Vehicle recovery scheme

Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FOI/26/009587/K

Version Date: 17/03/2026

The Alliance Finance Department and the Alliance Roads Policing Department have provided the following information:

I am seeking high-level, aggregated financial information only relating to your force's vehicle recovery scheme. No transaction-level data, contracts, supplier pricing, or operational detail is requested.
 
Please provide the following, for FY 2024/25 and (if held) FY 2025/26 forecast:
 
1. Total annual cost of operating the vehicle recovery scheme (single aggregated figure per year is sufficient).

£229,152.47 (2024/25)

£215,523.57 (2025/26 Forecast)
 
2. Total annual income received by the Force i.e. statutory vehicle recovery, storage and disposal fees, sale, auction, breaking or scrapping of vehicles
 
£260,955.58 (2024/25)

£300,000.00 (2025/26 Forecast)

3. Net surplus or deficit for the vehicle recovery scheme for each year, as recorded in your accounts.
   
   £31,803.11 (2024/25)

£84,476.43 (2025/26 Forecast)

4. Confirmation of the basis (statutory provision, Home Office / NPCC guidance, or internal policy) used by the force to ensure statutory vehicle recovery fees operate on a cost-recovery basis and not as a profit-generating activity.
   A document title, reference, or link is sufficient.
   
   or
   
   Confirmation that you do not have a rationale for the above.
    

We use the Surrey and Sussex Framework and Section D points 2.1 and 2.2:

2. Police Contract Participant’s Fee

2.1. From the date of Service provision commencement until the termination of the Contract, the appointed Managing Agent will pay to the relevant police Contract Participant monthly in arrears a sum of money (the “Fee”). The Fee will be calculated with reference to the annual cost incurred by the relevant police Contract Participant for administering the vehicle recovery scheme by it and will be reviewed annually.

2.2. The relevant police Contract Participant will determine what the Fee covers, but it is expected to include staffing costs, office costs and for some police forces will also include the cost of non-statutory recovery fees, control room costs and other associated costs. Before implementation the relevant police Contract Participant will formally confirm to the appointed Managing Agent and ensure that the proposed scheme finances for the local area are sustainable.

5. If forecast information for FY 2025/26 is not held, please confirm this.
   
   

Not applicable.