00:00Police funding headlines don't always tell the full story.
00:03In Wales, police forces are funded through UK grants, Welsh Government programmes and the local council tax precept.
00:10A headline budget rise of about 3.9% can look positive, especially when quoted with the average inflation figure of around 3.5%.
00:20But what matters is what's left after unavoidable costs.
00:24Because around 80% of police budgets are staff costs, changes to employer costs outweigh the headline increase.
00:32And that is what has happened due to Labour's national insurance tax rises.
00:37When these higher employer contributions are factored in, the net effect is an actual value reduction,
00:44with Gwent Police seeing a real terms cut of around £1 million, despite Labour's claims of a rise.
00:50Less spending powers means tougher choices, protecting front-line capability while managing rising fixed costs.
00:58The only people who benefit from this are criminals, while local communities continue to pay the price of this Labour Government.
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