Police Negotiating Board Scotland (PNBS): guide

1. Overview and background

The Police Negotiating Board for Scotland (PNBS) is a public body in Scotland as of 17 August 2023 and is classed as 'other significant national body'. The PNBS replaced the Police Negotiating Board, which negotiated pay for police officers across the UK and from 2016, only for Scotland.

The legislation for the PNBS is set out under the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, in particular Chapter 8A and Schedule 2A. The body was brought into force through Regulations and two Commencement Orders (No. 7 and No. 8).

In accordance with paragraph 5 of Schedule 2A of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, the Scottish ministers prepared and published the PNBS constitution which details the functions, membership, roles and negotiation framework of the PNBS.

The legal basis and statutory obligations of the PNBS are set out in the legislation and constitution above and this guide is only intended as a reference document.