Call for resignations over £65m black hole in police finances in South Yorkshire

The government is in talks with South Yorkshire Police and Mayor Oliver Coppard’s office to address the deficit, which was discovered in September.

An independent review is currently underway to uncover how the error, which went undetected for five years, was missed.

Finance staff at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) identified the black hole following the transfer of the functions of the Police and Crime Commissioner to the South Yorkshire Mayor’s office.

According to a SYMCA report, the former Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) had borrowed £65m for investments into police kits, vehicles and IT services.

But staff discovered £16m worth of repayments had been “missed” and a further £49m of future charges had not been included in future police budgets.

The report found the omission of the £65m was “inadvertent” with Mayor Oliver Coppard stating it was down to “fundamental human error” in an interview with The Star.

Dr Alan Billings, who served as the Police and Crime Commissioner until his office was combined with the Mayor’s earlier this year, said he did not understand why the shortfall was not picked up, claiming there were eyes from numerous places who could have identified the issue, but failed.

Councillor Nigel Harper, spokesperson for the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel, confirmed during full council meeting in Rotherham this week that the review is ongoing, and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is working with the government to assess any potential funding gaps.

Councillor Simon Currie questioned how such a significant oversight could occur, asking, “How do you miss such an accounting error when you’ve got a job to do?” He also raised the possibility of resignations, asking if any panel members would be held accountable.

In response, Councillor Harper, who has served on the panel since May, rejected calls for resignation over an issue that started years ago, stating, “After six months, are you asking me to resign for something that happened a number of years ago?”

“It’s too early for people to start blaming people. It’s yet to be seen where the blame for this issue lies,” he added.

Councillor Adam Carter criticised the overall oversight, saying the error highlighted a failure in the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

“It points to a failure of the overall role, and how it doesn’t seem to be bringing the relevant expertise to the table. I’m pleased that it’s gone,” he said.

“I think the mayor isn’t in that position….to fully scrutinise this.”