Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of recent funding reductions to Prevent in Greater Manchester; and what plans she has to review long-term funding allocations for the programme.

All local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales have a statutory responsibility to deliver the Prevent duty as laid out in the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The duty has been in place for ten years and is well-embedded within local authority structures, including in the ten local authorities in Greater Manchester.

Each year we carefully consider funding for the Prevent programme and lead an annual prioritisation process to determine those local authorities of highest threat and risk. This prioritisation process draws on a range of data sets and insights from national and local partners. In the next financial year, we will provide funding for specialist Prevent posts in the 27 highest risk priority local authority areas to help them to go above and beyond the normal requirements of the Prevent duty. In approximately 90% of local authorities, the Prevent Duty is implemented without that additional funding.

In Greater Manchester, we will provide funding to Manchester City Council for four dedicated Prevent posts as well as funding for project delivery. One of these posts will support the regional delivery of Prevent across Greater Manchester. In addition, access to significant wider funding is available through the centrally managed Preventing Radicalisation Fund for projects that aim to reduce radicalisation risks across the Greater Manchester region. Other support is also available to all local authorities including dedicated training materials and the expertise and guidance of specialist Home Office Prevent advisers based in each region.