On Tuesday 10th March 2020, the Security Industry Authority announced that from the 1st of April 2020, individual licenses for all sectors will be reduced from £210 to £190. This will apply to applications for both new licenses and renewals. Applications by existing license holders for additional licenses will pay 50% of the new fee.
The SIA License fee was set at £220 in January 2012 and remained the same for seven years until October 2019. In a surprising move, it was announced in September 2019, the SIA made the decision to lower the cost of a license by £10 to £210. By reducing it by a further £20 from April 1st 2020, the SIA has reduced the price of it’s licenses by over 13% despite an average inflation rate increase of 2.18% over 8 years.
“Our aim is to be as efficient as possible and provide the best value for money for those we regulate. I am pleased to announce this reduction, which brings the fee down to the level it was at 16 years ago when licensing was first introduced,” says Elizabeth France, SIA Chair.
This reduction comes at a time where the Security Industry at large is emphasising ‘security as a career’. This move no doubt seeks to reduce the barriers entry for prospective security professionals and increase accessibility to such a career. This also coincides with the current political winds moving toward limiting access to foreign labour pools which the industry as historically drawn upon quite heavily.