Government undermines independence of pay review body, says Fed chair

16 August 2022

Suffolk Police Federation chair Darren Harris has accused the Government of “taking liberties” with police pay and conditions.

Darren said the fact officers aren’t able to take industrial action was a key reason they’ve suffered a 20 per cent real terms cut in their pay in the last 12 years.

Now he’s called for the independence of the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) – which oversees officer pay – to be respected by the Government to ensure “a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work”.

Darren said: “The irony that Federation members will be policing strikes and picket lines while they’re unable to take action of their own won’t be lost on many. And because the police can’t strike or take industrial action the Government has been able to take liberties with us over the last 12 years or so.

“We’ve seen inflation during that time eat into our pay, our pensions attacked, and now the rising cost of living is squeezing us even more.”

He added: “The PRRB was established to take an independent approach to officer pay. However, its scope is limited by the Government set remit each year which undermines its independence and makes the whole process unfair.

“We’ve seen MPs accept their own review body’s pay proposal, which was a real blow to us when it came just a few months after we were told we had to accept a pay freeze due to economic pressures.

“All we’re asking for a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. This is why we’ve been calling for the process to be open, transparent and truly independent of Government so that we can have absolute confidence in it.”

His comments were echoed by the chair of the Police Federation for England and Wales (PFEW), Steve Hartshorn, who has called for “a reset of relations with the Government”.

The PFEW last year withdrew its support and engagement with the PRRB, labelling the mechanism as “not fit for purpose”.

Steve said: “The independence of the PRRB must be upheld and not influenced by the Government by way of a remit to enable officers to have a fair pay mechanism, and the P-factor payment exclusive to policing must be included to ensure officers are paid fairly for the risks they take.

“We seek assurances from the Government that next year the PRRB will not be restrained by an unfair remit set by the Home Office, and that the unsustainable real terms pay cut is addressed to ensure our members can afford to do the job they signed up for.

“We asked for a reset of relations with the Government, which is needed to ensure that the voice of our members is heard loud and clear at all levels of the Government every time decisions are made affecting their day-to-day lives.”