by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter.
Legal action could be taken against the Government to improve funding for Dorset Police.
Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick said after months of waiting for a reply from the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, about the funding formula he was now considering what to do next.
He told the pan-Dorset Police and Crime Panel that he was now contemplating legal action against the Government to prompt it into action over fairer funding.
Mr Sidwick said that the county had long been among the poorest for Government funding with claims from him and local councillors, that the current funding formula took no account of the county’s huge increase in population during the summer or its rural nature which often makes it difficult to achieve national response standards.
“The fight goes on to get fairer funding for Dorset. I have written to the Home Secretary again to remind her that she hasn’t answered to the people of Dorset, via me, and local MPs.
“I have also instructed a local legal firm to look at the options to see whether we can do anything legally with this Government. I will not rest until I have looked at every possible opportunity to get fairer funding for the people of Dorset,” he said.
