West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner asks ‘how much do you want to invest in policing?’ as annual engagement begins
The Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands has said he is concerned by a police funding settlement, saying it could lead to serious cuts.
Simon Foster said he was deeply concerned at the announcement of the Provisional Police Funding Settlement, saying that the figures, as currently published, could mean cuts of up to £41.1 million for West Midlands Police in 2026/27.
His comments come as the commissioner (PCC) launched a public engagement on how much council tax the people of the West Midlands want to invest into local policing.
The PCC is responsible for setting the budget for West Midlands Police (WMP), which receives 80 per cent of its funding from a central government grant, whilst 20 per cent is funded via local council tax.
The community engagement exercise, which opened on Monday (December 22), provides the public with an opportunity to share their views on policing priorities and the level of funding needed to keep communities safe and secure.
Each year, the PCC must set the police budget and council tax precept, balancing the need to invest in neighbourhood policing, preventing and tackling crime and victim support, with the pressures facing households during the ongoing cost of living challenges.
A spokesman for the PCC said: "It is important to understand that West Midlands Police is already significantly structurally under-resourced and under-funded.
"In the West Midlands, by April 2026, we expect to still have 520 fewer police officers and 500 fewer PCSOs than we had in 2010.
"This is not even allowing for population growth, which means we should actually have a further 640 police officers more than in 2010, so we are 1,160 police officers down on where we need to be, to return us to 2010 levels.
"However, the vast majority of other police forces in the country now have as many police officers as they had in 2010, if not more police officers, than they have ever had in their force histories.
"That is deeply unfair to the people of the West Midlands."
The PCC said the funding formula used to distribute police funding nationally also leaves the force £43 million short every year and, in 2026/27, the force is facing a budget shortfall of £41.1 million.
The PCC said this has added in total a £14.1 million further pressure to the financial plans he had in place.
The Government has given the Police and Crime Commissioner the ability to raise the police part of council tax by £1.25 per month or £15 a year for a typical band D property.
The PCC said that most properties in the West Midlands are in bands A and B and the cost increase for them would be even lower, working out at £10 per year for a band A property and £11.67 per year for one in band B.
Mr Foster is now asking people living and working in the region to provide their views on what level of investment in policing they would like to see.
The spokesman for the PCC said: "If the commissioner increases the police part of council tax by £1.25 per month, then many of the rising policing costs next year can be met and that funding will be invested directly towards retaining police officers and police staff and preventing and tackling crime to keep people, families, businesses and communities safe and secure, despite the WMP budget remaining under significant pressure.
"However, without that increase in the police part of council tax, WMP would be forced to change the way it delivers vital services.
"That would inevitably have an adverse impact on police presence and visibility, response times, investigations and the ability of WMP to prevent and tackle crime."
The West Midlands Police council tax allocation is currently one of the lowest in the country at £229.50 per year for a band D property and this increase would take it to £244.50.
By comparison, the band D council tax per annum for other local forces for this year, before any increase, would be £287.57 per year for Staffordshire Police and £291.50 per year for West Mercia Police.
Mr Foster said: “We aim to have a police service that polices by consent.
"That is because policing works best when it reflects the priorities of the communities it serves.
"This public engagement survey provides residents with a direct voice in shaping how their local police service is funded.
“We know people are under pressure, and any decisions about funding must be taken carefully, thoughtfully and transparently.
"At the same time, we must ensure the police have the resources they need to tackle crime, protect the public and support victims.
“I would encourage residents, businesses and community groups across the West Midlands to take part and share their views.”
The public engagement exercise is open until January 30, accessible via the OPCC website and on a survey on the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner website.
