Police funding in England & Wales: Social Indicators page.
Jump to full report >>In England and Wales the main source of income for police forces are Central Government grants made available through the annual Home Office Police Grant. Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and the elected mayors for Greater Manchester and Greater London can also raise additional revenue funding through council tax precepts. Expenditure can also be funded through 'income' raised by a force and the use of force reserves. Police funding is partially devolved and the Welsh Government (WG) provides some additional funding to the four forces in Wales.
Police forces get on average 66% of their funding from Central Government, which is the combined total for Home Office police formula funding, formula grant previously paid by the DCLG and legacy council tax grants, as well as additional WG support in Wales. This varies between forces - from Surrey which gets 44%, to Northumbria, which gets 83% of its funding from Central Government.
Central Government funding to police forces in England and Wales fell by 25% between 2010 and 2015 (National Audit Office (NAO)).
Commons Briefing papers SN02616
Author: Lydia Jackson
Topics: Local government, Police, Public expenditure
The House of Commons Library provides research, analysis and information services for MPs and their staff.