Police cuts U-turn

Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd

GREATER Manchester’s Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd has welcomed news that local policing will face no further cuts in 2016-17.

The Government confirmed its U-turn on police finances yesterday.

Mr Lloyd said: “The police service, police and crime commissioners and local communities have been making the case since 2010 that cuts to policing are unsustainable. I am pleased the Government has finally listened.”

“Had they continued down the road of cuts — as they were planning to — it would have endangered the safety and security of our communities. This is a U-turn, but it is also the right thing to do.

“But we must not underestimate the scale of the challenge still facing us. We’ve already seen £180m cut from the budget and have lost more than 1,600 police officers — and we still need to find £70m of savings over the next three years.”