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Revised Pay Policy Statement 2026/27 and updated Pay Scales (01.04.2026)

The council’s Pay Policy Statement sets out council policy on pay and conditions for its senior managers and employees and is reviewed annually. The revised Pay Policy Statement is implemented with effect from 1 April 2026 for the year ending 31 March 2027.

The Pay Policy Statement sets out the pay arrangements for employees of the council and assists the council in attracting and retaining skilled employees and also ensuring compliance with legislative requirements under the Localism Act 2011.

The key updates to the Pay Policy 2026/27 are:

• NJC pay scale updated to reflect the national agreement to remove scp 002 (specified as part of the pay award implemented 01.04.2025) which has resulted in scp 003 falling into grade G1 and scp 004 falling into grade G2. Grade G3 is unaffected. To see how this might affect you, refer to the FAQ’s at the bottom of this article.
• Inclusion of a new paragraph to reflect the existing pay arrangements for Recruitability work placements.
• Annual amendments to dates, pay awards and pay scale information throughout the policy and appendices.
• Pay multiples updated confirming the pay multiple between the median CMT Chief Officer pay and the median pay of the rest of the organisation has reduced to a 3:1 ratio.

The Council will continue to pay the Real (Foundation) Living Wage top up to eligible posts. The Real Living Wage will increase to £13.45 p/h from 1^st April 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the main changes?

Scp 002 is being deleted from the pay scale. Currently G2 is made up of scp 002, scp 003, and scp 004. From 1^st April 2026, scp 002 will become obsolete and scp 003 will fall into grade G1 and scp  004 will fall into grade G2 to provide necessary differentiation between G1 and G2. G3 will remain unaffected and will continue to comprise of scp 005 and scp 006.

Why are we changing the pay scales to remove scp 002?

The NJC pay scale is nationally agreed and reviewed annually. The decision to remove scp 002 has been taken by the national employer’s association in negotiation with trade union colleagues to ensure that the bottom of our pay scales continue to be fit for purpose and remain above the National Minimum Wage rates.

When will the changes to the pay scale take effect?

The new NJC pay scale was approved at a Council meeting on 18^th February 2026 and will be effective from the 1 April 2026.

What will this mean for me?

Any employees (excluding casuals) who are on grade G1 scp 002 on 1^st April will move to grade G1 scp 003 (this also applies to those on recruitability placements who are currently being paid fixed scp 002). For these employees, this will result in a pay increase from scp 002 to scp 003.

Any employees who are on an incremental grade G2 (either scp 002 or scp 003) on the 1^st April will move to grade G2 scp 004. For these employees, this will result in a scp increase from scp 002 and scp 003 to scp 004. However, most employees are unlikely to see a change in pay as many of these posts already receive the real living wage top up.

Any employees who are on grade G2 scp 004 or would be due to move onto G2 scp 004 on the 1^st April will remain on grade G2 scp 004. For these employees there will be no change in scp 004 value, other than the annual pay award being implemented as and when this is agreed.

Any casual workers who are on a grade G2 fixed scp 002 on 1^st April will move to grade G2 fixed scp 004, resulting in a scp increase for these workers. However, most workers are unlikely to see a change in pay as many of these posts already receive the real living wage top up.

All other employees – there will be no change to grade or scp, other than the annual pay award being implemented as and when this is agreed.

Will my pay reduce because of this change?

No

Will my pay increase because of this change?

Most employees will see no change to their pay because of this change. The only employees who will be moving onto a higher scp are those that are currently on scp 002 (which is becoming obsolete). However, most of these employees will likely see no increase in pay due to the Real Living Wage top up supplement the Council pay to eligible posts.

Where can I view the new NJC pay scale?

The new NJC pay scale (effective 1 April 2026) is available here Pay Policy Statement and Pay Scales. Both the revised Pay Policy Statement and updated pay scales can be found on the HR SharePoint Pages, on the A-Z under P for (Pay Policy) should employees wish to access them in the future.