Correspondence

PRRB remit letter from the Home Secretary: 2022 to 2023 (accessible version)

Published 6 December 2021

Home Secretary
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF

Andy Bliss QPM
Interim Chair
Police Remuneration Review Body
Office of Manpower Economics
3rd Floor
Windsor House
50 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0TL
BY EMAIL ONLY

2 December 2021

Dear Andy

Police Remuneration Review Body Remit 2022/23

I would like to offer my thanks to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) for your work in the last pay round and for your considered and thoughtful observations on police officer pay in your 2021 report.

The PRRB will continue to have a key role to play in advising the Government on pay and conditions, and on proposals for pay reform. Your independent and expert advice in these matters is most valued.

I refer to the PRRB the following matters in the 2022/23 pay round:

  • how to apply the pay award for 2022/23 for police officers of all ranks, including chief officers
  • to provide commentary and observations on the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s reference document that will provide a detailed explanation of: the methodologies used to benchmark the pay of all ranks including chief officers; the factors used to determine the P-factor and the methodology used to value it; the interaction of benchmarking and the P-factor; its overall purpose; and example calculations, addressing the points raised in your last report
  • to provide updated views on force readiness to implement the pay progression standard.

I ask that your recommendations and observations are considered in the context of the Government’s commitment to increase police officer numbers by 20,000 over three years.

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 so that police forces are able to maximise the number of additional officers that they can recruit.

In considering the appropriate level of pay for police officers I would also ask you to have regard to the standing terms of reference as set out in previous remit letters.

Thank you for your hard work in this important area. I look forward to receiving your report in May 2022.

Rt Hon Priti Patel MP