It is the responsibility of the Inquiry Chair to make decisions which control the costs of the Undercover Policing Inquiry, something he does in conjunction with the Solicitor to the Inquiry. An inquiry’s costs are paid by the government department sponsoring it, in this case the Home Office.
As of 30 June 2024, with several years to go, the UCPI had cost approximately £88.7 million. This will continue to grow before it is due to finish in November 2026.
The following figures are taken from the Inquiry Updates.
| Cost date | Cost Amount (£Millions) |
|---|---|
| 30 Jun 2024 | 88.7 |
| 31 Mar 2024 | 82.3 |
| 30 Jun 2023 | 68.8 |
| 30 Jun 2022 | 54.4 |
| 30 Jun 2021 | 42.8 |
| 30 Jun 2020 | 29.7 |
| 31 Mar 2019 | 17.5 |
| 30 Jun 2018 | 11.8 |
| 30 Sep 2017 | 8.0 |
| 30 Jun 2017 | 6.7 |
| 31 Mar 2017 | 5.8 |
| 31 Dec 2016 | 4.6 |
Though small in comparison to the Bloody Sunday inquiry (£192m, 12.5 years), Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (£187m, 7 years) and Grenfell (£175m, 7 years), it is nevertheless one of the most expensive and longest inquiries in UK history. By comparison, some of the next largest inquiries were the Manchester Arena Bombing Inquiry (£36m, 4 years) and the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry (£46.5m, 6.5 years).
According to a January 2022 press notice , the Metropolitan Police had spent £30 million on the UCPI up to that point.