On 19 December, the Government published its provisional police funding settlement, detailing how much money each police force in England and Wales will receive in 2018-19.
During the House of Commons debate that accompanied the statement, Kevan raised his concerns about the impact of the funding settlement on Durham Constabulary.
During the debate, Kevan told the policing minister, Nick Hurd:
“The Minister has visited Durham’s outstanding police force. He has said that he is listening to chiefs and to police and crime commissioners.
“Both Ron Hogg, the Labour PCC, and Mike Barton, the chief constable, have raised with him a particular problem that Durham has, which is that 50% of our properties are in band A, so relying on precept to cover the hole that has developed as a result of cuts to central funding is not a long-term solution for Durham.
“With pay increases and inflation, it will mean a cut in policing in Durham. Before he tells me that they have to become more efficient and work better, let me tell him that they have done all that and been rewarded for it. Can he suggest what the long-term solution is for forces, such as Durham’s, that have that problem?”