Sussex council taxpayers face higher costs to fund local policing

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) said it was disappointing to see police and crime commissioners "choose to take more money from local residents" when "the cost of living is still biting hard on many".

Home Office figures show council taxpayers will have to shell out £165 million to fund Sussex Police in 2024-25 – a real-terms rise of six per cent from the £156 million paid the year before.

This equates to an increase of £13 to the average council tax bill.

This is equivalent to 42 per cent of the whole funding for policing in Sussex and the highest figure since local records began in 2015-16.

In total, Sussex Police will receive £395 million – up from £365 million in 2023-24.

The government will supply the additional £230 million.

A spokesman for the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner said the total police funding per head of population in Sussex means that the force is the sixth lowest funded in England and Wales.

He said that earlier this year it was calculated that a precept increase would be essential so that Sussex Police can meet the “increased costs of pay, inflation and preserve the improvements in capacity, visibility and accessibility built up since 2018”.

Despite the rise, he said it will not be enough to balance the force’s budget and offset the large cost increases that are anticipated, leaving the requirement to make £6 million savings.

He said in 2023/24 the council tax precept for Sussex was one of the lowest - 31 out of 37 – of English policing bodies at £239.91 per annum for a band D property.

A Sussex Police spokesman said the force will invest funds “effectively and efficiently”.

Across England and Wales, the funding for all police forces has risen in real terms from £15.6 billion in 2023-24 to £16.6 billion for 2024-25.

A third of that, or £5.7 billion, will be provided through council tax – up from £5.3 billion the year before.

John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Hard-working Brits will expect this extra cash to deliver safer streets and more criminals behind bars.

"As council tax soars but bobbies fail to investigate burglaries, households are not getting the service they deserve.

"Police forces must make sure taxpayers' money is spent efficiently and focused on protecting the public."

The PFEW has called for multi-year funding plans, which it said would allow forces to "plan ahead and make best use of economies of scale".

"The current year-by-year budgeting by forces, results in a hand-to-mouth police service for the public,” said Steve Hartshorn, PFEW national chairman.

"It prevents chief officers from being able to plan with any certainty, never knowing what the budget allocation for the following year will be and disables them from creating easily made savings using multi-year purchase options and the economies of scale.

"We also call on the government to begin the long-awaited review of the police funding formula.

"The current funding formula sees some parts of the country receive a disproportionate amount of funding compared to other parts of England and Wales."

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne supports a review of the funding formula.

“It has been very clear for the past decade that government expects local taxpayers to contribute more towards policing,” her spokesman said.

“Sussex PCC Katy Bourne supports calls for a review of the police funding formula to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources across the country and she has also called for the overall policing budget to be increased to meet increased demands and rising costs.

“Crime is becoming increasingly complex, with significant growth in areas such as cybercrime, computer misuse and serious and organised crime while police still have to deal with rape and sexual assaults and domestic abuse and safeguarding vulnerable individuals.

“These challenges require more resources, specialised training and modern technology to ensure that Sussex Police can respond effectively.

“The PCC and chief constable take the responsibility of managing public funds very seriously. They continuously seek ways to improve efficiency and deliver value for money. This includes exploring multi-year funding plans, as suggested, to take advantage of economies of scale and better plan for the future.”

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “Sussex Police is committed to delivering tangible results to our communities and will invest any available funding effectively and efficiently.

“Any additional funding means we can rise to the challenges of policing modern criminality, which is more complex and varied than ever before and requires resources, specialist training and modern technology.

“Alongside that commitment is the ongoing recruitment and retention of officers and staff, maintaining a visible presence in our communities and retaining essential experienced personnel to develop the next generation of policing.”

A Home Office spokesman said: "It is this government's mission to take back our streets and have committed to delivering 13,000 extra neighbourhood police and community support officers, tackle antisocial behaviour and introduce tougher powers to tackle repeat offending.

"Funding beyond 24-25 will be confirmed in the upcoming multi-year spending review. However, this government remains committed to ensuring that the police have the resources they need to tackle crime effectively."