The National Employers for local government services responds to the announcement of a full and final pay offer for council employees.
Following the announcement of a full and final pay offer for council employees, Chair of the National Employers for local government services, Cllr Tim Roca, said:
“Council employees have been offered a pay increase of at least £1,290, which equates to 5.77 per cent for the lowest paid, from 1 April 2024.
“For the lowest paid (currently earning £22,366 per annum), the offer means their pay will have increased by £5,323 (almost 30 per cent) over the three years since April 2021. For those on all pay points above the top of the pay spine, an offer of 2.50 per cent has been made.
“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 pay bill resulting from this offer would be £731.70 million (4.03 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.