Cash merger shock

The Authority had been set to lodge a formal objection to the merger proposal ahead of the original August 11th deadline set for objections. However, following a fast moving sequence of events in July, the Government withdrew its proposals for enforced mergers of forces.

As a result the work of the Joining Forces Programme, set up in Sussex and Surrey to bring the two forces closer together whatever the outcome of the merger debate, has been refocused to deal specifically with improving protective services in the two counties.

It was the perceived gap in these services '“ major crime, counter terrorism and roads policing '“ which had sparked the former Home Secretary Charles Clarke's original merger plans. Sussex Police Authority and their Surrey counterparts had agreed that they would not merge voluntarily, but set up the Joining Forces Programme in order to start exploring the opportunities for combined working and developing protective services.

It is now proposed that the Joining Forces work should also take into account opportunities to work with other neighbouring police areas such as Kent and Hampshire.

Peter Jones said: "We are delighted that the Government has at last seen sense."

Police Authority chairman Peter Jones said: "We are delighted that the Government has at last seen sense and that this phenomenally expensive programme will not go ahead. Instead, we will now be able to concentrate our efforts on addressing the real issues of policing, both at local and regional levels.

"Sussex has been at the forefront of the opposition to the mergers, insisting to Dr Reid, the Home Secretary, and the police minister Tony McNulty and their predecessors that the sensible way forward is through collaboration of forces, not mergers. We recognise the importance of working with our neighbouring forces and we can now move forward with a collaborative solution to address the requirements of improving protective services and identifying efficiency savings across the forces.

"Work has already been carried out with our colleagues in Surrey, in expectation of a merger, which we can now build on and we will look to develop this work across the region. There are some minor governance issues, but not of the scale that we were facing and the way ahead is much clearer.

"There remains the problem of under-funding by central Government of the Sussex Police Authority and Force and, if we are to make realistic advances, this must be addressed. If Sussex was to receive just average funding for a county force we could offer our Chief Constable over 300 extra police officers.

"We are ready to provide improved modern policing, we are more than able to do so '“ the Government must now provide the funding to enable us to achieve what it is seeking."

Mr Jones and Chief Constable Joe Edwards had visited Police Minister Tony McNulty in late June to press the case for voluntary federation. The day after that meeting the Authority hosted a successful Stakeholder Conference at Lower Beeding, near Horsham, to brief local authorities and other Sussex stakeholders about the proposed merger, and to marshal local support in opposition.

Chief Constable Joe Edwards said: "Whatever the outcome of the current debate, Surrey and Sussex will work together much more closely in the future."

The conference was told that the latest estimates put the cost of a two-force merger between Sussex and Surrey at 43 million and the savings at 6.2 million a year. However the council tax for policing would need to rise by 18 per cent just to bring it in to line with Surrey. Within days, rumours were circulating that the nationwide merger programme had run in to difficulties over finance. Then Lancashire and Cumbria withdrew from the only voluntary merger so far agreed.

The Government's change of heart was finally confirmed by Tony McNulty at a Police Reform conference on July 12th. In answer to a question from Sussex Police Authority clerk Dr John Godfrey, the Minister confirmed that no forced mergers would proceed.

For further information go to the Home Office website.