Agenda item

The Minutes of the meeting held on 25 February 2021 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

 

MINUTE NO: EXB72 – BUDGET 2021-22 – the Leader, Councillor Polhill, made the following statement, in relation to Pay (referred in Appendix D of the Budget report), and invited the Executive Board to consider and agree the following:

 

A FULLY FUNDED, PROPER PAY RISE FOR COUNCIL AND SCHOOL WORKERS

 

Local government has endured central Government funding cuts of more than 50% since 2010.  Between 2010 and 2020, councils lost 60p out of every £1 they have received from central Government.

 

Over the last year, councils have led the way in efforts against the Covid-19 Pandemic, providing a huge range of services and support for our communities.  Local government has shown more than ever how indispensable it is but the Pandemic has led to a massive increase in expenditure and loss of income, and the Government has failed to provide the full amount of promised support.

 

Local government workers have kept our communities safe through the Pandemic, often putting themselves at considerable risk as they work to protect public health, provide quality housing, ensure our children continue to be educated, and look after older and vulnerable people.

 

Since 2010, the local government workforce has endured years of pay restraint with the majority of pay points losing at least 23% of their value since 2009/10.  At the same time, workers have experience ever increasing workloads and persistent job insecurity.

 

Across the UK, 900,000 jobs have been lost in local government since June 2010 – a reduction of more than 30%.  Local government has arguably been hit by more severe job losses than any other part of the public sector.  The funding gap caused by Covid-19 will make local government employment even more precarious.  There has been a disproportionate impact on women, with women making up more than three quarters of the local government workforce.

 

Recent research shows that if the Government were to fully fund the unions’ 2021 pay claim, around half of the money would be recouped thanks to increased tax revenue, reduced expenditure on benefits, and increased consumer spending in the local economy.

 

This Council believes:

 

Our workers are public service super heroes.  They keep our communities clean and safe, look after those in need and keep our towns and cities running.

 

Without the professionalism and dedication of our staff, the Council services our residents rely on would not be deliverable.

Local government workers deserve a proper real terms pay increase.

 

The Government needs to take responsibility and fully fund this increase; it should not put the burden on local authorities whose funding has been cut to the bone and who have not been offered adequate support through the Covid-19 Pandemic.

 

Executive Board resolves on behalf of the Council to:

 

1)    write to the Chancellor and Secretary of State to call for a pay increase for local government workers to be funded with new money from central Government;

 

2)    call on the Local Government Association to make urgent representations to central Government to fund the NJC pay claim;

 

3)    support the pay claim submitted by GMB, Unison and Unite on behalf of Council and school workers, for a substantial increase with a minimum of 10% uplift in April 2021, provided that central Government agree to fully fund, with new money, the pay claim;

 

4)    meet with local NJC union representatives to convey support for the pay claim and consider practical ways in which the Council can support the campaign; and

 

5)    encourage all local government workers to join a union.