Correspondence

PRRB remit letter from the Home Secretary: 2020 to 2021

Published 5 November 2019

Home Secretary
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

Anita Bharucha (Chair)
Police Remuneration Review Body
Office of Manpower Economics
Fleetbank House
2-6 Salisbury Square
London
EC4Y 8JX

5 November 2019

Dear Anita

Police Remuneration Review Body Remit 2020/21

Thank you for your considerations and recommendations for the 2019/20 police pay award, which as you will be aware, the government accepted in full.

I am now writing to ask the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) to conduct its annual review of police officer pay and associated allowances. This will include a formal recommendation on how to apply the police officer pay award for 2020/21 to all ranks, including chief officers, and to include a review of London Weighting and Dog Handler’s allowance.

This will be based on available evidence and should be considered in the context of government’s recent commitment to an increase of 20,000 officers over three years. This reflects the most significant officer uplift in a decade and reflects the government’s support for a service that we value so highly. I want to empower the service to get the resources and tools it needs to get the job done. I want to make sure that the service encourages the right people to join and remain on the job and that it has a pay system that supports this.

NPCC proposals for a revised pay structure will therefore form a critical part of PRRB’s consideration. We therefore ask that the PRRB consider the following proposals, commenting in particular on their suitability and robustness:

• proposals for independent benchmarking, which will have been completed for all officer grades, including Chief Officers;
• defining and valuing the ‘P-Factor’, recognising those elements of the role which are unique to policing;
• the rationale and proposals for a range of pay interventions to support operational delivery through targeting roles that are hard to fill or critical to retain; and
• wider workforce data which is available to support the uplift of 20,000 officers

You will be aware that the NPCC has been leading the design of police pay reform, implementation for which is now due to begin from spring 2021, to ensure that forces can manage immediate requirements of a growth in their workforce ahead of implementing pay reform proposals. We have asked for their revised proposals to be set out in their evidence submission to the review body. I would welcome your observations on these proposals which will cover the impact of pay reform, consideration of proposed salaries, an assessment of level of force maturity to meet the requirements of proposed assessment points to determine officer pay.

The NPCC also intends to set out a proposed timetable for regulatory implementation taking account of requirements for consultation with interested parties.

The government must balance the need to ensure fair pay for public sector workers with protecting funding for frontline services and ensuring affordability for taxpayers. We must ensure that the affordability of a pay award is taken into consideration to ensure that police forces are able to maximise the additional officers that they can recruit.

As in previous years, in considering the appropriate level of pay for police officers I would also ask you to have regard to the standing terms of reference for the PRRB and to consider each matter for recommendation in the context of future reform plans. I request the report by 30 April 2020.

Thank you for your hard work in this important area and I look forward to receiving your recommendation and observations.

Yours sincerely,

Rt Hon Priti Patel MP