A Liberal Democrats report has revealed
Britain’s police forces spent more than £132 million on the leasing
and hiring of vehicles between 2004 and 2009 – prompting widespread
questioning over the effectiveness of public sector fleet
management.
The document, compiled from Freedom of Information
requests to police forces, revealed a nationwide hire bill of
£70,000 daily, a figure Lib Dem shadow home secretary Chris Huhne
called “unnecessarily lavish”.
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Huhne added: “Hiring cars at appropriate times can
save forces money, but if they are being hired while police cars
are not in use, it is simply a waste of taxpayers’ money. The
Association of Chief Police Officers should issue forces with
guidance about the best use of hire cars.”
But Meredydd Hughes, chief constable of South
Yorkshire Police (which spent £2.5 million on vehicle hire), said
his force was “proud of the way it uses the public's
resources”, adding hire options were often “more cost effective”
than purchase.
“This is a story that isn’t a story,” Hughes
said.
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By GlobalDataThe figures behind the report do not break down the
amount spent by forces on short-term rental versus long-term
contract hire and lease agreements, leaving many questions
unanswered as to exactly how the money was used.
But whatever contracts were signed, with more than
60 articles about the report appearing in national and regional
press this week, police fleet managers are now under pressure to
re-examine procurement strategy.
Fred Crawley
