Bedfordshire council taxpayers contributing more than ever to fund policing

The Fairer Share campaign, which wants to scrap council tax and replace it with a proportional property tax, said increases in council tax contributions towards police funding in England and Wales reflect "a fundamentally unfair system that shifts the burden onto households".

It comes a month after police leaders expressed their disappointment with Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision to increase police funding by 2.3 per cent above inflation on average each year in the recent spending review.

New figures from the Home Office show council taxpayers will contribute £66.2 million to fund Bedfordshire Police in 2025-26 – a real-terms increase of 4.2 per cent on the £63.5 million paid the previous year.

It represents 39.3 per cent of the force's funding for this financial year, and is the highest figure since records began in 2015-16.

The Government will provide Bedfordshire Police with £102.1 million, bringing the force's total funding for 2025-26 to a record £168.3 million.

Meanwhile, police forces across England and Wales will receive nearly £17.7 billion in funding this financial year, including some £6 billion from council tax precepts and just over £11.6 billion from the Government.

This is up 3.8 per cent on the £17 billion perceived the previous year, and the highest figure since records started.

While the share of council tax precepts in police funding has increased steadily over the past decade, as just 28 per cent of police funding was provided by council taxpayers in 2015-16, the share provided by the Government has progressively declined.

John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire defended the rise.

He said: “After 14 years of underfunding, it was a welcome development to see a significant increase in police funding last year, including the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This has enabled the recruitment of thirty additional community police officers and eight PCSOs in Bedfordshire.

“The increase in police funding through the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) represents a genuine uplift.

“However, government funding continues to require us to maximise council tax contributions to the overall police budget. This is not a new requirement – there has been a long-standing trend towards a greater proportion of police funding coming from council tax, predating the current government.”

These figures do not represent the Government’s total investment in the policing system, as some funding is set in the Home Office’s wider budget allocation process.

Andrew Dixon, chair of the Fairer Share campaign, said it is "telling" council taxpayers will contribute the highest amount on record towards police funding.

He said: "That reflects not just rising demand, but a fundamentally unfair system that shifts the burden onto households, precisely the sort of regressive patchwork Fairer Share has long warned about."

The Chancellor recently announced police spending power will increase by an average 2.3 per cent per year in real terms over the Spending Review period to "support frontline policing levels" and "help restore public confidence in policing".

Mr Tizard added: “My objectives remain clear: to use every pound available as effectively as possible to maximise public benefit; to press for a change in the national funding formula to address Bedfordshire’s long-standing underfunding; and to advocate for reform of the council tax system.”