PCC’s budget plans to protect neighbourhood policing and strengthen Merseyside Police approved
05.02.26 - Merseyside
Merseyside’s Police and Crime Panel has today unanimously approved the Police and Crime Commissioner’s proposals to secure the maximum available funding to protect Merseyside Police and maintain vital services across the region for the year ahead.
The Panel’s approval follows a detailed discussion about the financial pressures facing Merseyside Police, with Emily Spurrell setting out her proposals for how she plans to balance the budget for 2026/27.
This includes setting the amount local households will contribute towards policing through their council tax, known as the precept, which must be approved by Panel members.
In December 2025, the Government announced that its funding plans for policing included an increase in the police precept of 19p a week or £10 a year for a Band A property – the amount paid by the majority of households in Merseyside.
A public consultation carried out during December and January found that 59% of people from a representative sample of residents across Merseyside, supported paying this increase to protect local policing. It also showed that 82% supported Merseyside Police, with 77% saying they respond well in an emergency and 74% of people recognising their work to tackle serious and organised crime.
Presenting her proposals to the panel at the meeting at Knowsley Municipal Buildings, the PCC highlighted some of the serious pressures affecting the budget. Even increasing the precept by the maximum amount, does not cover the costs of inflation to police officer and staff pay and prices to run the organisation.
Chief Constable, Rob Carden, set out how this increase would help to deliver his new strategy and his vision for ensuring Merseyside Police is an outstanding police service. He highlighted that even with the vital additional funding from the public, Merseyside Police still needs to find more than £10m of savings over the next five years.
Merseyside's Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell said: “Like other public sector organisations we are still dealing with the impact of years of crippling funding cuts.
“So, I am grateful to the public and to the Panel for supporting these proposals, which in turn enables me to balance the budget for Merseyside Police for the year ahead. My focus is on protecting neighbourhood policing and making sure Merseyside Police has what it needs to keep people safe.
“I know any rise in council tax is difficult, especially right now. But without this small increase, we risk losing the progress we’ve made. Most households will pay around 19p a week, and this helps us protect frontline officers and maintain the service our communities expect.
“The Chief Constable has set out an ambitious strategy to continue to drive Merseyside Police forward, with a focus on neighbourhood policing and this will enable him to deliver for our communities.
“I will continue to lobby Government for a fairer funding model that doesn’t rely on asking local people to pay more.”
The budget was passed by the Police and Crime Panel, which is made up from Councillors representing each area of Merseyside along with independent members.
Following the panel’s unanimous endorsement of her precept proposal, the Police Commissioner will host a special public meeting with the Chief Constable on Friday 20th February to formally consider the budget before giving it her final approval.