25 November 2005
The Metropolitan Police Authority has submitted its draft budget to London Mayor Ken Livingstone at the start of the Met's most difficult funding round for years.
The funding picture is still incomplete, as the central government grants settlement has yet to be announced.
The Met is also waiting to hear whether it has secured Home Office funding to boost its anti-terrorism capability and if Livingstone will agree to fund the roll-out of the Safer Neighbourhoods community policing programme through the Greater London precept.
MPA chair Len Duvall said: 'The authority hopes that the mayor's budget and increased flexibility in government grant will enable us to roll out a further 368 Safer Neighbourhood teams.
'This will mean every neighbourhood in London would have its own dedicated, community-based team by April 2007.
The draft budget will also result in efficiencies of £67m, which will be diverted back into policing.
Duvall added that the recent service review had identified further efficiencies that will be redirected into policing.
'The MPA will ensure that all extra resources achieved though this review will be used to build on our successes, and effective financial management will remain a priority for the authority,' he said.
PFnov2005
