MONEY set aside for policing matters associated with the rejected M4 relief road could still be needed on alternative schemes being considered, Gwent’s Police and Crime Commissioner has said.
The PCC allocated £1 million in this year’s budget towards policing potential protests against the M4 relief road – before the decision was made by the Welsh Government to abandon the so-called black route.
Cllr Jason Jordan questioned how the money will now be used at a meeting of the Gwent Police and Crime Panel on Friday.
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But Gwent PCC, Jeff Cuthbert, said it was still too early to say that funding will not be needed in relation to M4 policing matters.
Mr Cuthbert also confirmed that Gwent Police would be part of a commission set up to look at alternatives to the proposed relief road scheme.
“It is possible that another type of route may be considered, so at this point we can’t say that there will not be expenditure on matters relating to the M4,” Mr Cuthbert said.
“We know the black route as it was described is not going ahead, but there could well be others.”
Chief finance officer, Darren Garwood-Pask, said the money could alternatively go towards supporting around 200 new Gwent police officers, which the force could get as part of Boris Johnson’s promise to put an extra 20,000 police officers on the streets over the next three years.
Jeff Cuthbert
Mr Cuthbert said he supported the prime minister’s pledge, but that at the moment details of the proposal are lacking.
Cllr Lisa Winnett raised concerns over how the new police officers would be funded after the initial three years.
Gwent Police budgets have been cut by 40 per cent since the Conservatives introduced austerity in 2010, with police numbers falling from 1,501 in 2011 to a low of 1,126 in 2016.
The force has been allowed to boost its ranks to 1,308 as of March this year after Mr Cuthbert took the “difficult decision” to increase the police precept.
While the extra 200 officers could bring numbers back to pre-austerity levels, councillor Tony Easson voiced concern over the loss of experienced officers within the force.
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