The Council’s Labour/Liberal Democrat Progressive Alliance expressed concerns about local police resourcing at last night’s Full Council. 

The Alliance moved a successful motion asking when the police service in Milton Keynes will be sufficiently resourced. The Conservative Group abstained on the vote for the substantive motion.

Liberal Democrat Progressive Alliance Cabinet Member Councillor Paul Trendall moved the motion: “Milton Keynes is the largest town in the eastern region; our local police force needs to reflect that. For that to become a reality, they need to be properly resourced, and this motion is asking exactly when that will happen.”

Government figures from March 2021 show 4,401 police officers in the Thames Valley police force, a decrease from 4,415 in September 2020.

Councillor Lauren Townsend, Labour Progressive Alliance Cabinet Member for Public Realm, seconded the motion: “It is important that residents know we hear their concerns about not seeing as many police officers on the streets as they used to, or that they don’t feel completely safe in their communities. We need the police to be properly resourced, so that our residents can be properly supported.”

The Council Leader and Chief Executive will now be asked to write to the Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley to ask when the police service in Milton Keynes will be sufficiently resourced.