tends to benefit cities – but not the miles of road.

The current police funding formula was established more than 20 years ago under New Labour, which shifted funding from rural to urban areas.

Support grants were available to help large larger counties, but these have now ended.

The Home Office says it has increased the amount of funding Lincolnshire gets, but Conservative PCC Mr Jones describes the problems facing the county as a “perfect storm”.

“Arguably Lincolnshire has never been properly funded. We got very good at working with partners and innovating,” he said.

“You make do and make do, until eventually you can’t anymore.

“It would take an extra £25million to deliver the standard of policing that similar counties enjoy, and make the improvements that we’ve been asked to do.

“Our partners in various services have also been underfunded for years and are starting to retreat. The cracks are showing, putting more strain on us.

“Something will have to be done. My concern is that it won’t be enough but the government will declare the problem sorted, and say the rest is up to us.”

An updated funding formula was drawn up by an independent group of academics and police chiefs under the previous government to be fairer.

Mr Jones, who was involved with the process, says it was never implemented due political concerns over creating “winners and losers”, but is still eager to see it rolled out.

The Home Office hasn’t responded to questions from the Local Democracy Service on whether it will be put into effect.

Forces also get a share of council tax called the police precept, but fewer households mean the amount collected in Lincolnshire goes up slower than other areas.

Mr Jones compares Lincolnshire Police’s situation with the 1980s, when the force had a similar number of officers but less responsibilities.

“There are much different expectations of police today – now we investigate things like domestic violence, stalking, harassment and digital crime.”

He says police are called on more and more to act like “social workers”, often spending hours waiting in A&E or mental health units.

“We need a Royal Commission to decide exactly what we want modern police to do, and fund it accordingly,” he said.

Talks are currently ongoing with the Home Office about emergency funding to prevent steep cuts in Lincolnshire’s force.

The PCC said: “Every government over a long period of time has underfunded Lincolnshire – it’s our job to convince them to do the right thing for 750,000 Lincolnshire residents.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Lincolnshire Police will receive up to £174.5 million funding in the current financial year, an increase of 6.2% on 2024/25.

“We will work with Lincolnshire Police to ensure they have the resources they need to support visible neighbourhood policing to our communities and tackle the crimes that make people feel unsafe.”