Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer
HM Treasury
1 Horse Guards Road
London
SW1A 2HQ
Monday 22nd July 2024
Dear Chancellor,
RE: Public sector pay rises must be funded by central Government
As Police and Crime Commissioner in West Mercia, I want the officers and staff who make up West Mercia Police to be renumerated fairly for the extraordinary work they do day-in, day-out to keep communities safe.
I know your interview with the BBC over the weekend about above-inflation public sector pay rises will receive support, and I would indeed welcome it, but I am seeking assurances on how it will be paid for.
Police officers across all ranks rightly received a 7% pay increase from September 2023, a move I fully supported. This was in part paid for by West Mercia Police’s existing budget, but 5% came from an increased grant from central Government.
In this financial year I have budgeted for an increase of 2.5%, not that of the proposed 5.5% – this would mean finding an extra £3.817m rising to £7.044m in 2025/26. This is all on the basis that the pay rise comes into place in September 2024.
To put it simply, this £7.044m is equivalent to 155 new frontline officers in West Mercia.
I am concerned you may call on Police and Crime Commissioners to find this extra money within police force budgets. To be clear in West Mercia, this will give me no option but to make tough decisions about what may need to be cut or reduced to fill that gap.
I have already produced a fully costed budget for this financial year, which delivers on my commitment to use all the resources at my disposal evermore effectively and deliver greater efficiencies.
On this journey, which I’m sure you will support, I do not want to be knocked off course by having to meet uncosted commitments so it’s incumbent on central Government to fund it.
I appreciate you have only been Chancellor for a matter of weeks, but I expect you to quickly set out important details on how a public sector pay rise will be funded alongside a longer-term financial vision on police funding.
Kind regards,
John Campion
Police and Crime Commissioner
West Mercia
