Notice of Motion

Green GROUP

local government and schools pay

This council notes

· Local government has endured central government funding cuts of more than 50% since 2010; meaning between 2010 and 2020, councils lost 60p out of every £1 receive from central government

· The efforts of public sector workers including council workers against the Covid-19 pandemic; and the additional expected costs and expenditure as councils aim to fully support their communities through the health crisis and beyond

· The efforts of local government workers to keep communities safe during the pandemic despite risk to themselves; e.g in public health, in cleaning, waste and recycling; to ensure children are educated and to look after older and vulnerable people

· That 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 further:

· Agrees to support the campaign by Trade Unions for a proper, real-terms pay increase for local government; calling on government to fully fund this increase, without adding extra burden to local authority costs;

· Notes the importance of continued work to support our local staff, in line with work already underway such as the Fair and Inclusive Action Plan, People Promise and additional leave flexibility.

Proposed by: Cllr Mac Cafferty                                Seconded by: Cllr Shanks

Notes:
[1] Since 2010, the local government workforce has endured years of pay restraint with the majority of pay points losing at least 23 per cent of their value since 2009/10.

At the same time, workers have experienced 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 per cent. 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.

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