In this section: Public services
Search and rescue: what the taxpayer funds and what charities do
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
£451m was spent on HM Coastguard in HM Coastguard, United Kingdom in 2025-26, £6.49 per resident. That is +0.7% on a year earlier after inflation (+4.2% in cash). In 2025-26 prices it has gone from £448m in 2024-25 to £451m. The RNLI, which runs most lifeboats, had £251.3m of income in its latest accounts, 60% of it from legacies, and reported £4.4m of government money. The 21 air ambulance charities had £305.2m between them.
Figure as of 15 July 2026. Source: Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Key figures
- £451mSpent in 2025-26, cash +4.2% on a year earlier
- +0.7%Real-terms change, 2025-26 on a year earlier £451m in 2025-26 prices
- £6.49Per resident, 2025-26
- £251.3mRNLI income, year to Dec 2024
- £305.2mIncome of 21 air ambulance charities, latest accounts
Sources: Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Charity Commission for England and Wales.
What is the short version?
- Taxpayer-funded: HM Coastguard, including the search and rescue helicopters flown under contract.
- Charity-funded: the RNLI and independent lifeboats, the air ambulances and mountain, lowland and cave rescue, from donations, legacies, lotteries and shops.
- Every figure is from filed accounts, with the date it was checked; years differ between charities.
Over the longest run published: cash, real terms and per head
Real terms use HM Treasury’s GDP deflator, 2025-26 prices. Breaks in the series: 2024-25: The second-generation search and rescue aviation contract was phased in from October 2024.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Cash |
|---|---|---|
2024-25Details for 2024-25 | £448.0m | £433.1m |
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2025-26Details for 2025-26 | £451.1m | £451.1m |
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Figure as of 15 July 2026. Source: Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Per resident divides by ONS mid-year population estimates.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Per resident, 2025-26 prices | Per resident, cash |
|---|---|---|
2024-25Details for 2024-25 | £6 | £6 |
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2025-26Details for 2025-26 | £6 | £6 |
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Figure as of 15 July 2026. Source: Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Source: Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026, published 15 July 2026.
Where the money goes, level by level
- UK total (this level)
- Nation not published
- Department or service body
- Local body not published
- Spending category
- Line or transaction not published
HM Coastguard, United Kingdom
The taxpayer-funded part of search and rescue: the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s net operating spending, which also covers ship safety and other work.
£451m in 2025-26 (cash); £451m in 2025-26 prices; £6.49 per resident; +4.2% on a year earlier in cash, +0.7% in real terms.
| Department or service body | Cash, 2025-26 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maritime and Coastguard AgencyDetails for Maritime and Coastguard Agency | £451m | £451m | £6.49 | +0.7% | Maritime and Coastguard Agency | Broken down below |
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Maritime and Coastguard Agency
£451m in 2025-26 (cash); £451m in 2025-26 prices; £6.49 per resident; +4.2% on a year earlier in cash, +0.7% in real terms.
| Spending category | Cash, 2025-26 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coastguard operations, ship safety and the rest of the agencyDetails for Coastguard operations, ship safety and the rest of the agency | £254m | £254m | £3.65 | +7.2% | Maritime and Coastguard Agency | Line or transaction not published: The agency’s accounts do not split the rest of its spending between coastguard operations and its other work. |
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Search and rescue aviationDetails for Search and rescue aviation | £197m | £197m | £2.84 | −6.6% | Maritime and Coastguard Agency | Line or transaction not published: The accounts give the helicopter contract’s standing, flying and fuel charges in a note, not as data. |
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Cash is as published. Real terms are in 2025-26 prices, using HM Treasury’s GDP deflator. Per resident divides by ONS mid-year population for the area the body serves. Changes compare the same body in consecutive years.
Who pays for what
| Service | Paid for by | Spending | Government money in it |
|---|---|---|---|
HM Coastguard (Maritime and Coastguard Agency)Details for HM Coastguard (Maritime and Coastguard Agency) | The taxpayer | £451m | all of it |
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Air ambulance charities (21 charities)Details for Air ambulance charities (21 charities) | Donations, legacies, lotteries and shops | £281.4m | £3.2m |
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Lifeboats (RNLI and independent) (24 charities)Details for Lifeboats (RNLI and independent) (24 charities) | Donations, legacies, lotteries and shops | £250.7m (not all reported) | £4.4m |
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Mountain rescue (48 charities)Details for Mountain rescue (48 charities) | Donations, legacies, lotteries and shops | £8.6m | none reported |
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Lowland search and rescue (73 charities)Details for Lowland search and rescue (73 charities) | Donations, legacies, lotteries and shops | £50k (not all reported) | none reported |
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Cave rescue (1 charities)Details for Cave rescue (1 charities) | Donations, legacies, lotteries and shops | £20k | not reported |
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Charity accounts checked against the registers on 24 September 2026.
