Pay | LocalGov


Lambeth defends Dosunmu payoff 29/04/2025 Lambeth LBC has defended a payoff totalling almost £88,000 to its former chief who admitted failing to stop after a collision and driving without insurance.
Unite advises members to reject latest pay offer 28/04/2025 Public sector trade union Unite has advised its members to reject this year’s local government pay offer and threatened industrial action this summer.
Council employee pay offer announced 23/04/2025 Council employees have been offered a 3.2% pay increase from 1 April 2025.
Making payment processes smarter 22/04/2025 It can be challenging to find the right software to streamline payment processes. Lewis McKenna-Crisp argues SmarterPay has the ideal solution for councils.
Union announces strike ballot over pay 16/04/2025 Scottish council workers are to be balloted over strike action in response to what a union has described as a ‘pitiful' pay offer.
Striking Brum bin workers reject pay offer 14/04/2025 Refuse collection workers in Birmingham have rejected the city council’s latest pay offer in long-running dispute.
Council chiefs defend six figure salaries 01/04/2025 Local authority leaders have defended local government salaries exceeding six figures, arguing it is important to attract the ‘right people’.
Brum council declares ‘major incident’ amid bin strikes 01/04/2025 Birmingham City Council has declared a major incident to address the impact of the bin strikes in a move branded by Unite as ‘disgraceful strike breaking’.
Aberdeen council accused of ‘fire and rehire’ threat 28/03/2025 Unite has accused Aberdeen City Council of threatening workers with ‘fire and rehire’ proposals as part of an industrial dispute, a claim the council denies.
Brum council threatens redundancies to end bin strike 28/03/2025 Birmingham City Council will begin a consultation on compulsory redundancies in an effort to end the bin strike, a move Unite describes as ‘bully boy tactics’.
UNISON: Reorganisation must not be ‘cover for job cuts’ 20/03/2025 The abolition of district councils as part of local government reorganisation puts thousands of frontline jobs at risk, says UNISON.
Leaders call for tough pay negotiating stance 05/03/2025 Council leaders have warned a tough stance is needed during pay negotiations as local government struggles to meet union demands.
Birmingham strikes escalate 04/02/2025 Strikes by more than 350 Birmingham bin workers will ‘intensify’ over the next two months, trade union Unite has announced.
Unions call for £3,000 pay rise 31/01/2025 Council and school employees in England should receive a wage rise of £3,000, according to trade unions representing public sector workers.
Unions lodge pay claims in Scotland 24/01/2025 Unions have put in their pay claims on behalf of local government employees in Scotland.
Union warns of risk of ‘two-tier workforce’ 20/01/2025 Council trading companies have created a two-tier workforce as their employees are paid less and receive inferior pensions than town hall staff, UNISON says.
South Cambs to consult on four-day week ‘at long last’ 20/01/2025 South Cambridgeshire District Council will launch a consultation this month to ask residents about their experiences of its four-day week trial.
Unions warn council over potential strikes 14/01/2025 Trade unions have warned Belfast City Council that leisure centre staff could strike if a pay dispute with an outsourced management company is not resolved.
Call to monitor second jobs of four-day week staff 09/01/2025 Senior councillors in South Cambridgeshire will discuss whether the council should monitor staff working second jobs during its four-day week trial.
Schools face ‘death by a thousand cuts’, union says 08/01/2025 Headteachers have warned that schools and colleges will be forced to make cuts if costs continue to outstrip the growth in school funding.
350 Birmingham workers to strike 20/12/2024 Refuse workers at cash-strapped Birmingham City Council are set to strike in January in a dispute over pay.
Council staff reject ‘insulting’ pay offer 13/12/2024 Outsourced Peterborough City Council employees are considering industrial action after rejecting a pay award.
Council U-turn on clawing back chief's pay-out 12/12/2024 Croydon London Borough Council has given up trying to recover cash from the settlement payment made to former chief executive Jo Negrini just before its financial collapse.
UNISON accepts revised pay offer 28/11/2024 Trade union UNISON has accepted the revised pay offer from local government employers in Scotland.
Social care and the alarming impact of the NIC rise 12/11/2024 The Budget leaves the social care sector alarmed about the rise in national insurance contributions, says Rachael Dodgson, chief executive of Dimensions.
