Force announces cut to cost of living allowance
Officers serving with Kent Police are set to have their pay cut by £250 a year after the force announced a reduction in the annual South East Allowance (SEA).
Introduced in 1994, the SEA is an extra payment made to police officers in eight forces to recognise the additional cost of living in the south east of England. It is paid at a rate determined by the Chief Constable of the relevant force, with regard to location and retention needs. Initially capped at £2,000, the maximum figure was increased to £3,000 in September 2016.
In September 2022, Kent Police announced it was increasing the SEA from £2,500 to £3,000 in a bid to retain officers who were leaving to join the Metropolitan Police Service. From September 2026, the amount will fall to £2,750.
Announcing the reduction, Deputy Chief Constable of Kent Police Peter Ayling said:
“Kent Police officers do an outstanding job day in and day out, proudly serving and protecting the people of Kent in situations that are challenging and sometimes dangerous.
“Like everyone else, our officers have felt the impact of the rising cost of living, and that is why Kent Police has consistently and successfully supported efforts to secure fair pay for officers, whose salaries are set at a national level. The Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner continue to lobby for fair pay for officers.
“However, Kent Police as an organisation has also not been immune to rising costs. Coupled with an out‑of‑date funding formula for police forces and 16 years of budgetary reductions, we routinely carry out financial reviews to reduce expenditure while continuing to provide the very best policing service to the county, and around 85% of our spending is on people costs.
“As a result, Kent Police has made the difficult decision to reduce the annual South East Allowance paid to officers by £250, from £3,000 to £2,750 from September 2026. This equates to a reduction of approximately £15 a month on average, and it is anticipated this reduction will be offset by the annual police officer pay award due in the same month.”
Responding to the announcement, Neil Mennie, Chair of Kent Police Federation, said:
“This news will stagger our courageous colleagues today. It is a pure and simple pay cut for the hard‑working officers of Kent Police. At a time when the cost of living is rocketing, how can this be right?
“Having money taken out of their pockets – given the already sky‑high costs of living in the Garden of England – is no way to recognise that.
“Morale in Kent Police is already appalling. The latest stats from the PFEW Pay and Morale Survey show 75% of Kent Police officers feel worse off financially now than they did five years ago, and 14% say they never or almost never have enough money to cover all their essentials. And 17% of Kent Police officers said they intend to resign from the police service either ‘within the next two years’ or ‘as soon as they can’.
“Officers are already 21% down on their pay when compared to inflation since 2010. And now, to be told they are going to lose another £250 a year will surely have a worrying effect on the recruitment and retention of officers.
“We would urge the Chief Constable to think again. We would urge the Police and Crime Commissioner and local MPs to intervene. We would urge the public to speak up for the county’s cops.
“Police officers do not have the ability to take industrial action when our terms and conditions come under attack. We are an easy target.
“What we need is for the South East Allowance – and its annual rate – to be mandated by the Government. We clearly can’t leave it in the hands of Chief Constables who are being forced to balance the books with ever‑shrinking budgets.
“Officers are worried about debt on a daily basis. This decision will create hardship for our members. We call on the Chief Constable to restore our pay to where it should be.”
The amount of SEA paid varies by force. Currently, Surrey, Hertfordshire and Thames Valley police forces each pay the maximum of £3,000. Essex pays £2,750, whilst Hampshire and Sussex both pay £2,000. Bedfordshire pays an SEA of £1,500.
The SEA for Essex Police was reduced from £3,000 in I2025. t is not yet known whether any other forces in the South East have plans to cut their allowances from the current levels.