Council staff in Sandwell have been offered a range of perks such as childcare vouchers or car lease schemes in exchange for giving up part of their salary.
The salary sacrifice scheme, to be offered to all council-based employees from April, would allow staff to ‘swap’ a part of their salary for a non-cash alternative. Deputy leader, Cllr Mahboob Hussain, said: ‘Council employees spend their working lives helping the local community.
‘In these times of austerity it's great we've been able to find a way to give something back to the workforce.
'Not only will this initiative end up saving the council money, it will also reward employees and contribute to the local economy.’
The council said it would invest any savings, achieved through a reduction in National Insurance costs, to develop the council’s workforce.
The council has also launched a retail discounts and offers scheme, which should also help boost the local economy.
