Bury’s Councillors have backed calls from the Liberal Democrats group for the 1% pay cap for public sector pay rises to be ended, and to be properly funded by Government.

Liberal Democrat councillors proposed a motion on Public Sector Pay to the last full meeting of Bury Council. This was agreed by Councillors and is now Council policy.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Tim Pickstone said:
“Since 2010 most public sector staff have seen their pay rise by just 4.4%. At the same time prices have risen by 22% – a massive pay cut in real terms.

Prices continue to go up and we cannot keep making public sector staff suffer what is effectively a pay cut every year. Staff in the NHS, the Police, Fire, local councils and civil service undertake important jobs and need to be paid fairly.

The Government says it is allowing flexibility for more pay rises, but without funding the rise this is an empty promise. Without the Government taking action pay rises would just mean schools, hospitals or councils would have to make further cuts and lose further staff if a higher pay rise was agreed”.

Local Government employers (which Bury Council is a part of) seem likely to be offering a 2% rise each year for the next two years. However this increase is currently NOT funded by Government, so such a rise would mean that more cuts would be needed to be made in both local councils and local schools.