Chiefs warn end of pay cap could impact on services

THE government is scrapping the public sector pay cap which has limited rises to a maximum of one percent for the past seven years.

The announcement came as ministers approved an average 1.7 per cent rise for prison officers and improvements for police pay totalling 2pc for 2017/18. From 2018/19, the government will be ready to show ‘flexibility’ in areas where there is evidence of problems with recruitment, retention and skills shortages, said Prime Minister Theresa May’s official spokesman.

Police will receive a 1pc one-off ‘non-consolidated’ bonus on top of their basic pay rise of 1pc for 2017/18.

Police chiefs warned that the pay award would put financial pressure on forces’ already-stretched budgets and could impact on their ability to deliver services and avoid job cuts.

Asked whether the introduction of flexibility in pay settlements meant that the cap was over, Mrs May’s spokesman said: “The answer is yes.”

“There will still be a need for pay discipline over coming years to ensure the affordability of public services and the sustainability of public sector employment,” they added. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady branded the increases for police and prison officers ‘pathetic’, on a day when the latest inflation figures showed prices rising by 2.9pc annually. The POA prison officers’ union said it was seeking industrial action over an offer.