McPherson urged to repay relocation package

Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary Ian McPherson is being urged to repay part of a £70,000 resettlement package he received for joining the force before he goes on to take up his new post as assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Mr McPherson negotiated a relocation deal on top of his £126,000 salary on joining Norfolk Constabulary in 2006. The arrangement involved Norfolk Police Authority paying the £31,800 stamp duty on Mr McPherson’s new £795,000 home in Norwich.
As part of the agreement, Mr McPherson signed a contract committing to five years work with the force, but recently announced he was to take up a role as assistant commissioner with the MPS while intending to continue using the property as his family home. Mr McPherson is being urged to return some of the money for not fulfilling his side of the agreement.
The Liberal Democrats and the Norfolk branch of the Police Federation have called on Mr McPherson to consider repaying some of the resettlement package as a “goodwill gesture”.
Police authority members have said they were “disappointed” with his resignation and that the issue will be raised at future meetings.
Although Mr McPherson’s contract contained clawback provisions if he departed after less than three years in the post, he will not be moving to his new post until late December. This means he will have served the minimum period and is not required to pay back any of the resettlement costs.
Norfolk Police Authority chairman, Stephen Bett, said that he stands by his decision: “We cannot outbid all the bigger forces, nor does Norfolk provide the ongoing professional challenge that officers like Ian McPherson relish. However, we were prepared to think outside the box and to attract him to deliver a vision for a new rural policing model. He has done that, and others have recognised his talent, hence the challenge he now has in the Metropolitan Police.”
Norfolk Police Authority said it is prepared to continue offering financial incentives to future chief constables of Norfolk, but that in future the successful candidate will be expected to fulfil a longer period of service.
Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, has led calls for Mr McPherson to refund some of the money.
“At a time when police budgets are under strain, it seems overly generous to be offering two fulsome resettlement packages to a senior officer in less than three years,” said Mr Huhne.
Dave Benfield, general secretary of Norfolk Police Federation, said: “Norfolk Constabulary is under the same financial constraints as other forces with significant savings required across the board to address the budget deficit. My understanding is that the chief constable’s relocation package was based on the fact that he would be committing himself to Norfolk for at least the medium-term future and there may well be questions from the local community about whether they have received value for money from his spell here.”
Although Deputy Mayor of London, Kit Malthouse, said the force is willing to outbid other forces to secure the best candidates for the MPS, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Authority said that no additional cost had been needed to fill this role.
“In this instance we are delighted that the authority did not have to offer a package to any of the candidates for assistant commissioner for territorial policing – all three, including Mr McPherson, were very keen to come on normal terms and conditions to lead the largest operational command in the country, possibly the world, and to take on the challenge of making London even safer,” said the spokesman.