West Midlands Police will lose £6million of government funding next year – more than double what it lost last year.

The force received £452.6m in 2015/16 and £450.1m this year but next year that will drop to £444.1m, according to figures released by the Home Office earlier this week.

Reacting to the news, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, said he believed the government was expecting people across the region to pick up the difference in their council tax payments. He said:

"The cuts from central government are more than twice as big this year as they were last year.

"This funding settlement fails to recognise that crime is changing and not falling. It will be a bitter disappointment to the people of the West Midlands who have seen their police force hit harder than anywhere else in the country.”

He added: "Last year the government promised no cuts to West Midlands Police, but once again we are getting less money than the year before.”