I hear what you say TF, no argument there. What I would say is that after a long and faltering start NPAS now has a very capable flight ops director, chief pilot, and regional manager/s, these guys will do their very best to make good with what is available, and the ops room will learn as the jigsaw gets put together.
I do tend to think that had NPAS not happened, given the cuts to county force budgets, that ASUs would be closing and relying on buying hours from richer (relative term) neighbours anyway. Norfolk and Cambs folded before NPAS to rely on Suffolk with fewer allocated hours. Suffolk themselves had to reduce hours from 800 to 600 for the 2 years prior to NPAS due to lack of funding, and Essex (relatively wealthy) had to take on a collaboration with Kent (no ASU) to ease the cost of things.
Essex and Suffolk even then had to take on a contract with BTP to keep things together.
Whatever way you look at it, the lack of money is hitting hard.