Police Negotiating Board: annual report 2019 to 2020

1. Introduction

1.1 This is the twentieth Annual Report of the Independent Chair of the Police Negotiating Board (PNB) and the fifth to cover Scotland only. It relates to the period 1 August 2019 to 31 July 2020.

1.2 Ian McKay was appointed as the Independent Chair of the PNB on 17 August 2015 and the Scottish Government's then Cabinet Secretary for Justice also appointed Mr McKay as Independent Chair of the Scottish Police Consultative Forum (SPCF). Mr McKay was re-appointed to these positions from 17 August 2019.

1.3 A summary of the membership of PNB is provided at Annex A and information about the number and attendance of meetings held in this reporting period is provided at Annex B.

What We Do

1.4 The PNB provides the negotiating forum for the pay and conditions of service of police officers in Scotland. The PNB also provides a means of enabling the representatives of serving police officers, and of those engaged in the management and governance of Police Scotland, to bring their expertise to bear on practical issues that affect the conditions of service of police officers.

The Main Outcomes In 2019 – 2020

1.5 Section 2 reports on the progress towards a range of topics including: Pay 2021 claim, COP26 and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is to be noted that the second half of that reporting year was severely disrupted by the social and working restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, including the holding of the first virtual meeting of the PNB in June 2020.