APCC response to final police funding settlement for 2026/27

30 Jan 2026 02:25 PM

The APCC’s Joint Leads on Funding and Finance, Joy Allen and Roger Hirst, responded to the Final Police Funding Settlement (England and Wales) 2026/27

“Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Deputy Mayors welcome the Government’s commitment to Neighbourhood Policing and the additional money being provided to fund officers. However, the settlement is only sufficient to fund the increase in personnel promised by the government under the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee in part, so it is clear PCCs will continue to be faced with difficult decisions to deliver the visible local policing that we know the public value so highly.

“We welcome the funding the government has said it will provide for fighting serious violence, including Violence Reduction Units which tackle the underlying causes of violence, the Young Futures programme, and tackling knife crime and county lines drug dealing. The funding for hotspot policing has been rolled into the neighbourhood policing grant already announced, which presents a challenge in sustaining partnership working with local authority enforcement.

“This week’s policing reform White Paper commits in the long term to reviewing the police funding formula which we have long argued is outdated, with council tax payers increasingly asked to help balance the books. But the severe financial pressures faced by PCCs across England and Wales are immediate so we will fully engage with government and our partners to ensure available funding is used efficiently to deliver the effective police service the public deserves.

“We are aware the cost of police reform has been estimated at around £500 million. While the Government has announced that £119 million will be allocated to the reform programme in 2026/27, PCCs are clear that any funding associated with reform must be subject to robust oversight, transparency and accountability. It is essential that investment in reform of policing does not divert resources away from the frontline.”

APCC Joint Leads on Local Policing, Chris Nelson and Matt Storey, added:

“The additional £50 million made available to increase the number of officers is certainly welcome but we need to understand the conditions attached to the new Neighbourhood Policing grant. We want to deliver the increase in neighbourhood policing the government has pledged, but this can only be done if it is fully funded.  Current funding covers the cost of approximately 750 additional officers, so it is unclear how forces will be able to fund the remaining 1000 neighbourhood officers to which the government has committed.

“We are also very disappointed the government is not continuing financial support for anti-social behaviour hotspot patrolling which is such an essential feature of high visibility neighbourhood policing.”

Editors’ notes: