Seven per cent pay rise a ‘step in the right direction’

14 July 2023

Police Federation Welsh affairs lead Nicky Ryan has described the Government’s seven per cent pay award as a “step in the right direction” but said it does not go far enough.

The increase, which will be received by officers of all ranks, is in line with the recommendations of the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) but is still below the rate of inflation.

It is also well short of the 17 per cent claim launched by the Police Federation after an independent report by the Social Marketing Foundation (SMF) found police pay had lagged behind other public sector services since 2000.

The study suggested pay across policing had declined by 17 per cent in real-terms over the last two decades as a result of low or zero pay awards combined with inflation.

Nicky said members would probably greet this year’s pay award with mixed feelings.

She said: “This year’s pay rise is the highest we have had for many years, it goes further than many expected and is the best offer across this year's public sector pay round.

“In that respect it is a step in the right direction but it still fails to keep up with inflation and we know that our members have been struggling with household bills, food costs and mortgage or rent payments.

“It also fails to address the long-standing issue of real-terms pay cuts in policing which date back to 2000 and amount to around 17 per cent if inflation is taken into account.”

The Government’s decision to rule out extra borrowing to fund the pay increases amid fears of stoking inflation has sparked warnings of more cuts to existing services.

The current level of CPI inflation is running at 8.7 per cent and Prime Minister Rishi  Sunak - who has promised to cut it to around 5.3 per cent by the end of the year - wants to avoid increases which could fuel a wage-price spiral.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt told MPs it was “important to deliver on the Prime Minister’s priority to get debt falling and to control borrowing to avoid adding inflationary pressures and risk prolonging higher inflation”.

He said: “That means taking difficult but responsible decisions on the public finances, including public sector pay, because more borrowing is itself inflationary.”

Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen said the police pay rise would be partly covered by increasing the cost of certain visas by up to 20 per cent to create more funding for border forces, allowing the Home Office to divert some money towards police officer pay.

Police Federation national chair Steve Hartshorn vowed to continue the fight for fair pay for police officers.

He said: “We will continue to push for fair pay awards that take full account of inflation and recognise and reward the unique status of police officers; including the introduction of a fair, independent mechanism and negotiation process, so that we can properly sit down with government and employers to negotiate pay settlements that fully consider the risks and restrictions placed on police officers’ private and professional lives. The focus going forward needs to be on pay restoration.”