Kent Police officers to receive £500 more in their Annual South East Allowance

3 March 2020

BREAKING NEWS: Kent Police officers to receive £500 more in their Annual South East Allowance.

Chief Constable Alan Pughsley announced today that the South East Allowance for Kent Police officers has increased by £500 – and will now be £2,500 per year.

“We are delighted by this news,” said Neil Mennie, Chairman of Kent Police Federation. The Federation has been pushing for a number of years for this amount to be raised.

Neil added: "Our recent Police Federation pay and morale survey of members showed that finances were a major concern right across the country. Kent was no exception, with a significant number worried about their finances daily.

“68% of respondents from Kent Police felt that they were worse off financially than they were five years ago, and 14% of respondents reported never or almost never having enough money to cover all their essentials.

“Sustained austerity has had consequences for officers and their families and one of these is the real-terms value of pay. Years of no pay or below pay increases must stop, and soon.

“The Federation nationally has called for a pay uplift package – including a 5% pay rise in 2020 – and we await the outcome.

“Living and working in Kent is not cheap and, at a time when we look to uplift our numbers, retention and recruitment is an important issue.

“Therefore, quite rightly we receive the South East Allowance to offset some of the cost of living.

“In recent years the Federation has asked the Chief Constable to uplift this payment, as it has also suffered in value. This had to be balanced against the significant budget savings and cuts that the force itself was also managing.

“We were aware that this was being kept under review, but had not been possible. The allowance is the part of pay that is determined locally by the force.

“Today, however, we're delighted that the Chief Constable here in Kent has announced the uplift of the allowance by £500. And we thank the Chief Constable, and the Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott, for their support.

“This represents an investment in our members, and will be very welcome at a time when it's desperately needed.”