FUNDING FORMULAE FOR RURAL POLICE FORCES

Early day motion 709, tabled 9 May 2000 by Andrew George (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 36 members.

That this House welcomes the news of the report on policing in rural areas produced by ORH Limited; notes its conclusion that it takes a police officer in a rural area three times as long to reach the scene of a crime or incident as a police officer in an urban area; further acknowledges its conclusion that current standard spending assessment formulae do not take sufficient account of the challenges and additional costs of policing rurally isolated locations; notes that many honourable Members representing rural constituencies have consistently called for the Government's acceptance of this problem; and calls on the Government to act on the recommendations of its own report, to rectify this inequality and to implement the necessary changes to funding formulae for rural police forces with all possible speed.

Signatures by party: Labour 15, Liberal Democrat 14, Labour/Co-operative 3, Plaid Cymru 3, Conservative 1.