West Lothian councillors are to meet with local police commanders to discuss funding implications of the squeeze on public finances after senior officers stressed the potential threat to community policing.
Divisional Commander Catriona Paton told a meeting of the Public and Community Safety PDSP last month that the force could be faced with cutting 4,500 officers and staff by 2026 to meet budget demands.
“Police Scotland had already returned £200m annually to the public purse This level of reform cannot be made again,” she told the meeting.
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Div Cmdr Paton outlined the pressures facing the force to offer a 5% pay settlement. She told the meeting: “Pay represents 86% of policing in Scotland’s revenue budget. Further significant savings can only be delivered through a pay freeze or by funding costing of living pay awards by reducing the size of the workforce.
“By way of Illustration a 1% rise across the organisation would cost £11m. £11m is the annual cost of employing 225 officers or staff. If the 5% pay award of this year was replicated next year it would present an additional £55m of inflationary pressure which would require a reduction of 1,125 FTE officers and members of staff.”
Up to 2026, annual 5% settlements could mean a reduction of 4,500 staff, based on current salaries, she added.
A third of Scotland's police stations have already been closed.
Provost Cathy Muldoon suggested that senior officers should meet with a wider group of councillors at a separate meeting to discuss the financial challenges.
She added, referring to the Public and Community Safety PDSP: “ I’m wondering if this is the correct forum to be discussing these challenges?”
Div Cmdr Paton said the challenges were outlined to give context to the quarterly report which was delivered by local Area Commander Louise Brownlie.
However a meeting between senior officers and councillors has been agreed and will take place shortly.
In the interim the Scottish Government has relented on its flat cash settlement for Police Scotland announced in May last year. On 19 December, as part of its budget the Holyrood Government announced additional funding. In a statement the Scottish Government said: “Recognising the crucial role Police Scotland officers and staff play keeping our communities safe, the service will receive substantial additional resource funding of £80 million in the next financial year, a 6.3% increase.
West Lothian Council faces a budget gap of £57.7 million over the five-year period 2023/24 – 2027/28 and significant budget reduction measures need to be agreed in order that the council can balance its budget.
More than 22,000 comments were made in response to a council questionnaire in the weeks before Christmas on what spending priorities should be when the new budget is agreed next month.
More spending on local authorities has been promised by the Scottish Government in the wake of robust lobbying by directors of finance from all 32 Scottish Councils.
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