Local government workforce while the most efficient in the public sector remain least paid according to a report by the Local Government Association.
The total pay packet for local government employees was £26.4 billion in 2010/11 – an increase of 1.2% from 2008/09. This equates to a real terms fall of 5.4% when inflation is taken into account.
In addition the report revealed that while wider public sector salaries grew by 7.1% in recent times, the average remuneration package for local government employees fell by 2.7% in real terms.
The LGA report, Local Government Pay and Workforce: Facts and Figures 2010/11, also shows that 45% of local government employees are paid less than £18,000 a year while another 27% is paid between £18,000 and £24,000.
Its not only salaries but headcounts as well. While overall public sector employment rose by 4.5% between 2008/09 and 2010/11 at the same time local government employment levels decreased by 1.5%.
This report completely decimates ‘the common myth of profligate councils paying huge salaries to armies of unnecessary pen-pushers, local authorities have been operating significant pay restraint in the past few years as they dealt with the impact of the recession and shrinking budgets,’ Sir Steve Bullock, Chair of the LG Group Workforce Programme Board said.
‘The restraint in the pay-bill occurred at the same time that councils were dealing with the equal pay issue and were rightly closing the gender pay gap in local government to one of the lowest in Europe, which caused an upward pressure on salaries,’ he added. ‘Councils knew the cuts to their budgets were coming and did all they could to prepare, taking early action to reduce the size of their workforce and as a result cutting the overall wage bill. This came against a background of overall growth in other areas of the public sector and demonstrates local government’s commitment to providing value for money to council taxpayers.’
‘Despite the pay restraint demonstrated by this research, the local government workforce continues to work very hard providing essential services to the most vulnerable in our communities,’ he added.
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