Four-day week council holds back from permanent adoption 08/11/2024 South Cambridgeshire DC is holding back from permanently adopting a four-day working week despite winning the backing of deputy prime minster Angela Rayner.
COSLA: Council leaders offer to ‘supplement’ pay offer 08/11/2024 Local authority leaders in Scotland have offered to ‘supplement and enhance’ the latest pay offer to trade unions to prevent further strikes.
Mayor urges employers to embrace living wage 06/11/2024 North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has urged employers to embrace the real living wage as part of the region’s fight against child poverty and low pay.
Budget: Minimum wage and National Insurance rises to hit councils 30/10/2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed rises to the minimum wage and employers' National Insurance contributions, piling further pressure on council budgets.
Sector pay deals agreed 23/10/2024 Unions have struck a deal with employers on pay increases for chief executives and the wider workforce for 2024-25.
Council attempts to recover payments to late chief executive 15/10/2024 A council is to launch legal action over payments to a former chief executive, who has since died.
Planning departments hit hardest by staff shortages 14/10/2024 Planning departments are facing the worst workforce shortages, with eight out of 10 experiencing recruitment and retention issues, new research has revealed.
Union threatens strike action after pay award decision 27/09/2024 Local authority leaders in Scotland have decided to impose a wage rise prompting UNISON to threaten strike action.
CCTV operators in Hounslow call off pay strike 10/09/2024 Strikes by London borough of Hounslow CCTV operators employed by NSL have ended after a deal for the workers’ outstanding 2023 pay claim was reached.
Social care wage rise call 09/09/2024 Unions have called for wages to rise in social care to resolve the ‘recruitment crisis'.
Unite ‘overwhelmingly’ backs COSLA pay offer 05/09/2024 Unite members have voted to accept the revised pay offer from local government employers in Scotland.
Stark inequalities leave women in north with ‘heavy burdens’ 04/09/2024 Women in the North of England are more likely to be an unpaid carer than women in other regions of England, a new report on regional inequalities has revealed.
Councils draining ‘dwindling’ reserves to stay afloat 04/09/2024 Three in five (60%) city leaders have warned they will have to draw on already depleted financial reserves this year to ‘stay financially afloat.’
Unison starts balloting staff on strikes 03/09/2024 More than 360,000 council and school support staff across England and Wales will begin voting today on whether to take industrial action over pay.
Union rejects latest COSLA pay offer 03/09/2024 Members of Scotland’s largest trade union have voted overwhelmingly to reject the latest pay offer from local government employers.
Council staff face ‘hardship’ as they wait months for pensions 02/09/2024 Former council workers in the West Midlands are waiting months to receive their pensions after retiring, creating ‘huge hardship issues’, trade unions and a council have warned.
Scottish Government asks councils to divert funds to cover pay deal 28/08/2024 The Scottish Government has asked councils to divert funds from a Nature Restoration Fund to help them meet the revised local authority pay deal.
Birmingham slated over pay cut plans 16/08/2024 A union has slammed cash-strapped Birmingham City Council over plans to cut the salaries of refuse workers.
Union submits first tranche of equal pay claims 14/08/2024 Trade union GMB has lodged the first tranche of 400 legal equal pay claims against Brighton and Hove City Council.
Council worker pay strike suspended 13/08/2024 A strike over pay that was set to hit Scotland this week has been suspended after council leaders made a new offer.
COSLA makes improved pay offer 12/08/2024 Councils have made an improved pay offer to staff in a bid to avert strike action across Scotland.
Staff stage fresh strike over pay 09/08/2024 Staff in social care teams across Lancashire have walked out today in their second bout of strike action over pay this year.
Labour reaffirms commitment to National Care Service 07/08/2024 Care minister Stephen Kinnock has reaffirmed Labour's commitment to a National Care Service.
Bin strikes threaten ‘significant disruption’ during Edinburgh Fringe 31/07/2024 Edinburgh CC has urged COSLA, unions and the Scottish Government to resolve the pay dispute to ‘prevent significant disruption’ during Edinburgh Fringe.
Fixing care’s recruitment and retention issue 31/07/2024 Ben Weatherall, co-founder and director of Curam, looks at what local authorities can do to fix the care sector’s recruitment and retention issue.
