Does prison work? Topic to be debated at PFEW Conference this month
Allowances
Refreshment and Subsistence
Reimbursement of Subsistence & Expenses - Guidance Notes
Subsistence, refreshment and lodging allowance under Regulation 55 of the Police Regulations were discontinued from 1st April 2003 and were replaced with regulation 35. However, provision has been made to reimburse officers for expenditure incurred in the course of duty provided it is:
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Necessary
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Reasonable
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Additional to what the officer might otherwise have incurred and
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Backed up by receipts
All expenditure for reimbursement should be claimed on on the Self Service Expenses system on the intranet. Go to "New Expenses" then open the "Expense Type". Select the claim needed from the drop down menu. You will need to do this individually for each day that is claimed.
a. Necessary
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In normal circumstances it should NOT be regarded as necessarily incurred:
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During an employees normal tour of duty unless you were unable to take your meal in your normal manner.
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Where a meal/packed lunch/meal voucher is provided (regardless of whether the individual chooses to take advantage of this provision).
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When a rest day is worked (since additional expenditure should not be incurred provided reasonable notice is given in such instances).
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Simply because there are no canteen facilities at a particular location, or you are working away from your normal base (unless you are unable to take your meal in your normal manner).
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Merely because it is a public holiday; if this is a normal working day as per your roster, additional expenditure would not normally be incurred.
Exceptions to normal circumstances will be at the discretion of authorising officers (who will have local knowledge of circumstances).
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b. Reasonable
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Whilst the principle decision of allowances has been discontinued, the question of what is reasonable remains. The question 'reasonableness' will depend on individual circumstances. We would expect the reasonable threshold to be different for an officer working normal overtime to that of an officer on a residential course where food is not provided.
If the overnight accommodation booked includes meals then clearly this must be taken into account when you claim. Whether food is provided or not the officer is still entitled to claim overnight allowance
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c. Additional to what the officer might otherwise have incurred
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For expenditure to be seen as 'Additional' it will be necessary for the officer to certify that their normal arrangements for eating were affected by the nature of their duties. This should allow payroll to understand the reason why the expenditure was incurred as additional. Being away from the normal place of duty i.e. on a training course, does not necessarily prevent you taking your meal in your normal manner.
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d. Backed by Receipts
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Receipts need to match the claim in terms of the date and the nature of the meal/food provided. Indecipherable receipts will not be accepted. The submission for inappropriate/incorrect receipts will be treated as potential fraud and will be dealt with by Professional Standards in accordance with Force policy.
It is appreciated that there may be instances where receipts cannot be obtained, for example from vending machines, or when it would be operationally inappropriate to request a receipt, (this will be the exception rather than the rule), in such instances an explanation should be provided on the form and authorised by the line manager.
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e. Lodging Expenses
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Claims for lodging should rarely arise, as overnight accommodation should generally be booked. Where an officer has to book his/her own accommodation, then the standard of accommodation should be cleared in advance with the line manager/local Finance staff.
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f. Advances
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Where officers have claimed a cash advance, after obtaining permission from the Force Payroll Manager, in anticipation of additional expenditure, this must be taken off their next claim (FIN 151). A copy of all cash advances, (form FIN 23's) must be sent to the Force Payroll Manager, Corporate Finance immediately upon issue.
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Overnight Allowance
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Overnight allowance will be paid at a rate of £4.43 per night when an officer is deployed on a training course away from their home.
When an officer is required to travel to their accomodation the night before there is an allowance of an additional night.
PNB Circular 05/7.
To claim this allowance access the self service expenses system on the intranet, select "New Expense claim". Go to the" Expense type" and open the drop down menu and select "Subsistence Other". This needs to be individually done for each day you wish to claim.
Motor Vehicle Allowance
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The Chief Constable may authorise an officer who in his opinion that it is essential or desirable to have a motor vehicle at his disposal at all times to use his own motor vehicle for the purposes of duties performed by him and will pay the officer a motor vehicle allowance.
A policy of motor insurance approved by the police authority is required before the vehicle can be used for police business.
The below rates have been agreed at Police Negotiating Board, they are not the rates currently paid by Thames Valley.
Motor Vehicle Allowances
To revise the rates with effect from 1 April 2010, as follows:
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451-999cc |
1000-1199cc |
1200-1450cc
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Essential users
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|
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Lump sum per annum |
£846 |
£963 |
£1,239 |
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Per mile - first 8,500 miles |
36.9p |
40.9p |
50.5p |
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Per mile - after 8,500 miles |
13.7p |
14.4p |
16.4p |
|
Petrol element |
9.406p |
10.366p |
11.288p |
|
Amount of VAT per mile in petrol element |
1.400p |
1.543p |
1.681p |
Casual users
|
Per mile - first 8,500 miles |
46.9p |
52.2p |
65.0p |
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Per mile - after 8,500 miles |
13.7p |
14.4p |
16.4p |
|
Petrol element |
9.406p |
10.366p |
11.288p |
|
Amount of VAT per mile in petrol element |
1.400p |
1.543p |
1.681p |
