Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police stations in Essex have been closed or left vacant since 2020; and what plans her Department has to support the repurposing or renewal of those sites.

Decisions regarding the management of local police resourcing and estates, including police stations, are a matter for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (or equivalents). They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need and their experience and in line with existing budgets. The Home Office does not collect data on the number or location of police stations, or the impact of their closure, including any associated costs to policing.

As set out in the Revised Financial Management Code of Practice (FMCP) for police forces in England and Wales, the accounting for assets including property should comply with the requirements of the Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting in the United Kingdom. Any plans for the significant rationalisation or expansion of the estate should be included in a police force’s medium-term financial strategy. PCCs should consult with the Chief Constable when developing the budget and medium-term financial strategy, including a full assessment of the assets required to meet operational requirements.

Police stations are just one of the ways in which people can access their local police, including reporting online and by phone 24/7 via 999 for emergencies and 101 for non-emergency calls.

A key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission is focused on restoring neighbourhood policing, and rebuilding trust and confidence in policing, The commitments set out in the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee are now making a considerable difference to the service communities receive from their neighbourhood policing teams. We have also provided £200 million in FY 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of the Parliament. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve.