In this section: Public services
Funded or charity: who pays for each emergency service
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
Police, fire and rescue, NHS ambulances and HM Coastguard are paid for by the taxpayer. The lifeboats, most air ambulances and mountain, lowland and cave rescue are charities: the RNLI reported £4.4m of government money out of £251.3m of income. Figures are each body’s latest.
Figure as of unknown date. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Key figures
- £451mHM Coastguard, 2025-26, taxpayer-funded
- £305.2mAir ambulance charities’ income, latest accounts
- £253.8mLifeboat charities’ income, latest accounts
Sources: Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Side by side
| Service | Paid for by | Spending or income |
|---|---|---|
PoliceDetails for Police | The taxpayer | £31.6bn (2025-26) |
| ||
Fire and rescueDetails for Fire and rescue | The taxpayer | £4.2bn (2025-26) |
| ||
NHS ambulance servicesDetails for NHS ambulance services | The taxpayer | £5.5bn (2024-25) |
| ||
HM Coastguard (Maritime and Coastguard Agency)Details for HM Coastguard (Maritime and Coastguard Agency) | The taxpayer | £451m (2025-26) |
| ||
Air ambulance charitiesDetails for Air ambulance charities | Charity | £305.2m income (latest accounts) |
| ||
Lifeboats (RNLI and independent)Details for Lifeboats (RNLI and independent) | Charity | £253.8m income (latest accounts) |
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Mountain rescueDetails for Mountain rescue | Charity | £9.5m income (latest accounts) |
| ||
Lowland search and rescueDetails for Lowland search and rescue | Charity | £3.9m income (latest accounts) |
| ||
Cave rescueDetails for Cave rescue | Charity | £10k income (latest accounts) |
| ||
The first rows are public spending for the UK or the nations covered; the charity rows are income from each charity’s latest accounts. They are shown together to make clear who pays for what, not to be added up.
Source: Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026, published 15 July 2026; Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of charities: financial history of each charity; Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register; Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities in Northern Ireland.
Should lifeboats, air ambulances and mountain rescue get more state funding?
Those who argue for more state funding
Government funding would make a major difference, including by helping to upgrade vessels, crew equipment and communication devices, which are all vital to saving lives at sea.
Paul Holmes MP (Conservative), House of Commons (29 October 2025) Checked against the official Hansard text via the Hansard API (the web page blocks automated fetches). He asked for the rescue boat grant fund for independent lifeboats to be reinstated.That is why we in the Liberal Democrats are encouraging the Government to increase their support for independent lifeboat organisations through targeted, practical assistance that strengthens the work of these volunteer teams.
Steff Aquarone MP (Liberal Democrat), House of Commons (29 October 2025) Checked against the official Hansard text via the Hansard API (the web page blocks automated fetches).The 2025 autumn Budget included the exemption of search and rescue vehicles from vehicle excise duty but, although that was warmly received, it does not address the structural funding gap that these organisations face.
Lisa Smart MP (Liberal Democrat), House of Commons (22 April 2026) Checked against the official Hansard text via the Hansard API (the web page blocks automated fetches). Debate on mountain rescue.
Those who stress independence from government funding
We will not seek funding from central government if this could jeopardise our independence.
RNLI (stated philosophy), Royal National Lifeboat Institution (5 August 2025) Undated policy page; date is the Internet Archive capture used to check the wording (rnli.org blocks automated fetches).For all these institutions, their strength comes from their independence. Although state provision can provide funding and coverage, it comes at the very significant cost of disenfranchising local communities.
Jerome Mayhew MP (Conservative), House of Commons (29 October 2025) Checked against the official Hansard text via the Hansard API (the web page blocks automated fetches). He also backed restoring capital grants, saying "there is a difference between independence and funding".
Views are attributed to the people and organisations named, with the date and a link to where they said it. This site takes no side.
What these figures do and don't show
- Different years. Each charity’s figures are its latest accounts filed with its regulator, so year ends differ. They are not adjusted for inflation and are not a single year’s total.
- Never added together. Charity income and government spending are shown side by side; they measure different things.
- Some public money does not show in charity accounts. NHS ambulance services supply some air ambulance doctors and paramedics, and charities can reclaim VAT on some costs; neither is charity income.
- Government money is as the charity reported it to the regulator (contracts and grants); the register does not say what each contract was for.
Sources for this page
| Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Register of charities: financial history of each charity | Charity Commission for England and Wales | — | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| Maritime and Coastguard Agency annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026 | Maritime and Coastguard Agency | 15 July 2026 | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under CC BY 4.0.