Low paid council staff to get a £250 pay rise in Teignbridge

Pay rise to low earners: Teignbridge is the only council in Devon to offer its lowest paid a pay rise during the public sector pay freeze

We’ve heard that low paid council employees in Teignbridge have been awarded a £250 pay rise – the only Devon council to do so.

The provision for the pay award was part of the George Osborne’s first budget in June 2010, when he said that public workers in Whitehall who earned less than £21K would get a £250 increase. It wasn’t initially exteneded to local government.

In some quarters it was expected that the rise would be extended across the board for low paid public workers, but that hasn’t been the case – possibly because local government has a higher proportion of low earners.

And as far as we know other Devon councils have not taken the opportunity to increase the wages of their lowest paid.

Currently there’s a a two-year pay freeze for the public sector.

With a local election looming, it seems only fair to say Teignbridge is a Lib Dem-run council.

More on this as we get it…

A Teignbridge Council spokesperson said: “Last year the Government said that public service employees who earn less than £21,000 should receive a payment of £250 this year. It was not something which was binding on local authorities.

“Nevertheless Teignbridge decided to follow the advice and our lower paid employees will be receiving this in their pay packets this year.

“It is the lower paid employees who are the face of Teignbridge meeting the public daily and providing essential services such as removing our refuse and keeping the streets clean.

“Although we have had to find big savings again this year we have done so while maintaining our service to the public and without increasing Council Tax or car parking charges. ”

(image: Lego People Some rights reserved by Joe Shlabotnik)