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Party Conferences (Security)

01 January 1991

Party Conferences (Security)
artdoc May=1991
House of Commons written answer 10.11.89 Cols.805-6

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home
Department what additional resources were made available for
policing and security at the 1989 (a) Labour party conference
at Brighton, and (b) Conservative party conference at
Blackpool; and what were the costs.

Mr. Peter Lloyd: I understand from the chief officers of
the forces concerned that the additional costs of policing the
1989 party conferences were estimated as follows:

Conference Force
Additional
Cost (¼)

Labour Sussex 4,000
Conservative Lancashire
1,080,000

The level of resources provided for the policing of party
conferences is an operational matter for the chief officer of
police in the light of all the circumstances, including an
assessment of the threat of terrorist attack and a recognition
that there is a serious threat to members of the Government.
The additional costs of policing will be met by the Sussex
and Lancashire police authorities. Under the normal funding
arrangements, the Government contribute both directly through
police grant - which is at 51 per cent - and indirectly through
block grant. The parties themselves also incur costs on
specific security measures at their conferences.