Council support staff declare strike over salary grades 26/07/2024 Around 200 support staff in Lancashire County Council’s social work team today began strike action in a dispute over salary grades and working arrangements.
Unions threaten ‘stinking’ summer after rejecting pay offer 22/07/2024 Residents in Scotland will be faced with a ‘stinking Scottish summer’ unless local government employers improve their pay offer to workers, union says.
COSLA offers 3.2% pay uplift 18/07/2024 Local government employers in Scotland have made a new pay offer in an effort to resolve the ongoing pay dispute.
Public sector productivity hampered by payroll and HR software limitations 18/07/2024 Nearly half of all public sector organisations across the UK and Ireland are wrangling with payroll and HR systems that are not fit for purpose.
Care sector needs 540,000 workers by 2040 18/07/2024 The care sector will need 540,000 additional social care posts by 2040 to cope with the aging population, care workforce body Skills for Care estimates.
King's Speech: Waiting lists, prevention and mental health top health agenda 17/07/2024 Reducing waiting times, prevention and improving mental health provision topped Labour's agenda in today's King's Speech but there were no social care reforms.
Four-day working win 16/07/2024 Cllr Bridget Smith, leader of South Cambs DC, reflects on the results of the council’s four-day week trial and calls on Labour to back the shorter week.
Councils stuck in social care and hospital ‘doom loop’ 16/07/2024 Over-stretched councils are struggling to meet the increasingly complex social care needs of people being discharged from hospital, a new survey has revealed.
Unite members ‘overwhelmingly’ reject pay offer 12/07/2024 A substantial majority of Unite members have voted to reject the latest local government pay offer.
GMB accepts local government pay offer 12/07/2024 The GMB has split the union response on sector pay after coming out in support of the offer from employers for this year.
South Cambs’ four-day week trial shows ‘positive’ results 08/07/2024 A report into South Cambridgeshire DC’s controversial four-day week trial found the majority of key performance indicators had improved or remained the same.
Bin strikes could hit Edinburgh Fringe Festival, union says 02/07/2024 Waste and recycling workers in Scotland have voted to go on strike during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as part of an ongoing pay dispute.
School staff strike over new pay structure 27/06/2024 Teaching assistants at a school in East Yorkshire have walked out amid a dispute with the council over pay and conditions.
Refuse workers’ strike escalates 26/06/2024 Refuse workers in the London Borough of Redbridge are to escalate their industrial dispute with a ban on overtime working, trade union Unite has announced.
UNISON: Over 90% of council workers reject pay offer 17/06/2024 Thousands of council workers in Scotland have voted overwhelmingly to reject a pay offer from local government employers.
UNISON: To whoever forms the next government… 14/06/2024 Christina McAnea, general secretary of UNISON, tells LocalGov.co.uk what the sector’s biggest union hopes to see from the next government.
Council workers strike over pay cuts 11/06/2024 Nearly 150 council employees in Greenwich are striking this week over the local authority’s plans to reduce their pay.
Unite warns of strike action in escalating pay dispute 29/05/2024 Unite has served industrial action notices to 29 councils in the escalating pay dispute between local government employers and employees in Scotland.
South Yorkshire mayor could receive £30k pay boost 29/05/2024 The mayor of South Yorkshire could be in line for a pay rise of nearly £30,000.
Council workers’ incomes ‘cut to the bone’, warns union 29/05/2024 Unite has recommended its members reject the latest local government pay offer for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Greenwich council repairs staff declare strike 28/05/2024 Nearly 150 workers employed by Greenwich council will go on strike today after the local authority brought in plans to cut their wages.
COSLA makes 2.2% pay offer 24/05/2024 Local authority employees in Scotland have been offered a 2.2% pay increase from 1 April.
Union recommends council staff reject pay offer 23/05/2024 Unison has advised local authority employees to reject an offer of a pay increase of at least £1,290.
Council employees offered 5.8% pay rise 16/05/2024 Council employees have been offered a pay increase of at least £1,290, which equates to a 5.8% rise for the lowest paid.
UNISON: Council employers ‘miles away’ from acceptable pay offer 13/05/2024 Local authority workers in Scotland are considering strike action because ‘employers are miles away from offering anything staff are likely to accept’.
