Conservatives promise £22 Million for Staffordshire Services

Residents in Staffordshire could see £22 million extra money for new services under a proposlal outr forward by a Uttoxeter County Councillor.

Phillip Atkins, Conservative County Council Group Leader has demanded a workforce ballot on the issue of back pay in the ‘Pay Modernisation’ programme that could release £22m to revitalise Staffordshire’s decaying highway system or for other important service priorities, such as Social Services. The Conservative proposal asks employees to work with the County Council by asking them to accept a two year back pay settlement, which they believe will be in the interest of employees, service users and the tax payer who will all in the end pay the cost. If the £22m is lost for Staffordshire services in back pay, only around £14m in real terms will reach the 68% of staff who will be having pay rises, as one third will go directly to the Government in taxes, national insurance, reduced housing benefit and working family tax credits.

Leader of the Staffordshire County Council Group Philip Atkins said, "This is a common sense approach. We believe implicitly in protecting the pay of the 9% who are losing salary for three years in this so called Pay Modernisation deal, but we feel strongly that a voice should be given to all employees over the amount of money that the County Council can reasonably afford in back pay. So far only around a third of the staff have had a say, because they have union representation but isn’t it about time those who are not members of a Union had a share of voice in their own future. To put it in perspective this award puts Staffordshire County Council staff in the top quartile for pay in the public sector."

Councillor Atkins continued, "As usual the loser in the recently proposed pay deal is principally the Staffordshire resident, who will ultimately pay the price in both council tax and reduced services and the winner will be the Labour Government who will receive one third of any back pay offer in income tax, national insurance, reduced housing benefit and working family tax credits. However we believe that a two year back pay award is in the interest of all employees in job sustainability, as well as for Council service users, the majority of who are not likely to receive such generous pay and pension settlements outside the public sector."