POLICE: MP's figures don't tally

There is a cut this year, yet again.

Why isn’t she fighting our corner in Whitehall instead of muddling statistics with reality?

Let’s be absolutely clear – this year’s cut on top of the others means that the only way we can even achieve the same flat cash as last year, which is, of course, a real-terms cut, given much-needed pay rises and overall inflation, is if the police precept part of the local council tax is raised by £12 per year for every Band D property.

If the precept is not raised by that amount, there will be a huge real-terms cut to Northumbria Police funding of up to £5.1million.

Heaven knows how Mrs Trevelyan manages to make that a £5million increase.

Since 2010, her Government has reduced Northumbria Police’s budget by 37 per cent, more than £120million.

So Mrs Trevelyan chooses to congratulate the Tories for making Northumbria Police run to a standstill in terms of funding and for moving the burden of even doing that on to council taxpayers.

Local residents can be assured that despite this apparent weakness in local representation, other MPs in Northumberland are fighting every inch to help me to keep bobbies on the beat and deliver the priorities that matter to you.

Dame Vera Baird QC,

Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria