Firearms owners will have to pay more for their licences in future after the Government announced a rise in fees to provide “full cost recovery”.
Dame Diana Johnson, minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention, made the announcement in the Commons yesterday [January 15] confirming that Plymouth senior coroner Ian Arrow’s recommendation would be acted upon and the fees would rise not just for Devon and Cornwall Police, but for all forces across the country.
Dame Johnson told the Commons the move to increase the fees came to “help redress shortcomings in firearms licensing” highlighted by Mr Arrow at the conclusion of the five week-long inquest held in early 2023.
In just eight minutes, Jake Davison, 22, killed his mother Maxine, 51, and then shot and killed three-year-old Sophie Martyn, her father Lee, 43, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66. He then turned the weapon on himself on the evening of August 12 2021 in Keyham, Plymouth.
The lengthy and detailed inquest into the deaths found significant failings in the police’s handling of the initial shotgun licence given to him. Among the recommendations Mr Arrow presented in his Prevention of Future Death’s report was one to call for ‘full cost recovery’ of the licensing fees.
The inquest into the Keyham shootings made a number of recommendations – including increasing the firearms licencing fee
(Image: Carl Eve/PlymouthLive)
He stated that the process of licensing was “not self-funding at present” after the jury found that budgetary limitations and staff shortages within Devon and Cornwall Police increased the probability of risk being incorrectly assessed which led to unsafe licences being issued” – and that this was not confined to just that one force, but “existed at a national level”, adding “for example the National College of Policing not assigning resources to run an accredited national FEO training course”.
At the time he said that “unless and until the firearms licencing process becomes self-funding and the calculation of fees charged includes the costs of providing adequate training to FELU staff in addition to the costs of the day to day running of the service, there will remain an unacceptable risk that licensing units will be under-resourced, with insufficient staff who are inadequately trained making rushed and ill-informed decisions.”
Each force sets its own rate and for more than a decade has been complaints by forces that the costs of administering the firearms licensing process did not cover the work carried out.
In April 2014 the Western Morning News reported that the bill for administering the licensing system in 2013 actually cost Devon and Cornwall Police £1.25 million – with just £446,000 received in fees.
A few months later, in August 2014 the then Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, Tony Hogg, clashed with the Government after it “ditched plans to increase the cost of gun licences.” At the time he said if it costs the force “£200 to administer a licence application then it is reasonable for the applicant – not the general taxpayer – to pick up that cost.”
The fee – which at the time was £50 for a shotgun certificate – rose to £79.50, which led Mr Hogg to retort: “As our funding continues to be reduced, we must focus our budgets on officer numbers and neighbourhood policing – not on subsidising firearms licenses.”
In January 2022 Alison Hernandez, Crime commissioner reveals Devon and Cornwall Police said the firearms licensing system needed a “substantial overhaul” after it was revealed that it had cost the force – and thus taxpayers – more than £3,000,000 over the previous five years.
However, the following year, in August 2023, Alison Hernandez, Crime commissioner reveals Devon and Cornwall Police, confirmed the fees would rise but said that there was no agreement as to how much it would be or when it would happen. She added that while she would support a fee which was rational she was not in support of ‘full cost recovery’.
Dame Johnson told the Commons yesterday: “The Government is today laying a statutory instrument before Parliament which will increase firearms licensing fees to provide full-cost recovery for police forces, giving effect to a commitment in the Government’s manifesto.
“The fees for firearms licensing applications administered by police forces were last increased in 2015 and they no longer meet the cost of the service provided. It is essential for both public safety and police efficiency that full cost recovery fees are introduced so that service improvements can be made.
“The need to increase fees to help address shortcomings in firearms licensing was highlighted as essential for public safety by the Senior Coroner in his Preventing Future Deaths reports into the fatal shootings in Plymouth in August 2021.
“As well as supporting public safety, the increased fees will support police forces to provide an improved service to firearms applicants, through better resourced and trained licensing teams.
“The Home Office will conduct more regular reviews of firearms licensing fees in the future, to ensure they keep pace with police costs.
“The Government’s manifesto commitment refers to the money raised by full cost recovery fees being used to support youth interventions to prevent serious violence. However, we have decided instead that firearms fees income must be retained by police forces to support improvements in police firearms licensing. Delivering the youth interventions element of the manifesto commitment remains a priority and will be funded by the Home Office.”
In response to the announcement, Luke Pollard MP, Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport – who has battled to ensure the senior coroner’s recommendations were acted upon by the previous and current government – said: “This is good news. Those applying for firearms certificates will now have to pay the full cost of processing them.
“I have been campaigning for stronger gun laws since the tragedy in Keyham in August 2021. A key part of that is dealing with backlogs in firearms applications in police forces nationwide, but especially here in Devon and Cornwall.
“The last government kicked reforms like this into the long-grass, so I am pleased the new Policing Minister has got straight to work with vital changes to gun laws. We are a step closer to ensuring that a tragedy like Keyham’s never happens again.”
According to the Government circular the new firearms licensing fees will come into force on February 5, 2025 under the Firearms (Variation of Fees) Order 2025. Police forces have also been told they need to update the guidance and their websites to reflect the new fees to be charged.
The circular noted that “the new fees will allow police forces to fully recover the costs they incur in administering these firearms licences.”
From 5 February 2025 the new fees will be:
| Licence type | Fee for full-cost recovery |
|---|---|
| Grant of firearms certificate | £198 |
| Renewal of firearm certificate | £131 |
| Grant of shotgun certificate | £194 |
| Renewal of shotgun certificate | £126 |
| Coterminous grant of firearm and shotgun certificates | £202 |
| Coterminous renewal of firearm and shotgun certificates | £155 |
| Registration as a firearms dealer: grant | £466 |
| Registration as a firearms dealer: renewal | £466 |
| Registration as a firearms dealer: game fair etc | £30 |
| Replacement of lost or destroyed firearms certificate | £9 |
| Replacement of lost or destroyed shotgun certificate | £9 |
| Variation of firearm certificate (not like for like) | £47 |
| Grant of visitors permit: group | £233 |
| Grant of visitors permit: individual | £47 |
Firearms licensing applications received by the police on or after February 5, will incur the new fee. If an application and related payment has been received by the police on or before February 4, 2025, the police will honour the fee that has been paid.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council has advised that most forces accept renewals up to four months before expiry date.
Police forces need to update related guidance and websites to reflect the new fees to be charged.
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