Northumbria Police not planning to axe more PCSO jobs despite £25m budget pressure, PCC says

A North East police force is not planning to axe more community support officers, councillors have been told.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Susan Dungworth said this week that she is not aware of any proposals to cut the number of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in her area, despite budget pressures totalling more than £25 million. There have been concerns elsewhere in the country about the future of PCSOs, with Essex Police having planned to scrap all 99 roles in its force before the Government’s announcement of an extra £100 million investment into neighbourhood policing last week triggered a rethink.

At a meeting of the Northumbria Police and Crime Panel in Gateshead on Tuesday, Northumberland Conservative councillor Gordon Stewart aired concerns about PCSOs being done away with as a result of cuts. Mrs Dungworth replied that any such decision would be down to the chief constable, Vanessa Jardine, but that she had no indication that any such move was in the works.

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Northumbria Police currently employs 82 PCSOs, the force confirmed. The PCC said: “None of the conversations I have had with the chief constable indicate that she would get rid of PCSOs. Where there has been a reduction that has been because of cuts to police funding.”

Northumbria Police previously had plans in 2023 to slash 136 PCSO posts, which would have left only 60 remaining, before those proposals were scaled back and a further 38 of the at-risk jobs were saved. Tuesday’s panel meeting heard how the force was facing up to budget pressures totalling £25.4 million in 2025/26, due to factors such as pay rises, contract inflation, and increased national insurance contributions.

Around £3 million of the increase in Government funding confirmed by the Home Office last week will come to Northumbria, while a further £5.9 million will be raised by an increase to local council tax bills that was also agreed at the meeting at Gateshead Civic Centre. Despite that, finance officer Kevin Laing told councillors that the force would still need to spend £4.8 million of its reserves in order to balance the books and would need to make £21.8 million of efficiency savings over the next four years.