Luton South MP Rachel Hopkins has expressed her support for a 6.6 per cent increase in funding allocated to Bedfordshire Police and the government’s “commitment to safer streets” but has cautioned that challenges remain.
A funding settlement provides £67.8 million for Bedfordshire Police, an increase of 6.6 per cent, alongside £1.8 million in neighbourhood policing guarantee funding for 2025-26.
Hopkins described the increase as a welcome change after “14 years of Tory cuts and underfunding” that required Bedfordshire Police to cut spending by more than £50 million.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Ms Hopkins acknowledged the Labour government’s commitment to safer streets and stronger policing.
“After years of campaigning for better funding for Bedfordshire police, I am very pleased that this Labour government have demonstrated our commitment to safer streets and more police in our communities by bringing forward this core funding settlement,” she said.
However, Ms Hopkins also raised concerns about the persistent underfunding of Bedfordshire Police due to the outdated funding formula, which treats the force as a rural entity despite the urban crime challenges in towns like Luton, which face crime typically associated with metropolitan areas.
“Bedfordshire has a diverse landscape, and our police cover urban, densely populated towns including Bedford and Luton, which suffer from crime associated with metropolitan areas,” she said. “Our county has significant transportation links — road, rail and air — making Bedfordshire a particular hotspot for organised crime, including firearms and drug supply offences.
“Unfortunately, our police force is also tackling the impact of knife crime; in the period from January 2023 to March 2024, there were 449 knife crime-related incidents in Luton alone, and in recent weeks we have seen more violent crime in Luton. Two stabbings have taken place, one of which tragically resulted in a fatality.”
Ms Hopkins emphasised the critical need for special grants, which have been in place since 2019-20 to combat gun and gang crime in Bedfordshire. These grants, which account for 5 per cent of the police force’s total budget, are awaiting confirmation for continuation. She urged the government to consider Bedfordshire’s specific circumstances when making funding decisions.
“Bedfordshire police is still currently funded as a rural police force, due to failures by the previous government to fix the archaic funding formula. Special grants have been provided each year since 2019-20 to tackle the disproportionately high gun and gang crime in Bedfordshire, with a further grant awarded since 2021-22 to combat organised crime,” Ms Hopkins said.
“Announcements are expected later this month, so I urge the Minister to consider the specific circumstances of our police force when taking those decisions, as the impact of those grants cannot be overestimated.”
Ms Hopkins praised John Tizard, Bedfordshire’s police and crime commissioner, for his commitment to making the best use of available funds and tackling violent crime across the county. She highlighted his dedication to working in partnership with other public services and the voluntary sector with a focus on crime prevention.
At a meeting with the police and crime panel last night, Mr Tizard announced that for coming the financial year 2025/26, Bedfordshire Police will spend £158m to keep Bedfordshire residents and businesses safe.
That spending will include £35m on local policing including response patrol and community policing; £15.5 on public protection services including the specialist domestic abuse, child protection and rape and serious sexual offences teams; £42m on tackling serious and organised crime and other crime including Bedfordshire’s contribution to the Eastern Regional Serious Organised Crime Unit.
Mr Tizard also commented on the importance of additional funding, saying: “The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee aligns with my mission to reinvigorate local policing in our county. This mission is about more than officer numbers, but these new officers will make a difference.”
The police and crime commissioner further highlighted ongoing financial challenges despite the increase in government support.
“Even after the reviews and with the additional funding from the government and the increased council tax, there is a need for some cuts of just over £2m. I have been assured that these cuts will have minimal effect directly on the public,” he explained.
In ending her speech in the House, Ms Hopkins expressed optimism about the stability offered by multi-year settlements for local government, saying: “I will close by saying how pleased I am to see multi-year settlements for local government coming in, because that provides local government with more stability in its partnerships with our police forces, working to ensure community safety.”
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