This House of Lords Library briefing provides information in support of the House of Lords consideration of the Policing Resources Bill [HL].
Policing Resources Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (159 KB , PDF)
The Policing Resources Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru). It would amend the Police Act 1996 to include various criteria the Government must consider when determining the annual police grant. It would also set up a new independent body to review and report annually on the adequacy of the police grant. Lord Wigley introduced the bill in the House of Lords on 6 July 2017. It is due to have its second reading on 6 September 2019.
Police forces in England and Wales receive their funding through a variety of sources. However, each force’s main source is an annual central government grant. The Government may exercise discretion in deciding how much funding each force receives, but since 2014 has used the police allocation formula (PAF).
For the 2019/20 fiscal year, the Home Office announced that the total police funding settlement will be up to £14 billion. This is an increase of £970 million compared to 2018/19. According to the Government, this figure represents the largest increase seen since 2010. The settlement was welcomed by some, including the chief executive of the College of Policing, Chief Constable Mike Cunningham, and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for finance, Chief Constable Dave Thompson. However, others, such as the Shadow Home Secretary, Diane Abbott, and the chair of the Police Federation, John Apter, criticised the announcement, arguing that the settlement sum was not enough.
Policing Resources Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (159 KB , PDF)
Public services productivity in the UK fell sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic and is yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. The Conservative government pledged new investment in an attempt to boost the effectiveness of public services prior to the general election. The new Labour government has also placed emphasis on this issue and has indicated further measures will be set out in the forthcoming budget statement.
This briefing is the fifth of a series on the post-war history of the UK economy. The series proceeds decade-by-decade from the 1950s onwards, providing an overview of the key macroeconomic developments of each decade. This fifth briefing looks at the 1990s. In this decade the UK economy settled into a period of low inflation and steady growth; however, living standards growth was lower and more regionally concentrated than in previous decades.
The Labour government has set out its short- and long-term plans to reduce the pressure on prison capacity in England and Wales. This includes releasing eligible prisoners on licence into the community after they have served 40% of their sentence and building more prisons. Organisations have highlighted the risk of prison overcrowding on prisoner wellbeing. Some charities have called for better mental health support for prisoners whilst in custody and on release.
