Federation officials air concerns at Westminster

6 March 2023

At Westminster are (left to right) Tom Hill, Lord Coaker and Simon Riley.

Nottinghamshire Police Federation chair Simon Riley and branch secretary Tom Hill have met county MPs to discuss pay and conditions and other issues faced by members.

Simon and Tom travelled to Westminster for talks with MPs Lilian Greenwood Nottingham South), Tom Randall (Gedling), Darren Henry (Broxtowe) and Brendan Clarke-Smith (Bassetlaw) and life peer Lord Vernon Coaker.

The erosion of police pay over the last 12 years was high on the agenda with Simon and Tom urging the MPs to support their members by championing the cause in the House of Commons.

Tom (left) and Simon (right) with Darren Henry MP.

Simon described the meeting as very constructive and hoped it would pave the way for a stronger voice on a national stage.

He said: “Since 2010, in real terms, police officer pay at the lowest ends of the payscale has seen an erosion of around 28 per cent.

“Unfortunately, it makes policing a less attractive proposition as the starting pay hasn’t changed much at all in that time - £23,259 in 2010 compared to £23,556 in 2022 - representing a significant reduction in real terms. 

“Retention is also a huge concern – not being able to retain our people because of low pay represents a significant risk to policing in England and Wales.

“When you consider that police officers put themselves on the line and have massive restrictions on what they can do in their private life, this needs to be reflected in their pay.

“Many people aren’t aware that police officers can’t go on strike like other public sector workers. 

“I’m not calling for the right to strike, but we simply aren’t being listened to like the other public sector organisations who do have a right to take industrial action, are. If you are looking to recruit the very best people from our communities, we have got to be paying appropriate levels of pay.”

The meeting was arranged by Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry.

Ms Henry said: “I believe I am the first PCC ever to invite local Police Federation representatives to meet local MPs and peers in Parliament and bring together cross-party support. The meeting also allowed a better understanding of the challenges of Nottinghamshire police officers.

“We spent a lot of time talking about police pay and asked for their help to lobby together for a fair pay settlement that was funded by the Government.”

Simon added: “We are really grateful to Caroline for arranging these meetings and would like to put on record our thanks. It was a good opportunity to meet MPs and raise our members’ concerns.”

Pictured are (left to right) Tom Hill, Lilian Greenwood MP and Simon Riley.