Cumbria CC has made individual settlement offers, in a bid to end a long-running equal pay dispute. The council made the offers to members of staff who had lodged equal pay claims, through trade union representatives. The settlements are said to be worth some £40m, and the authority hopes to settle the issue as quickly as possible. The offer has full cross-party backing having been approved by a working group of elected members. The council said it wanted to deal with historic equal pay claims as a first step to introducing new and sustainable pay arrangements for its entire workforce. Cllr Stewart Young, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for resources, said the message he had received from staff was that they also wanted the issue resolving quickly. ‘The county council has put together a good, fair offer and negotiations with the trade unions have been very constructive to get us where we are today. ‘Other areas of the country going through a similar process have seen high levels of acceptance from claimants,' he said.