Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planned cuts to British Transport Police (a) staffing and (b) stations due to the 2025/26 funding shortfall on the prevalence of crime, including anti-social behaviour, on the rail network.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. BTP works closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.
For the FY25/26, a budget increase of 5.9% was agreed. The BTPA will set the Force’s budget for 2026/27 this month.
Our railways remain safe for the vast majority of passengers and staff. Whilst total crime increased in 2024/2025, crimes per million passengers has decreased since 2023/2024 from 26.8 to 26.0. The reasons and drivers for crime on the railway network are complex, and yearly changes are not directly attributable to BTP funding levels.
The BTPA are responsible for delivering an effective and efficient police force and monitoring the performance of the force. Like other police forces the BTP has operational independence, so the BTP Chief Constable and Chief Officers use a variety of data to inform the deployment of officers and other resources, following the agreement of the budget. Decisions on staffing and stations resourcing are reviewed regularly by the BTP under their optimal policing model.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to Table A.5 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, 26 November 2025, according to information held by HM Government, if he will list the estimates for council tax receipts in each year from 2024-25 to 2030-31 for England only.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department has published data on actual council tax collection rates in England which can be found on gov.uk here.
Estimates of council tax receipts (excluding police authorities, mayoral combined and county combined authorities and parish councils) will be published at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for England, for the years 2026-27, 2027-29 and 2028-29, later this year.
Table A.5 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439 estimates UK-wide council tax receipts for 2029-30 and 2030-31 but these are not disaggregated to England level.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planned cuts to British Transport Police (a) staffing and (b) stations due to the 2025/26 funding shortfall on the level of (i) passenger and (ii) staff safety and security.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.
For the FY25/26, a budget increase of 5.9% was agreed. The BTPA will set the Force’s budget for 2026/27 this month. BTP’s budget has increased by £87million since 2021/22.
Like other police forces the BTP have operational independence, so the BTP Chief Constable and Chief Officers use a variety of data to inform the deployment of officers and other resources, following the agreement of the budget. Decision over staffing and stations resourcing are reviewed regularly by the BTP under their optimal policing model.
The Department is committed to working with the BTP and rail industry to ensure the railway remains safe for passengers and staff, thanks to the efforts of officers and rail staff working tirelessly across the network.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the funding uplift necessary to restore the number of British Transport Police police officers to 2009/10 levels.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.
For the FY25/26, a budget increase of 5.9% was agreed. The British Transport Police Authority will set the Force’s budget for 2026/27 this month.
Like other police forces the BTP has operational independence, so it is for the BTP Chief Constable and Chief Officers to use a variety of data to inform the deployment of officers and other resources, following the agreement of the budget.
The Department has no role in determining the optimal numbers of BTP officers to meet their strategic plans as agreed with the BTPA.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will determine West Mercia Police's requests for special grant funding for the next financial year.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Decisions on police funding for 2026-27 will be taken shortly. Any requests for additional funding will be considered in the round and decisions communicated to Police and Crime Commissioners in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat - Glastonbury and Somerton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much additional funding her Department plans to provide to Avon and Somerset Police as part of the Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy 2025-2028.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This financial year the Home Office has provided the first Government funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (£450,000). The National Rural Crime Unit assists all police forces, including Avon and Somerset, in tackling rural crime.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy 2025-2028 is a vital step in our mission to deliver safer streets everywhere and comes as we give the police new powers to take on the organised criminal gangs targeting the agricultural sector.
As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, the Government has made £200 million available in FY 25/26 to support the first steps of delivering more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales. Of this, Avon and Somerset Police have been allocated £4,574,856 for an increase of 70 police officers.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to answer of 24 June 2025 to Question 60160 on Victim Support Schemes: Finance, how much ringfenced funding for Domestic Violence and Domestic Abuse Support will be provided in the (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27 financial year.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Ensuring victims receive the right and timely support is a key part of this Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls.
We provide funding to all 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) which includes ringfenced funding for domestic abuse and sexual violence services. These services are commissioned based on local need.
I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the Department by maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced domestic abuse and sexual violence support this year. This includes combined ringfenced funding for PCCs to spend on domestic abuse and sexual violence support services.
As announced on 2 December 2025, Ministry of Justice will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years of this Spending Review period – the biggest investment in victim support services to date. This includes a 2% uplift year on year for the next two years to funding for PCCs. The breakdown of grant funding is also publicly available on the Government Grants Information System (GGIS), which is released annually in March covering the previous financial period of grant spending.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance has she given to the British Transport Police Authority on British Transport Police funding in the 2026-27 financial year.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not determine the budget for the British Transport Police. The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set independently of the Department by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA), following proposals from the Force and views from the industry.
Earlier this year, the Rail Minister convened two high-level roundtable meetings with senior rail industry stakeholders to ensure that funding decisions are informed by a broad range of perspectives. The BTPA has since formalised its industry engagement by creating a strategic forum bringing together representatives from BTP, BTPA, the Department for Transport and the key BTP funders. This provides a platform for constructive dialogue on balancing funding with service expectations, ensuring decisions reflect shared priorities and deliver value for passengers and taxpayers.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to support the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Services to help improve police data and to strengthen driver confidence in reporting crimes.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime. We are working with the automotive industry and police, to ensure the strongest response possible. NaVCIS is a national policing unit funded by industry, including finance and leasing companies, insurers and hauliers, to provide dedicated specialist intelligence. We have regular discussions with key partners, including Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, and NaVCIS about tackling organised vehicle crime. Whilst the Government does not fund NaVCIS, we provided £275,000 this year to law enforcement partners to help support enforcement at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad, including additional staff and specialist equipment. It is important that drivers report incidents to the police. We expect that all reported crimes should be taken seriously, and where appropriate, investigated by the police and taken through the courts.
Asked by: Margaret Mullane (Labour - Dagenham and Rainham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if it remains her policy to move to a multi-year police settlement model.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the importance of funding certainty to enable policing to deliver for their communities and is committed to giving police the resources they need to tackle crime. That is why the Chancellor has announced a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years.
As with previous years, more detail on force funding allocations for 2026-27 will be set out at the forthcoming police funding settlement.