Oracle project costs soar from £3m to £40m 09/05/2024 The budget for replacing an IT system with Oracle has ballooned from £2.6m to almost £40m, councillors in West Sussex have heard.
Wages below 2008 levels in two thirds of council areas 29/04/2024 Real wages are still below 2008 levels in nearly two-thirds of UK local authority areas, a new TUC analysis has revealed.
Unison warns of looming strike as it awaits pay offer 22/04/2024 Scotland’s largest local government union has warned that strike preparations could begin next week amid growing tensions over pay.
Government urged to fund council pay claim 22/04/2024 Forest of Dean District Council has called on ministers to fully fund trade unions’ pay claim for local government workers.
Campaigners publish council ‘rich list’ 09/04/2024 Campaign group TaxPayers’ Alliance has published its annual ‘town hall rich list’ today as it continues to raise the issue of public sector pay.
EXCLUSIVE: No pay offer until after local elections 14/03/2024 Local government employers will not make a pay offer until after the upcoming local elections in May, The MJ understands.
Unions call for 10% wage hike 04/03/2024 A 10% wage rise is the ‘only way to maintain the staff levels necessary to deliver services’, Unison, Unite and GMB say.
Surrey apologises for £30m payroll problem 01/03/2024 Surrey County Council has apologised after a problem with their new £30m payroll system left staff out of pocket.
Future of four-day week in limbo 21/02/2024 South Cambridgeshire councillors have been advised to continue the authority’s four-day week trial until the Government offers more detail on plans to ‘disincentivise’ the practice.
Chiefs: Sector can afford senior pay hike 20/02/2024 Council chiefs have insisted their pay settlement must match the award for local government staff after years in which senior wage rises have fallen behind.
Rayner floats three-year pay deal 14/02/2024 An incoming Labour Government could throw its weight behind a longer-term pay deal for the sector to avoid the embarrassment of strikes, well-placed sources have suggested.
Birmingham councillors back 18% pay rise delay 08/02/2024 Councillors at cash-strapped Birmingham City Council have voted to delay pay increases for members.
Council set to halve sick pay 26/01/2024 Southend Council is planning to halve the amount of sick pay given to staff in a move Unison has described as ‘callous’.
Fitness instructors flex muscles in pay dispute 25/01/2024 Council-employed yoga, aerobics and Pilates instructors in Colchester are voting on strike action after nearly a decade without a pay rise, says Unison.
Council denied injunction to stop bin strikes 04/12/2023 Warrington Borough Council has lost a High Court bid to stop its refuse workers going out on strike.
Unions plan for January pay claim 30/11/2023 Local government trade unions are aiming to submit their next one-year pay claim in January, The MJ understands.
Unison members accept ‘long overdue’ pay offer 27/11/2023 Council chiefs in Scotland have welcomed a decision by Unison members to accept the latest offer in a long running pay dispute.
New offer in pay dispute 03/11/2023 More money has been offered in the hope of averting strike action by Scottish Unison members.
South Cambs issued Best Value notice over four-day week 03/11/2023 The Government has issued a non-statutory Best Value notice to South Cambridgeshire District Council ‘following concerns about its trial of a four-day working week’.
Council chiefs to receive 3.5% pay increase 02/11/2023 Local authority chief executives will receive a 3.5% salary increase backdated to the beginning of April after agreement was reached on this year’s pay award.
School staff strike amid pay dispute 01/11/2023 Schools in parts of Scotland were closed on Wednesday as non-teaching staff went on strike in an ongoing dispute over local government pay.
Four-day week trial continues despite DLUHC guidance 31/10/2023 South Cambridgeshire will continue its four-day week trial after new government guidance said councils employing the practice should ‘cease immediately’.
DLUHC advises councils on four-day week 26/10/2023 The Government has issued guidance for English councils on four-day weeks and said it is exploring other measures ‘to ensure the sector is clear’ that the practice should not be pursued.
Unison rejects Scotland’s 10% pay offer 16/10/2023 Unison members in Scotland today rejected local government employers’ latest pay deal, which would have seen the lowest-paid staff receive a 10% wage boost.
Haringey housing staff to strike 10/10/2023 Housing repair workers employed by Haringey Council will strike this winter in a dispute over pay.