Council to contact chancellor over low pay for staff

Forest of Dean District Council voted to contact Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove over pay for staff

A council has agreed to write to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt calling for pay increases for staff.

Forest of Dean District Council said they would also write to Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove over fears staff were leaving for better-paid jobs at supermarkets.

Councillors also voted to encourage all local government workers to consider joining a trade union.

It comes as Gloucestershire councillors backed proposals from unions to pay council and school workers an extra £3,000 or 10% per year.

'Cost of living impacting staff'

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, councillors also called on the Local Government Association to make urgent representations to central government to fund the pay claim by the National Joint Council, to present a united front in defence of the local government workforce.

Cllr Matt Bishop, who put forward the motion, said it was “abundantly evident” the cost of living crisis has impacted people’s finances.

He said the council would call for the pay increase and for it to be funded by central government to avoid “bankrupting” councils.

Cllr Dave Wheeler, a former council employee, said local government officers have had to put up with increases of one or two per cent which is well below the levels of inflation and said staff were experiencing "ever increasing" workloads.

He said staff were leaving the sector for better-paid jobs elsewhere, including retail.

“I know people in the councils I’ve worked for who have left to go stacking shelves at Tesco because the remuneration is infinitely better and far less stressful," he said.

Union membership 'vital'

The lowest pay grade for council staff at its offices in Coleford was £21,025, while the highest paid position is £110,000.

According to the authority's pay policy of 2023-2024, the median employee salary was £46,549.

Salaries at Tesco range from an average of £22,895 to £64,106 a year.

Former trade unionist, Cllr Bernie O’Neill said he was well aware of problems over pay and said it was "vital" for staff to be members of a trade union.

Councillors voted to approve the motion by 27 votes in favour with two abstentions.