£120 million funding for West Mercia Police is hailed

West Mercia Police's crime commissioner John Campion has welcomed the announcement and said it was roughly in line with what the force was expecting.

But he said he still believed West Mercia deserved a "fairer share of the national pot" and would continue to campaign for fairer funding for the county and beyond.

West Mercia will receive a total of £120.2m in central funding next year.

Mr Campion said: "The Government has again demonstrated its commitment to keeping our communities safe. It is clear that it remains a top priority.

"I do still believe that West Mercia deserves a fairer share of the national pot however and will continue to work with the Government to address the wider issues around the funding formula.

"At a local level, this settlement gives stability to our communities, and the opportunity for our police force to deliver the reformed, modern 21st century service which our communities need.

"I will produce a budget to meet my election promises, around ensuring money is spent as efficiently as possible before asking for any more, investing in our police force, improving community police visibility, and providing good, consistent services for victims of crime.

"I will finalise my budget proposals in the coming weeks before consulting with our communities on them early in the new year."

Last month Mr Campion called for fairer funding for West Mercia. He spoke after a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) published a report which showed the force was underfunded compared to others in the country.

The Value for Money report showed West Mercia Police receives around £5.8m less than other forces of a similar size and demand.

Whilst Mercia Police receives a lower than average demand for 999 calls and emergency incidents, it said, it does receive a higher demand for victim-based crimes, in particular violent crimes and crimes against children.

It was revealed in September that cash reserves at West Mercia Police were set to plummet by £30m over the next four years as the force battles to cope with continued budget cuts.

West Mercia Police currently has £57.5m in the coffers – but that will be depleted to £27.5m by 2020 according to projections.

Planned expenditure includes just over £14m on the new force operational command centre at Hindlip in Worcester. But despite the significant drop, the projected figure will still be some way above the minimum reserve figure recommended by the force treasurer of £12.5m.