Local leaders in Merseyside have approved the policing budget for 2026/27, ring‑fencing funding to help keep neighbourhood teams at full strength in areas including Bootle. The Merseyside Police and Crime Panel met on 5 February 2026 to consider the Police and Crime Commissioner’s budget and precept proposals for the year ahead.
The decision follows a push by Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, to protect frontline services even as the force has been required to identify millions of pounds in savings. The approved plan is intended to preserve visible neighbourhood policing and to protect long‑term community projects designed to make streets safer.
Part of the funding will come from an increase in the policing portion of local council tax (the police precept), alongside central government support via the Home Office Neighbourhood Policing Grant. The Home Office funding has prioritised forces that sustain officer numbers at national ‘uplift’ levels (around 4,500+ for Merseyside), according to published grant allocations; local officials say the combination of precept and grant helps avoid a return to largely reactive policing.
Senior police leaders said the budget is vital for ongoing work in South Sefton and Bootle, where officers and partners have used the Home Office ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ model (known locally as EVOLVE) to tackle organised crime and rebuild communities. Local reporting has previously highlighted the financial pressure on the force, and the new agreement is intended to prevent frontline cuts from undermining neighbourhood policing. The financial year for the new plan begins on 1 April 2026.
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