No pay cut for lowest-paid Council staff, recommends Leader

The Leader of Shropshire Council has today announced that he will recommend cancelling a planned 1.7% pay cut for the Council’s 1700 lowest-paid staff.

The cut was due to take effect from October 2012. It had already been reduced from the original 2.7% following discussion with the trade unions in June 2012.

Now, thanks to this year’s savings being greater than forecast in the Council’s budget, the lowest-paid members of staff will face no cut at all, if councillors agree at the full Council meeting in September.

Keith Barrow, Leader of the Council, said:

“I made a promise to all staff that I would do everything that I could to reduce the planned 2.7% pay cut and I am delighted that we can now recommend to Councillors at the next meeting of full Council that the cut for most staff be reduced to 1.7%.

“Our efforts at saving money over the past year mean that we have made more savings than we originally budgeted for, and we are now able to recommend cancelling the cut for our 1700 lowest-paid staff, without affecting frontline services.

“Our staff have worked incredibly hard to help us achieve the savings that we are having to make, while continuing to provide excellent services, and I’m sorry that many will still face a pay cut in October. But I hope that those staff will understand why I will be recommending targeting those on the lowest salaries, and I am still working hard to find ways to reduce the cut that will apply to the remainder of staff.”