Union warns Bedfordshire Police could face a budget shortfall of £9m by 2026

Bedfordshire Police could face a budget shortfall of £9 million by 2026, according to UNISON after it looked at financial forecasts for the force.

The union found that Bedfordshire could face a budget shortfall of £9,274,000 in three years’ time, which UNISON says could potentially put public safety at risk.

While Bedfordshire Police declined to comment, the Police and Crime Commissioner Festus Akinbusoye said he would continue to ensure the force 'is adequately resourced to deal with the demands it faces’. He added: “I am pleased that Bedfordshire Police's budget has increased year on year since 2015 to record level in 2023/24. This has led to our force having the highest level of officers on record in our county.

The data, which is based on medium-term financial plans submitted by forces to their police and crime panels, reveals cuts to the planned spending.

Bedfordshire shares back-room functions with other forces in the East of England. The forces in this partnership, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk and Suffolk, face a shortfall of almost £110m by 2026.

Mr Akinbusoye added: “The recent award of over £6 million special grant by the Home Office further demonstrates the government's commitment to our Bedfordshire Police, acknowledgement of our unique demands and need to address the outdated funding formula which has been in place for nearly two decades."

While forecasts are not final, police budgets look likely to be several hundred million pounds short of what’s needed, says UNISON.

UNISON Eastern regional secretary Tim Roberts said: “Without more funding to plug these huge budget shortfalls, public confidence in the police will continue to fall.

“With fewer police staff to investigate cases and smaller numbers of police and community support officers patrolling local neighbourhoods, there’s a risk that crime rates will climb.

He added: “These figures are yet another warning sign that policing is in deep crisis. Ministers must ensure forces can afford to recruit the right staff to fulfil their duties so officers can be out on the streets keeping people and their communities safe.”