Regional pay

Discontent over pay in the Police force has tended to focus on the issue of regional pay and the cost of living. Recently-published regional data on retail prices show London prices averaging at 8.5% more than the rest of the country (goods 3.0%, services 16.5%). The South East and East emerge as the other most expensive regions, with the South West closest to the UK average, and the North East and Wales having the lowest prices.

However, the report from National Statistics stresses that the figures "do not show how much more expensive it is to live in London or the regions" because they exclude owner-occupied housing costs and some other household expenditure, and take no account of expenditure patterns.