The pay and terms of conditions of employment for over 1.4 million local government services' workers is determined by the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services.
The NJC for Local Government Services has 70 members: 12 on the employers' side and 58 on the trade union side.
In 1997, the NJC for Local Government Services agreed a national framework with potential for local modification to suit local service requirements. Known as The Single Status Agreement, these pay and conditions of service agreements are published in the Green Book.
We help councils develop a framework for their roles and responsibilities as employers. This covers the relationships between council employers and their employees, including individual rights and collective arrangements.
18 May 2026
NJC pay spine review: terms of reference
26 March 2026
Employer circular re. 2026 NJC pay offer
25 March 2026
2026 pay offer to NJC ‘Green Book’ employees
1 December 2025
Local government pay claim 2026
23 July 2025
Local government pay agreement 2025
8 May 2024
National Agreement ‘Green Book’
The ‘Green Book' has been updated and we have issued two versions below:
- The Green Book – updated edition 1 May 2024 - no tracked changes
- The Green Book – updated edition 1 May 2024 - with tracked changes
13 March 2024
Updated part 4.12 (to replace version in Green Book dated December 2022)
25 February 2020
The NJC has issued a circular that provides an update on the ongoing review of term time working.
Chief executive and chief officer pay survey research report - Winter 2018
The survey was the first of its kind for a number of years and was conducted during winter 2018 and was sent to all heads of human resources (or equivalent position) in English and Welsh councils with the aim of helping council employers to benchmark the characteristics and pay of their senior teams as well as establish a base-line for national policy discussions and future research.