Budget cuts prompt sale of police stations (From Your Local Guardian)

Budget cuts prompt sale of police stations

9:40am Thursday 16th February 2012 in Epsom By Lauren May

Budget cuts prompt sale of seven more police stations

Seven more stations have been put up for sale by Surrey Police as the force attempts to cut six per cent off its budget.

Banstead and Leatherhead were among the stations put forward to be sold at a meeting of the Surrey Police Authority on Monday, February 6 bringing the total number of Surrey stations up for sale to 23.

Epsom police station in Church Street is also set to be sold with officers due to move into the town hall on The Parade, however no moving date has been set.

Epsom and Ewell Council have said the police officers main office will be located on the second floor with a ground floor reception office fronting Civic Street and 12 allocated car parking spaces across the Town Hall and Hope Lodge car parks.

A spokesperson said: "The accommodation is for the neighbourhood policing team to provide improved services and accessibility to the public as well as closer partnership opportunities with several council services, for example licensing. There will be no holding cells."

In Leatherhead police officers have already moved out of their station and have been operating from the Leatherhead Food Research Centre in Randall’s Road since November.

Their remaining "scenes of crime" officers, who have been operating out of nearby offices, will be relocated to Surrey Police Head Quarters in Mount Browne, Guildford, in July.

An alternative for Banstead officers has not yet been confirmed however the station on the High Street cannot be sold until December 2012 when their notice period to decommission the building runs out.

Other stations put forward at the meeting included Old Woking, Egham, Farnham, Camberley and Cobham.

Peter Williams, chairman of the Surrey Police Authority said: "These latest decisions on a number of Surrey Police’s stations and buildings are part of the process that we began in late 2009 to prepare for budget cuts and adapt our services to today’s demands.

"Over the course of the last two years, and after substantial consultation with the public, Surrey Police has been relocating officers into new bases such as council offices and community centres, keeping the police at the heart of the community whilst helping to reduce the significant cost of maintaining our old estate which comprised a patchwork of buildings of various ages and states of repair."

At the meeting, police chiefs also agreed to increase their share of council tax by 2.5 per cent in a bid to cut £3.5m off their annual budget which has been reduced to £208.8m - a reduction of £3.5m It is the last budget that will be set by the authority, which will be replaced by a police and crime commissioner following an election on November 15 this year.