Resolved –

This Council notes

·         Local government has endured central government funding cuts of nearly 50% since 2010.

·         Between 2010 and 2020, councils will have lost 60p out of every £1 they have received from central government.

·         The 2019 LGA survey of council finances found that 1 in 3 councils fear they will run out of funding to provide even their statutory, legal duties by 2022/23. This number rises to almost two thirds of councils by 2024/2025 or later.

·         The LGA estimates councils will face a funding gap of £8 billion by 2025. Faced with these cuts from central government, the local government workforce has endured years of pay restraint with the majority of pay points losing 22 per cent of their value since 2009/10.

·         At the same time as seeing their pay go down in real terms, workers experience ever increasing workloads and persistent job insecurity.

·         Across the UK, an estimated 876,000 jobs have been lost in local government since June 2010 – a reduction of 30 per cent. Local government has arguably been hit by more severe job losses than any other part of the public sector.

·         There has been a disproportionate impact on women, with women making up more than three quarters of the local government workforce.

This Council believes

·         Our workers are public service super heroes. They keep our communities clean, 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.

·         Government funding has been cut to the extent that a proper pay rise could result in a further reduction in local government services.

·         The government needs to take responsibility and fully fund increases in pay. It should not put the burden on local authorities whose funding been cut to the bone.

This Council resolves to

·         Support the pay claim submitted by GMB UNISON and Unite on behalf of council and school workers for a £10 per hour minimum wage and a 10 per cent uplift across all other pay points in 2020/21.

·         Call on the Local Government Association to make urgent representations to central government to fund the NJC pay claim.

·         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.

·         Meet with local NJC union representatives to convey support for the pay claim.

·         Encourage all local government workers to join a union.

ACTION:       Chief Executive/ Strategic Director Corporate Resources

(NOTE: There is also a similar resolution on this subject at Motion 12)