Air ambulances
Most of the UK’s air ambulances are run by charities. The NHS ambulance services dispatch them and, in many areas, supply the doctors and paramedics on board; Scotland also has two helicopters and planes of its own, run by the Scottish Ambulance Service. The helicopters, pilots and bases are paid for by donations.
| Charity | Income | Spending | Of income from legacies | Government money reported | Reserves, months of spending | Year ending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Air Ambulance ServiceDetails for The Air Ambulance Service | £37.7m | £35.8m | 23% | none | 13 | Dec 2025 |
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London's Air AmbulanceDetails for London's Air Ambulance | £26.0m | £14.2m | 3% | £380k | 17 | Mar 2025 |
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Air Ambulance Kent Surrey SussexDetails for Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex | £24.4m | £20.8m | 22% | £2.2m | 22 | Mar 2025 |
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Midlands Air AmbulanceDetails for Midlands Air Ambulance | £19.9m | £18.5m | 39% | none | 9 | Mar 2025 |
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East Anglian Air AmbulanceDetails for East Anglian Air Ambulance | £18.8m | £18.3m | 27% | none | 13 | Jun 2025 |
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Wales Air AmbulanceDetails for Wales Air Ambulance | £17.0m | £19.7m | 20% | £140k | 7 | Jul 2025 |
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Essex and Herts Air AmbulanceDetails for Essex and Herts Air Ambulance | £16.9m | £18.3m | 12% | none | 33 | Mar 2025 |
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Devon Air AmbulanceDetails for Devon Air Ambulance | £15.8m | £14.8m | 53% | none | 8 | Dec 2024 |
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North West Air AmbulanceDetails for North West Air Ambulance | £15.6m | £16.1m | 20% | none | 15 | Mar 2025 |
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Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air AmbulanceDetails for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance | £13.9m | £11.8m | 22% | none | 19 | Sept 2025 |
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Lincs and Notts Air AmbulanceDetails for Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance | £13.3m | £11.9m | 30% | none | 12 | Mar 2025 |
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Yorkshire Air AmbulanceDetails for Yorkshire Air Ambulance | £12.3m | £8.2m | 61% | none | 81 | Mar 2025 |
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Dorset and Somerset Air AmbulanceDetails for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance | £11.0m | £10.1m | 31% | none | 52 | Mar 2025 |
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Great North Air AmbulanceDetails for Great North Air Ambulance | £11.0m | £10.0m | 35% | £380k | 11 | Mar 2025 |
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Thames Valley Air AmbulanceDetails for Thames Valley Air Ambulance | £9.8m | £13.6m | 12% | none | 8 | Mar 2025 |
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Cornwall Air AmbulanceDetails for Cornwall Air Ambulance | £9.8m | £8.2m | 42% | none | 6 | Dec 2025 |
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Scotland's Charity Air AmbulanceDetails for Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance | £9.7m | £9.7m | — | not reported | — | Mar 2026 |
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Great Western Air AmbulanceDetails for Great Western Air Ambulance | £6.7m | £6.5m | 15% | £90k | 4 | Dec 2024 |
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Magpas Air AmbulanceDetails for Magpas Air Ambulance | £5.6m | £6.0m | 3% | none | 1 | Jun 2025 |
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Air Ambulance Northern IrelandDetails for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland | £5.2m | £2.4m | — | not reported | — | Mar 2025 |
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Wiltshire Air AmbulanceDetails for Wiltshire Air Ambulance | £4.8m | £6.4m | — | none | 10 | Dec 2025 |
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Lifeboats, mountain, lowland and cave rescue
| Charity | Income | Spending | Of income from legacies | Government money reported | Reserves, months of spending | Year ending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)Details for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) | £251.3m | £250.7m | 60% | £4.4m | 7 | Dec 2024 |
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Mountain Rescue England and Wales (the national body)Details for Mountain Rescue England and Wales (the national body) | £1.3m | £1.3m | 22% | none | 14 | Dec 2024 |
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Scottish Mountain RescueDetails for Scottish Mountain Rescue | £1.5m | £1.3m | — | not reported | — | Mar 2025 |
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Association of Lowland Search and RescueDetails for Association of Lowland Search and Rescue | £90k | £50k | — | not reported | — | Mar 2025 |
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British Cave Rescue CouncilDetails for British Cave Rescue Council | £14k | £15k | — | not reported | — | Jan 2025 |
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| Group | Charities | Income | How counted |
|---|---|---|---|
Mountain rescue team charities, England and WalesDetails for Mountain rescue team charities, England and Wales | 46 | £6.8m | Registered charities with 'mountain rescue' in their name, latest accounts on the register; some teams are named differently or are too small to register. |
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Lowland search and rescue team charities, England and WalesDetails for Lowland search and rescue team charities, England and Wales | 72 | £3.8m | Registered charities with 'lowland' or 'search and rescue' in their name, latest accounts on the register. |
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Independent lifeboat charitiesDetails for Independent lifeboat charities | 23 | £2.5m | Registered charities running lifeboats outside the RNLI, found by name, latest accounts on the register. |
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What people say about it
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.
Figures from data/services/search-rescue.json, generated 29 September 2026.
Use this data
The figures belong to the bodies that published them and are used under their terms, listed in Sources for this page; most are Crown copyright under the Open Government Licence. Only our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, published under CC BY 4.0: reuse them, including commercially, if you credit Tekstak Ltd and link back to this page.
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Sources for this page
| Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maritime and Coastguard Agency annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026 | Maritime and Coastguard Agency | 15 July 2026 | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| Register of charities: financial history of each charity | Charity Commission for England and Wales | — | 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.