A DAMNING report criticising the impact of funding cuts on police forces has been backed by the police and crime commissioner.

Clive Grunshaw has thrown his weight behind a National Audit Office report criticising how the Home Office oversees policing.

Since 2010 Lancashire has had to make more than £84m of savings as a result of the government cutting £50m of central funding during the same period, losing 800 officer posts and 350 members of policing support staff.

The report, which looked at financial sustainability of police forces, found that direct funding for police forces reduced by 30 per cent in real terms since 2010/2011.

The report calls the approach to police funding “ineffective and detached from the changing nature of policing”.

Mr Grunshaw said: “It is clear from this report what I have been saying for some time - that current funding for policing isn’t sufficient to deal with growing demand and the existing funding formula is not fit for purpose.

“The current funding arrangements lead to unfairness with counties like Lancashire losing out.

“In their most recent funding settlement, the Government expected police and crime commissioners to raise the policing precept on council tax by up to £12 per year for a Band D property.

“Instead of giving forces more money themselves, the government passed the burden onto local residents – but this still does not nearly go far enough to ease the financial burdens the constabulary is under and, as a result, we expect the constabulary to still require £18m of further savings by 2022.”