Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Today, I am publishing proposals for the Welsh Government’s component of funding for Police and Crime Commissioners in Wales for 2025-26. These include the provisional allocations of core revenue funding for each of the four Police and Crime Commissioners in Wales.
Policing policy is not devolved and funding for the four Welsh police forces is delivered through a three-way arrangement involving the Home Office, the Welsh Government and council tax. For 2025-26 the total core support for police forces in Wales will be £476.8 million.
A common needs-based formula, operated by the Home Office, is used to distribute funding across English and Welsh police forces, and the approach to setting and distributing the Welsh Government’s component of police funding provision is based on a principle of ensuring consistency and fairness across England and Wales.
As a result, I propose to set the Welsh Government’s contribution to police funding for 2025-26 at £113.47 million. As in previous years, the Home Office has overlaid its needs-based formula with a top-up mechanism which is funded by the Home Office. This ensures all police forces in England and Wales can expect to receive an increase in core funding of 3.705% for 2025-26. The Home Office has confirmed that this represents a real terms increase which will cover the costs of the police officer pay awards.
We are continuing to maintain our commitment to directly providing additional Police and Crime Support Officers. As set out in the Welsh Government draft budget £15.953m will be used to directly fund PCSO posts in Wales. This is a 3% rise on our funding from 2024-25 and will allow forces to maintain funding for posts whilst managing cost of living increases in-year. Funding for PCSOs in Wales is provided over and above the Home Office settlement, providing additional support for Welsh communities. Although policing is a reserved area, our funding for PCSOs reflects the work they do to build trust and engagement between the police and communities in Wales, supporting our aspirations for Welsh communities.
I recognise the challenging funding landscape for policing partners, as well as the ongoing cost of living challenges for many households. The UK Government has confirmed that, in England, police precepts increases are limited to £14 without a referendum. This does not apply in Wales but Welsh Ministers retain the power to cap increases. The Welsh Government will continue to work with Welsh PCCs and forces to make the best possible use of our shared resources and to deliver on our collective aspirations for communities in Wales
I encourage the four Police and Crime Commissioners in Wales to consult fully with their local communities in considering the level of local funding for 2025-2026. They will need to consider carefully the balance between the impacts on households from increases in police precepts and on decisions on services for communities.
The figures are summarised in Tables 1 to 3 of this Statement. Today’s announcement marks the start of a consultation period which will end on 17 January 2025. Following this, allocations may be revised for the Final Settlement.
This information is also published on the Welsh Government’s website at:
Police settlement provisional 2025-2026
This statement is being issued during recess to keep Members informed. Should Members wish me to make a further statement or to answer questions on this when the Senedd returns I would be happy to do so.