In 2026-27, 43% of the funding for Devon & Cornwall Police is from council tax, with the remainder of the budget coming from the government.

The White Paper has set out plans for a future review of the police funding formula which determines how national funding for policing is allocated across England and Wales. 

The existing funding formula has not been reviewed since before Police and Crime Commissioners were established in 2012 and is widely recognised as being outdated and unfair.

Previous reviews of the formula were undertaken in 2015, 2017 and in 2022 although no changes have been implemented in this time. 

Across all reviews, and through the submission of an application for additional funding via the Home Office Special Grant in 2019 the Commissioner has consistently made the case that the existing funding formula disadvantages areas such as Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. This is because the formula fails to take proper account of the impacts of sparsity and the seasonal impact of tourism on our policing services.  

The timing and scope of the future review referenced in the White Paper is not yet clear but the Commissioner will be working with the Chief Constable, other policing areas affected by sparsity and seasonal demands, as well as wider partners across the region, to make the strongest possible case for any new funding formula to properly reflect these challenges.