WIREDGOV

Council employees have been offered a pay increase from 1 April 2014.

The majority of employees – those on salaries starting at £14,880 per annum – would receive an uplift of one per cent, with those on lower salaries receiving a slightly higher increase.

The National Employers, who negotiate pay on behalf of 350 local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, made the offer to unions today. It will affect over 1 million employees.

Cllr Sian Timoney, Chair of the Employers' Side, said:

"There is a broad consensus among councils that there should be a pay offer to staff this year.

"At a time when local government is tackling the biggest cuts in living memory, this offer balances our commitment to increase the pay of our hardworking employees with the responsibility we have to address the significant financial pressures we face.

"We believe that this is a fair deal for employees, given the limits of what we can afford, and a fair deal for the taxpayers and residents who use and pay for the vital services which local government provides."

Notes to editors

1. If agreed, the total increase to the local government paybill in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be £164.65 million.
2. This pay offer does not apply to council chief executives, senior officers, teachers or firefighters, who are covered by separate national pay arrangements.
3. The National Joint Council negotiates the pay, terms and conditions of staff in local authorities. It agrees an annual uplift to the national pay spine, on which each individual council decides where to place its employees. Each council takes into account a number of factors such as job size and local labour market conditions when deciding an employee's salary. There are no nationally-determined jobs or pay grades in local government, unlike in other parts of the public sector.

Contact

Simon Ward, Deputy Head of News and Internal Communications 
Local Government Association
Telephone: 020 7664 3147
Email: simon.ward@local.gov.uk 
Local Government House, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZ

www.local.gov.uk

Follow us on Twitter: @LGANews