THE Home Secretary has advised the police pay review body to stick to the Treasury’s limit of an average one per cent pay rise for officers next year.<\/p>\n
Amber Rudd wrote to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) Chairman, David Lebrecht, reiterating that his recommendations on how to apply the officer pay award for 2017\/18 should be “in accordance” with a letter from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.<\/p>\n
Greg Hands, who was Chief Secretary at the time, informed the body that “the government would fund public sector workforces for pay awards of an average one per cent a year, up to 2019\/2020”.<\/p>\n
Ms Rudd also said she would be “particularly interested” to see further police-led proposals on how a “fair and sustainable reward structure can be achieved”.<\/p>\n
But added: “As in previous years, in considering the appropriate level of pay for police officers I would ask you to have regard to the standing terms of reference as set out in previous remit letters.”<\/p>\n
She also asked for recommendations on how best to apply “short-term, targeted measures to address recruitment and retention pressures” and to “provide observations on proposals to introduce police officer apprenticeships in 2018, in relation to setting pay at an appropriate level”.<\/p>\n
Ms Rudd added that the PRRB’s recommendations should be considered in the broader context of the work being undertaken by chief constables and the College of Policing on the development of a longer-term pay strategy. This includes a “more flexible and sustainable reward structure linked to role, competence and skills” as well as the “implementation of a new five-level organisational structure”, she said.<\/p>\n
Written submissions to the PRRB, which considers police pay, must be made by mid-December, and then interested parties \u2013 such as staff associations \u2013 will hold further discussions before the PRRB submits its findings to the Prime Minister and Home Secretary in May.<\/p>\n
A pay announcement for September 2017 will be made in the summer.<\/p>\n
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