"We will be consulting with councils during June to seek their views which will inform the National Employers’ response to the unions."
Responding to the local government unions’ 2022 pay claim for, “A substantial increase with a minimum of £2,000, or the current rate of RPI (whichever is greater), plus changes to a number of terms and conditions”, Chair of the National Employers, Cllr Sian Timoney, said:
“We will be consulting with councils during June to seek their views which will inform the National Employers’ response to the unions.
“Local government continues to face significant financial challenges, which became more acute during the pandemic, having lost more than £15 billion in government funding since 2010.
“As well as rising inflation, cost of living, energy and fuel prices, the forecast increases to the National Living Wage also presents a significant cost to local government that will put further pressure on council budgets.”
Notes to editors
The unions’ pay claim does not apply to council chief executives, senior officers, teachers or firefighters, who are all covered by separate national pay arrangements.
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.