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Funding for the police is to be cut - despite a pledge by George Osborne to protect police funding.

The Chancellor announced in last month’s spending review there would be no cuts the policing budget.

He bragged: "The police protect us so we will protect the police."

But a Home Office statement released yesterday revealed that the central government funding for police forces is being reduced by 2.3% a year - an estimated £41million.

Any additional money will have to come from local government - but town hall budgets are also being slashed.

(Image: Getty Images)

The Communities Secretary Greg Clark announced the spending review meant overall funding for councils will fall by 2.8% in 2016/17.

Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham said the cuts would mean more frontline police losing their jobs.

He said: “Last month, following Labour pressure, George Osborne claimed to have protected the Police budget. But, as ever with this Chancellor, the spin in the House does not match up with the reality. Today, the Government announced year on year real-terms cuts to Police budgets.

“Thousands of officers have already been lost and, with more cuts on the way, the public can now expect to see the loss of many more. With crime and the terror threat rising, these cuts could undermine the ability of the Police to respond and keep us safe.

“George Osborne should honour his commitment to protect the Police budget.”

(Image: Jeff J Mitchell)

In a written statement to MPs, Home Office minister Mike Penning said “police spending would be protected in real terms” until the end of the decade.

But the small print showed this relied on councils raising extra cash through the police precept - the additional amount of council tax that goes to Police and Crime Commissioners.

“For 2016/17, direct resource funding for each PCC, including precept, will be protected at flat cash levels, assuming that precept income is increased to the maximum amount available,” the statement said.

Shadow Policing Minister Jack Dromey added: “Despite Osborne’s phony police promise, police forces are set to see further funding cuts, with the Tories expecting local people to pay more to make up for it. Thousands of officers are still going to go.

“This is a stop-gap settlement. Police forces have been given funding figures for only next year, instead of the four-year settlement announced in local government, all because of the police funding chaos in the Home Office.

“The police are contending with some of the most difficult challenges of our generation – child sexual exploitation, terrorism, cybercrime, as well as the extreme budget cuts of the last five years.

"All the while they are being let down by an incompetent Home Office and a misleading Chancellor."