Fair pay call for local authority workers as 2,000 staff have been cut at Doncaster Council since 2010

Labour Coun Rachel Hodson, who has put forward a motion to a meeting of the full council, is calling on the government to properly fund a pay rise for Civic Office workers and school staff.

Figures show Doncaster Council has seen a 31 per cent reduction in Central Government funding since 2010 and austerity measures shows £272 million has been cut in the same time period.

The Centre for Cities think tank has calculated that Doncaster has been the third hardest hit council from austerity behind Liverpool and Barnsley.

If passed, the Adwick & Carcroft Coun is calling on the DMBC to support the pay claim submitted by unions GMB, UNISON and Unite on behalf of workers and call on the Local Government Association to make ‘urgent representations’ to central government to fund the National Joint Council pay claim.

The motion also calls senior council leaders to write to the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to call for a pay rise for workers which is ‘fully funded with new money from central government’.

Coun Hodson said: “Our workers are public service super heroes. They work to support our communities across the Borough, and without the dedication of our staff, the services residents rely on would not be deliverable.

“The local government workforce has endured years of pay restraint, with pay going down in real terms; and

“Women have been disproportionately affected by the central government cuts, as they make up more than three quarters of the local government workforce.

“Local government funding has already been cut to the extent that a proper pay rise could result in a reduction to local services; and

“Central government needs to take responsibility and fully fund increases in pay; it should not put the burden on local authorities whose funding has been cut to the bone.”