Met warns of job loses if funding falls short

"The Metropolitan Police could face further cuts to its workforce if the impending funding settlement from the Home Office is inadequate, officials have warned. The force has already identified a 20 million budget gap in 2026-27 that they "intend to bridge through non-workforce efficiencies". But it says that staffing and recruitment changes may be required if an expected funding uplift from the Home Office does not materialise."

"The Home Office said the government was committed to a "real terms increase" in police spending power over the next three years. The chief financial officer at the Met, Dan Worsley, told the London Assembly that if the income does not come through, they would "need to look at where and when we can be more efficient" and the force would have to examine the impact on their ability to recruit "to the levels of attrition in order to protect the workforce"."

"The force's attrition rate - the percentage of employees who leave the organisation over a specific period - is around 7%, which compares favourably to other forces around the country. There had already been significant concern around a drop in officer numbers despite a manifesto pledge from Sir Sadiq Khan to increase the number by 1,300 by the end of his current term."

The Metropolitan Police faces potential workforce cuts if the Home Office funding settlement proves inadequate. The force has identified a 20 million budget gap in 2026-27 that it intends to bridge through non-workforce efficiencies, but staffing and recruitment changes may be required without an expected funding uplift. The Home Office committed to a "real terms increase" in police spending power over the next three years. The Met warned it would need to seek efficiencies and examine recruitment to match attrition, which is around 7%. Officer numbers are forecast to fall from 33,766 in May 2024 to 31,258 by March 2026. The force has prioritised neighbourhood policing and is civilianising back-office roles, with limited further easy savings available.

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