WIREDGOV

Chair of the National Employers for local government services, Cllr James Lewis responds to the following announcement of a full and final pay offer for council employees,

“Council employees have been offered a pay increase of 3.20 per cent from 1 April 2025.

“For the lowest paid (currently earning £23,656 per annum), the offer means their pay will have increased by more than £6,000 (33.0 per cent) over the four years since April 2021.

“The offer also includes a proposal to delete the bottom pay point (SCP2) from the national pay spine on 1 April 2026.

“The National Employers are acutely aware of the additional pressure this year’s offer will place on already hard-pressed council finances, as it would need to be paid for from existing budgets. However, they believe their offer is fair to employees, given the wider economic backdrop.”

Notes to editors

The National Employers negotiate pay on behalf of 350 local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that employ around 1.5 million employees.

The total increase to the national paybill resulting from this offer would be £793.17m (3.20 per cent).

The National Joint Council for local government services 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.

Separate national pay arrangements apply to teachers, firefighters, chief officers, chief executives and craftworkers.