Local authority staff pay rise plea backed by Preston councillors

A motion submitted by Labour representative Coun Mark Yates received support from colleagues at a meeting of the city council.

Coun Yates said the offer of a one per cent pay rise was “totally unacceptable” with staff facing higher costs of living with wages falling below inflation.

He urged members to support the National Joint Council (NJC) pay claim - submitted by unions Unite, Unison and GMB - for workers to receive “a decent pay rise” following years of government enforced freezes and caps, along with a review

He said: “Local government workers are struggling to make ends meet.

“Show your support, including for our very own staff in this authority.”

Coun Yates added NJC members had seen their pay drop 21 per cent in real terms since 2010.

The motion was passed by 29 votes to 11 with chief executive Lorraine Norris asked to write to the prime minister and chancellor outlining the council’s support for the pay claim.

Conservative leader Coun Neil Cartwright was among those to vote against the motion. He said: “It’s an extremely difficult issue. The amount of money this calls for is very significant. He added:“It’s difficult to push for a significant increase in taxpayers’ funding just for one area.”