Recent events in Derby have made us all wonder about law and order in this City. Whilst I know that being part of a law abiding community is about more than a well-funded police force, it doesn’t help if your police are scratching around trying to find the money they need to do their job.
In the last few days I’ve found out that the Government is to try and ‘cap’ or limit the amount of money the Derbyshire Police force could collect from our council tax bills. Whilst it is common knowledge that the force is one of the worst funded in the country, the Local Government Minister John Healey blocked the proposed rise in funding. This is the wrong move for Derby. My political instict is to use our public money as efficiently as possible and to avoid raising taxes when we can. However, we cannot ignore the fact that crime is a real issue in Derbyshire: an issue we must deal with today and not next year. In Derby South policing is a top priority, just as it is across Derbyshire. Safe communities drive prosperity, growth and community integration: all things we must support in Derby. Supporting our police force is an investment – and must be seen in that way.
The government have decided that during 2009-2010, budget increases should be below 4% and council tax rises should be below 5%. I agree that we must do all we can to ease the burden on recession hit residents but this is a prime example of the government missing the point. Their ‘top down’, Westminster based governance ignores the desires of people at the local level: the Chief Constable of Derbyshire, Mick Creedon, said the decision to ask for a 4.99% budget increase followed “extensive public consultation where more than 80% of the public who took part voted for substantially higher increases.” My colleague, Patrick McLoughlin, the MP for West Derbyshire, said that, while the government weren’t going to find money for this project, “when they want to find money for whatever they want, by God they find it quickly.”
We mustn’t let a short-sighted government dent our chances of achieving a reduction in crime and increase in public safety across Derby South and Derbyshire. I plan to vocally support the budget rise and, in the coming months, to meet with local police officers and neighbourhood watch schemes in order to see what more we can do to support the great work done by our local police force. I’ll keep you updated on this issue via my blog.
