Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne has secured almost £796,000 in additional Home Office funding to support policing in Crowborough.
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne has secured almost £796,000 in additional Home Office funding to support policing in Crowborough.
The funding follows the Government’s decision to accommodate asylum seekers at a former Army training camp in the town.
The money, valued at £795,898.55 for the period to March 2026, will help Sussex Police meet the additional operational costs linked to policing the local area, including ongoing protest activity.
PCC Bourne made representations to Government arguing that the costs faced by Sussex Police are not temporary. She said they reflect the ongoing reality of policing a large-scale asylum accommodation site in the heart of a residential community.
In correspondence with Border Security and Asylum Minister Alex Norris MP earlier this year, she said the pressures were driven by the site’s location, its integration into the local community and persistent protest activity, rather than short-term “teething problems.”
Welcoming the funding, PCC Bourne said: “This is a significant step forward in recognising the real and ongoing impact that national policy decisions can have on local policing.
“Sussex Police has worked hard to evidence the actual cost of policing the Crowborough site and I am pleased the Home Office has listened.
“From the outset, I have been clear that these are not short-term or exceptional pressures.
“The policing response required in Crowborough is sustained and resource-intensive and it is only right that Sussex taxpayers are not left to shoulder that burden alone.
“I will continue to lobby Government to ensure that funding arrangements reflect the long-term reality on the ground, not just an initial response.”
The funding announcement comes amid wider Government acknowledgement that local engagement around the Crowborough site should have been stronger.
PCC Bourne has also warned that describing the funding as “exceptional” could risk a future shortfall if costs continue beyond the current financial year. She is calling for a longer-term funding framework to avoid a “cliff-edge” in 2026/27.
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