As the deadline for equal pay reviews looms on the horizon it has emerged that not all local authorities will be ready on time. No surprises there, then. Local government has been well aware of the problems of equal pay since the 1970s. Thirty years on it still hasn't put its house in order. In truth, it is just too hard. The prospect of cutting pay for some staff, while raising it for others, fills most authorities with fear. The impact on staff morale is horrendous. That is before you consider the cost of adding a great chunk to the pay-bill and hefty compensation payments – and all the potential cuts in jobs and services that may bring. All this will be conducted under the watchful gaze of the unions and the no-win, no-fee lawyers – with the lawyers ready to pounce at any opportunity and continually coming up with ever more resourceful ways to make cash out of council. While the unions have tried to co-operate, they now face legal action for going too easy on the council, so they have to push for all they can get. Latest estimates predict the cost of all this is likely to run in excess of £3bn across the country. The LGA has turned to the Government for help. Not cash, obviously – that would be pointless. While the NHS has had its equal pay problems bailed out from the centre, Phil Woolas has made it quiet clear that local government is a different ball game – and cash will not be forthcoming. Instead the LGA has asked the Government to help on arbitration – which is currently stretched to its limit – to cut down on potential legal challenges. It has also asked for financial freedom to allow councils to pick up the tab via capitalisation. Surely this is the least the Government could do? It is already putting the squeeze on council cash from all angles – tight settlements, getting tighter by the year; efficiency savings; council tax capping and ever higher expectations on services. Local government must shoulder the blame for not acting on equal pay and allowing this situation to go on for so long, but without a lifeline local services will be crippled. Heather Jameson Deputy Editor, The MJ
