London and Manchester mayors seek end to police cuts

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, have urged the Chancellor to end the police funding crisis and end the risk to public safety.

Ahead of the November Budget, their letter to the Philip Hammond highlighted the real-terms cuts to policing budgets since 2010, including cuts to counter terror funding by more than seven per cent in real terms over the next three years.

Both cities have suffered horrific terrorist attacks this year, with a homemade bomb killing 23 people and injuring in excess of 500 at Manchester Arena in May, while there has been attacks on Westminster Bridge, London Bridge, Finsbury Park and Parsons Bridge underground station since the turn of the year.

Counter terror experts predict that the number of attacks and attempted attacks will continue to increase, leaving both mayors concerned that the police’s ability to keep their cities safe and to prevent and respond to any future terrorist attacks.

Writing to the Chancellor, Khan and Burnham said: “As the Mayors of London and Greater Manchester, we are extremely worried that the police’s ability to keep our cities safe, and to prevent and respond to the risk of future terrorist attacks, is being put in jeopardy by the current funding crisis facing forces across England and Wales.

“As you know, counter-terrorism experts are warning that the increase in attacks and attempted attacks this year is not a blip, but a sustained rise. And this is against the backdrop of crime rising across the country and violent crime rising even faster.

“We urge you to use the Budget on 22 November to end the real-term cuts that our police service have undergone since 2010, and to put public safety first. To put it bluntly, if you continue with real-terms cuts you will be putting at risk the safety of those who live, work and visit our cities without an end to the years of real-term cuts.”