The Government is committed to the fight against corruption, which threatens the UK’s national security, prosperity and reputation as a fair, open society, and a good place to do business.

The Government confirmed a total police funding settlement of up to £18.5 billion in 2024-25, an increase of up to £886.1 million when compared to 2023-24.

Decisions on how funding and resources are utilised are an operational matter for Chief Constables and locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, who are best placed to make resourcing decisions within their communities based on their local knowledge and experience.

This Government is committed to ensuring the good record of transparency, probity, scrutiny, and accountability is maintained across councils in this country.

Section 31 of the Localism Act 2011 requires that a councillor must not participate in a discussion or vote on a matter where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest in any matter to be considered at a meeting. Section 30(3) of the Localism Act 2011 further provides that any relevant pecuniary interests of a councillor’s spouse or partner are considered as a disclosable pecuniary interest of the councillor. Government has published guidance on disclosable pecuniary interests available.

It is a criminal offence to fail to declare pecuniary interests, which acts as a strong deterrent against corruption.

Every principal council has a Monitoring Officer, whose statutory role is to report on matters that they believe are, or likely to be, illegal or amount to maladministration.