Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner has refused to comment on rumours the county’s police could be in line for a 75 per cent increase in its funding.
A report in a national newspaper over the weekend suggested that Home Secretary Teresa May is secretly planning to overhaul the way money is allocated to police forces across the country, with cash being diverted from city forces to county ones.
A leaked internal analysis of the impact of the changes suggest the Metropolitan Police Force could see cuts of around 43 per cent, while Lincolnshire could see the increase of 75 per cent.
The changes would most likely be warmly welcomed in the county, where chief constable Neil Rhodes had previously warned that the force was on the “edge of viability” because of severe budget constraints.
He and the Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick have been involved in a series of meetings and discussions with Home Office officials, including Teresa May, calling for changes to the funding formula.
Earlier this year Mr Hardwick and Mr Rhodes met policing minister Mike Penning following an announcement that the funding formula was being reviewed.
They warned him that Lincolnshire Police faced losing the equivalent of 236 officers to meet a predicted £10.4m spending shortfall by 2017/18 due to the way funds were allocated to different forces across the country.
After the meeting Mr Rhodes said: “Over recent months we have worked hard and constructively with Home Office officials to provide solutions to the challenge of police finance.
“The overall pot of money for policing is shrinking and it is more important than ever that funding is shared fairly.
“We recognise that, across the country, forces face different and sometimes complex policing challenges and have to manage different levels of threat, harm and risk.
“The new formula must cater adequately for those.
“However, particularly for smaller forces, the acid test will be whether the base cost of being in business is covered.”
But after the report in The Guardian at the weekend, Mr Hardwick released a brief statement, in which he refused to get excited about the rumour.
He said: “I am aware of the speculation, and the figures that have appeared in the media.
“We await any formal announcements.
“We are continuing to engage in the debate.”
