Time about to run out for 101 number
Jan 12 2008 by Paul James, The Journal
A BLEAK future was painted for the North-East’s non-emergency 101 number last night after one of its biggest champions revealed that the region has not yet found a way to pay for it.
Government funding for the service will end in 11 weeks, and yesterday Newcastle Council leader John Shipley said the 12 North-East councils and Northumbria Police had been unable to find a way to keep it running.
Peter Coates, the Northumbria 101 operations manager, yesterday said the service needs about £1.2m for the next year if it is to continue.
But as talks continue between the partners, another council, Blyth Valley, said it had “no spare money” to go towards the 101 service.
Other Northumberland districts mentioned the local government reorganisation in the county as another factor leading to uncertainty over future funding commitments. Castle Morpeth said it had a number already in place should the 101 service end.
Police chiefs and civic leaders are still furious at the Government’s decision to cancel funding for the 101 service, which takes 500 calls a day for complaints from people reporting drunken and rowdy groups, abandoned vehicles, litter, dumping and fly-tipping, vandalism and graffiti and broken street lighting.
It was introduced as one of five pilot schemes in 2006 to give people an alternative to dialling 999, but in November last year the Home Office announced it would no longer fund the service, saying it was up to the individual regions if they wanted to pay for it themselves.
Yesterday, Coun Shipley said it was imperative the Government give the region some leeway, having also given the North’s councils lower financial settlements for the coming year than expected.
In light of the lack of money at some authorities, he said the 101 partnership was looking into whether the number could operate without every council being on board.
He said: “At the moment we don’t have a solution. We are trying really hard to find a solution but it’s proving incredibly difficult because of the finance involved. We think it would cost us quarter of a million pounds from a Newcastle point of view.
“We’re very disappointed by the approach of Government on this. Given the pressures on the 999 number it would be really good to see the 101 number go national.
“Clearly Government has felt that the finance isn’t available to support it. A lot of people are going to be angry with what’s happening.
“However, we are examining every possible option to get a solution, but there’s going to have to be some movement from the Government.”
A Blyth Valley Council spokeswoman said: “We think it’s very unlikely there will be any financial commitment made, especially in light of the local government reorganisation. There is no spare money.”
Peter Coates, Northumbria 101 operations manager, said: “Our projected costs for delivering the service in its current form between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009 are approximately £1.2m, however the partnership is exploring innovative ways to reduce costs further.
“Using the official 2001 census data that estimates the population of Northumberland and Tyne & Wear at 1,383,128 it would put the cost of the current service at around 87p per citizen per year. However, it should be stressed that no decision has yet been made and the partnership board will be looking closely at a number of options and costings in the near future.”
A Home Office spokeswoman last night said its position had not changed on the funding issue.
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No funds available to continue valuable service
Blyth Valley: “We’re very keen on exploring the possibility of taking over the 101 number. We think it’s very unlikely there will be any financial commitment made.”
Castle Morpeth: “The local government reorganisation will clearly have an impact when decisions are being made about the future of the 101 service. If the service is withdrawn in April, CMBC's FirstCall customer service operation would ensure that public reporting of incidents that relate to our area are dealt with.”
Northumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Keith Mavin said: “We are disappointed about the withdrawal of funding and are actively engaging with partners to see how we can continue to deliver this valuable and popular service.”
South Tyneside: “The message we are giving to the public is that it is business as usual until a final decision on the future of the service is made.”
Tynedale: “We have had no direct approach asking for financial contributions to date.”
Wansbeck: “At this stage we don’t have sufficient information on what will be required to continue running the service or the likely costs.”
- North Tyneside, Sunderland and Gateshead referred us to Peter Coates’ statement. Northumberland County Council did not comment. Nobody was available at Alnwick.
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