POLICE chiefs in the county are breathing a sigh of relief after the Chancellor scrapped plans for further cuts to the force’s budget.

They had feared last Wednesday’s Spending Review and Autumn Statement would set the scene for yet more cutbacks – but with the emphasis on delivering both economic and national security, it appears their calls for a reprieve have been heard.

Commenting on the unexpected announcement, Chief Constable Andy Marsh said it was the public who were “the real winners” after George Osborne’s decision.

In thanking all those who had helped to make Hampshire Constabulary’s case, Mr Marsh said: “Crime is changing and so is policing. The cuts of recent years have been hard and there remain difficult times ahead, but we must now take this opportunity.

“To meet the needs of the victims of tomorrow and to build morale among police officers and staff we must keep innovating. This will create a sustainable future where we can deliver an even better service for a public whose expectations will have gone up as a result of this decision.”

Simon Hayes, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police’s Crime Commissioner, said that having called on the Government not to cut police funding any further, he was pleased that “the danger to public safety, from more cuts, had now been recognised”.

He said: “Here in Hampshire we are recognised as leading the way with efforts to share resources with key stakeholders such as Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. Greater partnership working will ensure that we can rise to the financial challenge imposed by previous comprehensive spending reviews since 2010, which have resulted in the Constabulary having to make £80m savings.

“We must continue to maintain the efficient business-like approach that has been at the centre of our recognised financial efficiency. We have yet to see the detail of the Chancellor’s announcement. In the past we’ve found that all is not what it may first appear.”

“Working with communities and other partners remains the key to preventing crime and re-offending. Only with social changes like these can we create a society with less offending and fewer victims,” concluded Mr Hayes.

East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds welcomed the Chancellor’s commitment to deliver economic and national security, saying: “This Autumn Statement demonstrates that security remains the Government’s top priority and stays central to policy making. This means protecting economic security by taking the difficult decisions to live within our means and bring our debts down, and protecting national security by defending Britain’s interests abroad and keeping people safe at home.”

He explained that public spending plans set out in the Spending Review mean there should be a surplus of £10.1bn in 2019/20, which is higher than was forecast at the Budget, thus “propelling Britain out of the red and into the black”.

The Spending Review also announced there would be no cuts in the police budget with real terms protection for police funding, and confirmed the Government’s commitment to spend two per cent of the national income on defence.

There were a number of elements in the Autumn Statement and Spending Review of particular note for East Hampshire, which Mr Hinds described as “an area that contributes to the £228bn generated by the South East for the national economy – that’s £20bn more than in 2010 – and is part of a region with the lowest rate of unemployment in the country”.

It includes confirmation that Whitehill and Bordon will be included in a wider multi-site enterprise zone along with Chertsey and Basingstoke, which is considered “a major boost for attracting inward investment to the town” – also protection of the basic per-student funding in sixth-form colleges, as well as real terms protection of the schools budget which, says Mr Hinds, is “especially significant for Hampshire because almost all sixth-form education is in sixth-form colleges”.

There are also measures to widen home ownership, including extensions of Help to Buy, liberalisation of shared ownership rules, and the biggest house building programme by any government since the 1970s.

“This is of particular significance as East Hampshire has become one of the least affordable places outside London for would-be buyers, with the average home now costing more than 12 times average earnings,” said Mr Hinds.