Cleveland Police chiefs are still waiting for £2 million in additional funding pledged after the fatal A66 crash, even though the total bill is expected to exceed £5 million.
The money, announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, was intended to support a crackdown on serious organised crime following the wrong-way collision in August that killed police constables Tom Clough and Matthew Blades, along with five men.
Funding and Mutual Aid Costs
Talks are ongoing over the £2 million needed to cover a £4.4 million and rising bill for help received from other forces that provided additional personnel. Police forces can request assistance from counterparts, who then invoice for their expenses, but this stage has not yet been reached, with no mutual aid costs paid to date.
In a letter to the home secretary, Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey said almost two months had elapsed since she announced the additional support, but the force has yet to receive the money.
Exceptional Costs Rising
Exceptional costs linked to mutual aid arrangements and the wider policing response have continued to rise and are forecast to exceed £5 million. Mr Storey said: "These are exceptional and unavoidable costs arising from utterly tragic and devastating circumstances. They are not costs that should be borne locally or met from existing policing budgets."
The PCC said neither he nor Chief Constable Victoria Fuller had received a substantive response to previous correspondence. They were seeking help regarding the force's financial position and longer-term resource requirements.
Home Office Response
A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are grateful to Cleveland Police, who have delivered a robust response in difficult circumstances. We are working closely with the force to ensure they have the support they need."
The force should receive the £2 million payment by the end of November, according to Government sources. Ahead of the 2027/8 police settlement, the Home Office has established a new "Financial Resilience Framework" as part of a wider overhaul of the policing system. The Home Secretary will set out the next steps of the Funding Formula after a review.
The five men killed in the VW Passat involved in the collision were Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Michael Cahill, 23, Cole Worthy and Theo Rae, both 17. PC Blades, 37, and PC Clough, 38, also died in the incident at 3.39am on Saturday August 22nd when their police armed response vehicle was struck at South Bank, near Middlesbrough. An interim report into the crash ruled out tactical contact with the Passat by police.
