Council's first unified pay structure agreed

Staff had been on different pay structures since the three councils became one

Staff at a unitary authority will be on the same pay structure for the first time in a council's history following a vote by councillors.

Hundreds of employees at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council have been on different rates of pay since it was formed in 2019.

After years of negotiations with unions, the changes were unanimously agreed at the full council meeting on Tuesday.

The new terms and conditions will be implemented from 1 December.

Last month, GMB and Unison union members voted in favour of the latest proposals which will mean at least 92% of staff will have either an increase or no change in their pay.

Staff facing a pay cut will have their salary protected at current levels for a further 18 months.

At Tuesday's meeting, councillors approved the additional £1.7m investment needed for the new pay structure.

Council leader Millie Earl said: "Achieving fairness and equality in our pay and grading structure for our staff has always been our primary aim.

"Getting to this position has taken a huge amount of hard work and effort from everyone involved and we are delighted that we can now offer fair and transparent pay for our workforce."