It is time to bring out into the open the row about the funding of Lincolnshire Police which has been going on for months behind the scenes.

We have always had first-class policing in Lincolnshire. In Grantham in particular, I think we have under Chief Superintendent Terry Hackett, who has made a great effort to engage with the community he serves, a force that displays all the finest qualities of the service – tact, fairness, firmness when required, steady judgement and conscientious dedication to the public good.

Policing is paid for partly by a Home Office grant (in other words, the national taxpayer), partly by a precept which is included in the Council Tax (i.e. the local council tax payers). The current police budget for the County is around £95million a year. We are entitled to more Home Office grant under the national funding formula, but £1.6m is being temporarily withheld to provide transitional relief to other constabularies. Without this being withheld, the grant would increase next year by 6.3%; if it is withheld, the increase goes down to 2.7%, roughly the rate of inflation.

When did you last go to a Post Office? Fewer and fewer people are doing so – 4 million fewer this year than 5 years ago.

As a result, the Post Office network is losing money – about £3.5 million a week. Of course the taxpayer cannot – and must not – be expected to pay an increased subsidy because fewer people are using the service. Some cuts in the network are necessary.

But I am trying to save three smaller post offices, one in Stamford and the others in Rippingale and Castle Bytham where it is clear to me that there is massive local support for their sub post offices and the sub postmasters are committed to carrying on. The County Council are strongly supporting the campaign.