Correspondence

Remit letter from the Home Secretary to the NCARRB on the 2025 to 2026 pay award (accessible version)

Published 30 September 2024

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper
Home Secretary
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF

Zoë Billingham
Chair of the National Crime Agency Remuneration Review Body

By email only

30 September 2024

Dear Zoë,

National Crime Agency Remuneration Review Body Remit 2025/26

I would like to express my gratitude to the NCA Remuneration Review Body (NCARRB) for your diligent work over the years and your valuable recommendations on the 2024/25 pay round. I look forward to receiving the 11th NCARRB report, which I am confident will provide the expert, independent advice necessary to fairly compensate NCA officers as they continue their critical and tireless work in the fight against serious organised crime.

I write to you now to formally commence the 2025/26 pay round. In accordance with the provisions of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, and with your terms of reference, it is important that I receive independent advice on the remuneration of NCA officers with operational powers.

During this pay round, you will receive evidence from my department, HM Treasury, and key stakeholders (including trade unions). My department’s evidence will, as usual, cover the recruitment and retention context for NCA, alongside pay and earnings data, as well as the Agency’s workforce strategy, and the expected position following the implementation of the 2024/25 pay award. It will also set out the funds available to the Home Office and NCA for 2025/26, which will be finalised through the Spending Review and announced at the Autumn Budget on 30 October. This comes against the backdrop of the challenging financial position this government has inherited, including a £22 billion pressure against the spending plans set out for departments at Spring Budget 2024.

My department will continue to strive to deliver mission-led public services to ensure they are equipped to efficiently deliver the vital, high quality public service we rely on, whilst ensuring value for money for taxpayers. Additionally, as the NCA advances its ‘One NCA’ policy, it is crucial that all staff, both those with and without operational powers are treated equitably in matters of pay. I would, therefore, ask that the NCARRB annual review takes this into consideration and provides clear recommendations on the proposed NCA pay award, while giving due regard to Civil Service pay and relevant guidance.

In considering your recommendations, you should therefore have regard to the following:

1. NCA’s productivity, efficiency improvements and the affordability of any proposals within the Agency’s existing budget constraints.
2. The pay gap differential between NCA and Police officers.
3. Pay in the Civil Service, aligning recommendations with the average pay across Civil Service departments.

We know that public sector workers delivering our vital public services deserve timely pay awards, so, as the Chancellor said in her July Statement, the Government’s intention is to announce pay awards as close to the start of the pay year as possible for 2025/26. For the NCA, this means building upon the excellent work of the last year to ensure Agency officers continue to receive their pay awards on time.

To this end, where possible I would be grateful if NCARRB would deliver its recommendations to the Government on the 2025/26 pay award for the National Crime Agency at the earliest point that allows you to give due consideration to the relevant evidence, whilst ensuring the Agency can implement the pay award by 1 August 2025, in line with the pay year. To support this, the Government will publish its written evidence (alongside the Agency’s evidence to NCARRB) as soon as possible after the Spending Review is finalised and 2025/26 budgets are set on 30th October, as these will inform the affordability position.

Thank you once again for your dedication to this important process. I look forward to reviewing your recommendations in due course.

Yours sincerely,

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Home Secretary