Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood today called on the Home Secretary Theresa May to order a re-examination of housing and rent allowances paid to police officers in the wake of concerns about cuts to frontline services.
The South Wales Central AM made the plea after it was revealed that the four Welsh forces pay out more than £8.5m a year – even though the payments were stopped 16 years ago for all new entrants to the police service.
More than 3,000 Welsh police officers received the payments in the last financial year.
Leanne Wood said: “Cuts in central police funding of four per cent in the next two years, then five per cent have been announced by the UK ConDem Government.
“This led to warnings that progress on crime reduction could be stalled as inevitably there will be pressures on frontline policing.
“With that in mind the Home Secretary should carry out an urgent review to consider whether housing payments to police officers who joined the forces before 1994 should be continued.
“Information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows that in Wales alone more than £8m was paid out by the four Welsh forces in the last financial year, money which could be spent on protecting frontline policing,” added Leanne Wood who has written to the Home Secretary raising the issue.
Prior to 1990 those officers living in their own homes were paid a rent allowance which was based on the rateable value of that house but then subject to a minimum and maximum payment level. With the abolition of rates in 1990 the housing allowance was introduced.
The old rent allowance continued to be paid to those officers where the rent was more than the housing allowance. The intention was that as housing allowance would be increased every two years then officers would be moved from rent to housing allowance. In 1994 the housing allowance was stopped for all new entrants to the police service.
Leanne Wood, who is a former probation officer, is also campaigning for the powers to deal with the courts, police, prisons, probation service and sentencing to be devolved to Wales.
Leanne Wood believes this would allow the Welsh Assembly Government to apply its chosen policies based on the democratic mandate of the people of Wales.
Dyfed Powys Police
Officers Receiving Rent and Housing Allowance
- 2007-08: 623
- 2008-09: 591
- 2009-10: 550
Total Amount Paid For Rent and Housing Allowance
- 2007-08: £1,276,592
- 2008-09: £1,216,555
- 2009-10: £1,126,770
Gwent Police
Officers Receiving Rent and Housing Allowance
- 2007-08: 654
- 2008-09: 624
- 2009-10: 575
Total Amount Paid For Rent and Housing Allowance
- 2007-08: £1,990,849
- 2008-09: £1,881,751
- 2009-10: £1,699,002
Compensatory Grant (see below for further details of what compensatory grant means)
- 2007-08: £433,291
- 2008-09: £409,745
- 2009-10: £309,142
North Wales Police
Officers Receiving Rent and Housing Allowance
- 2007-08: 843
- 2008-09: 766
- 2009-10: 740
Total Amount Paid For Rent and Housing Allowance
- 2007-08: £1,798,172
- 2008-09: £1,716,249
- 2009-10: £1,608,467
South Wales Police
Officers Receiving Rent and Housing Allowance
- 2007-08: 1,440
- 2008-09: 1,375
- 2009-10: 1,275
Total Amount Paid For Rent and Housing Allowance
- 2007-08: £4,768,847
- 2008-09: £4,471,922
- 2009-10: £4,098,557
*Compensatory Grant
- 2007-08: £722,699
- 2008-09: £598,497
- 2009-10: £475,854
*The compensation grant figure for South Wales Police has been included by the force as it forms part of the rent allowance paid to police officers. As rent is a taxable allowance the compensatory grant payment is the tax back on the rent allowance paid for the current year and the compensatory grant payment from the previous year. The compensatory grant payment is payable to police officers in receipt of rent allowance in the form for a one-off payment in pay period one each year.
