CIRC 066: NATIONAL CHAIR UPDATE JULY 2026

 

Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of all POA members.

INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF PRISONS IN ENGLAND AND WALES

The Government have announced an Independent Review of Prisons in England and Wales, which will be overseen by former Home Secretary Amber Rudd. The POA will be heavily involved in this review and we are currently preparing written submissions prior to meeting face to face with Amber Rudd to discuss our proposals. The call for evidence will focus on what needs to be done over the next five to 15 years in order to secure the long-term sustainability and resilience of the prison system. In particular, it will seek respondents’ views on the biggest risks facing the prison system, and the main opportunities to address these risks and improve outcomes – across capacity, safety, security, staffing, reducing reoffending and more.

CHANGES TO SECRETARY OF STATE AND PRISONS MINISTER

On 20 July James Timpson resigned his position as Prisons Minister. The new Prisons Minister has now been confirmed as Catherine McKinnell MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North. On the same day David Lammy was removed from office and has now been replaced by Alex Norris MP who becomes Secretary of State for Justice. We await introductory meetings with both.

PAY 2027/28

The Government have issued the Prison Service Independent Pay Review Body (PRB) with their remit letter to commence discussions with the recognised unions about a pay award for 2027/28. The POA will now commence the process for formulating our written submissions. This timely commencement of pay discussions should hopefully see an award in April 2027.

TRAVEL EXPENSES BUSINESS MILEAGE RATE CHANGE 1ST AUGUST 2026

Effective 6th April 2026:

HMRC has increased the approved Business Mileage rate from 45p to 55p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles, effective from 6th April 2026 as part of a government initiative to address rising fuel prices. As a result, the Ministry of Justice rate (which applies to HMPPS staff) will increase on 1st August 2026 to align with this change. There are no changes to the rate after 10,000 miles. All new claims submitted for business mileage from 1st August 2026 will be paid at the new rate provided that the relevant Travel and Subsistence claiming criteria are met.

If you have already submitted a claim for travel effective from 6th April 2026, you will be contacted by SSCL with instructions on how to claim the difference in the rates.

INDUSTRIAL ACTION BY PRISON OFFICERS AT LES NICOLLES FACILITY, GUERNSEY

The Union has been made aware that a post has been advertised on social media regarding temporary deployment of retired Prison Officers to Guernsey for an initial period of three months with possibility of an extension. The social media page is unofficial and has no connection to the POA. Investigo Government Solutions (IGS Secure) is seeking applicants for temporary Prison Officer vacancies at Guernsey Prison. Prison Officers at Les Nicolles Prison (commonly known as Guernsey Prison) are currently undertaking a ‘work to rule’ and the Executive believe these temporary roles are intended to provide cover during a period of industrial action being undertaken by Prison Officers employed at the establishment.

Accordingly, the Executive strongly urges retired members not to apply for, accept, promote, or otherwise co-operate with the recruitment of temporary Prison Officers intended to cover the duties of employees engaged in industrial action at Guernsey Prison.

POA MEMBERS SURVEY

All POA members serving in public sector prisons in England and Wales are encouraged to complete the POA survey. The results of the survey will be used to provide evidence to the PRB for the annual pay award. It is imperative that as many POA members as possible complete the survey which will take no longer than 20 minutes and can be accessed on smartphones in a private setting.

You can access the POA Members Survey on the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/27657QH

If any POA member wishes to access the POA Survey via our website because they are absent or seconded/detached duty, there is a separate option to do so via the members section of the POA website.

https://www.poauk.org.uk/members-area/

Please do not complete the HMPPS/MOJ Annual Staff Survey.

ASK THE CHAIR PODCAST

POA members are encouraged to forward any questions they would like answered on the next Chair podcast to askthechair@poauk.org.uk

All the best.

 

MARK FAIRHURST
National Chair