Section 142: Grants to local policing bodies
411.Section 142 changes the terms under which the Police Main Grant(55) is paid to local policing bodies (namely, Police and Crime Commissioners or, in London, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and the Common Council of the City of London).
412.Subsection (1) amends section 46(1) of the 1996 Act. Section 46(1) current enables the Home Secretary to make grants to local policing bodies “for policing purposes”. As amended, the Home Secretary will be able to make grants to local policing bodies “for the purpose of their functions”. This wider scope for paying grants to local policing bodies is in recognition of their wider responsibilities for commissioning services under the provisions of section 143.
413.Subsection (2) makes a corresponding change to 47(1) of the 1996 Act, which makes provision for the Home Secretary to make grants to local policing bodies for the purpose of capital expenditure; and section 92(2), which enables London Boroughs to make grants to the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime for policing purposes (section 92(1), which enables local authorities to make grants to Police and Crime Commissioners is not constrained by a reference to “for police purposes”).
414.Paragraph 102 of Schedule 11 to the Act includes consequential repeals of provisions which previously amended section 46(1) of the 1996 Act and are therefore now spent.
Police Main Grant funding to the police is distributed by the Home Office and derived from the Police Allocation Formula and the Formula Funding published by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The police also receive funding from the relevant precept component of council tax.
