The Police Federation will increase its subscription rate for rank and file members for the first time since 2011 by £2 a month because it says it can no longer absorb costs by dipping into financial reserves.

Real-terms inflation has gone up by 28%, according to the Federation, and the austerity era pay freeze is over.

The decision was agreed at the Federation’s first-ever online conference attended by reps from all 43 branch boards.

The Federation has 124,000 members.

Current campaigns include work hours, mental health support and improvements for detectives who are battling with reduced numbers. It is also fighting for a 5% pay increase and has appointed a law firm to settle the compensation claim for pensions discrimination following a court case with the government.

Chair John Apter and National Secretary Alex Duncan released a joint statement to defend the decision: “PFEW’s National Board recommended the increase after considering it was in the best interests of the members, and the organisation.

“Having avoided any increase in subscriptions for a decade when colleagues suffered years of austerity and pay freezes, this increase was essential to allow current levels of support and assistance for members to be maintained. For a number of years PFEW has bridged the gap between income and expenditure by using reserves. This is not sustainable in the longer term as costs continue to rise due to inflation.”

The 43 leads also voted for student officers to pay a 50% discounted PFEW subscription rate during their first year of service and then the normal subscription rate afterwards. They also passed a motion for officers who join via the Direct Entry Inspectors’ Scheme to pay the full subscription rate. Both these changes were also scheduled for September 1.

Mr Apter said: “Increasing subscription rates for our members was not a decision we have come to lightly. In an ideal world we would have been able to continue as we had, but after almost 10 years of subscriptions being frozen, we reached the point that doing nothing was not an option. 

“This decision allows the Federation to continue to do the very best it can for our members and to represent them to the best of our ability.”