Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to help ensure (a) Greater Manchester Police and (b) Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council have an adequate level of resources to reduce incidents of car drivers over the speed limits.

Excess speed is still a major cause of death and serious injury on our roads. Anyone who breaks the speed limit should expect to face proper sanction.

The enforcement of speeding offences, including in Greater Manchester, is an operational matter for the discretion of Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners. The force’s Chief Officer will decide how to deploy available resources, taking into account any specific local pressures and demands.

The Government is proposing a total police funding settlement of up to £17.2 billion in 2023/24, an increase of up to £287 million when compared to 2022/23. Greater Manchester Police’s funding will be up to £738.6 million in 2023/24, an increase of up to £23.5 million when compared to 2022/23.

The Government is delivering on the people’s priorities by recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers. As of 30 September 2022, 15,343 additional uplift officers have been recruited in England and Wales through the Police Uplift Programme, 77% of the target of 20,000 additional officers by March 2023. As of 30 September 2022, Greater Manchester Police has recruited 804 additional uplift officers against a total three year allocation of 1,155 officers. Forces are operationally independent and the deployment of officers remains an operational decision for Chief Constables.

Local authorities, including Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, are best-placed to make decisions about the services that best meet the needs of their local populations. It is the responsibility of local authorities to commission different kinds of public services which fit local circumstances and priorities.