Lincolnshire Police receive extra funding to prevent cuts
They're receiving an extra £12million of emergency help
Lincolnshire Police has been thrown a lifeline after months of worry with extra funding that will prevent devastating cuts.
The force will receive an extra £12million of emergency help – known as ‘exceptional financial support’ – for each of the next three years, as well as an increased annual budget.
As many as 400 officers and staff could have been axed without the support, which leaders say would have ‘disabled’ the force.
Now they believe the funding will provide stability for years as police numbers are rebuilt.
Lincolnshire Police’s annual funding (outside of the emergency support) will be £100.1million for 2026/27, up from £95.6million this year.
The emergency support has been agreed for the coming financial year, and has been provisionally confirmed for the next two.
The force has warned for years that it is the worst-funded in the country, with Lincolnshire MPs sharing fears last year that it could be the first to effectively declare bankruptcy.
Police & Crime Commissioner Marc Jones said: “Today marks a real milestone for Lincolnshire. Not only will the money make a difference to front line services, it is a recognition that the funding formula has penalised our county unfairly.
“It will take some time for the force to recruit back up to the levels of officers needed to provide the level of service our residents deserve so there is a need for some patience.”
Chief Constable Paul Gibson described it as “a very good day for Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire communities.
“To have this level of funding for this amount of time is unprecedented for the force and will allow us to build back to peak numbers, and means we will be able to properly strategically plan for the future.
“Three years of stability for the force is welcome news and a welcome relief – for our own staff who are dedicated to serving communities in this county, not to mention the further job security now on offer, and also good news for the people we serve who can now be more certain that Lincolnshire Police will be there for them if they need it.”
He said the force still remains underfunded compared to other forces, and there would be a budget gap once the four-year support runs out.