How council jobs are graded: job evaluation and appeals

Most council jobs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are graded by scoring the job itself under a job evaluation scheme. The NJC’s own Single Status scheme is the national version. The score sets the grade, and the grade covers one or more points on the NJC pay spine, which gives the job its salary.

Why councils grade jobs this way

Before 1997, council manual workers and administrative, professional, technical and clerical staff were on separate agreements. The Single Status Agreement of that year brought them into one national agreement, the Green Book. Under it, all jobs in scope must be graded on a common basis in line with equal pay law. The NJC says it designed its scheme to meet that requirement, and Part 2 of the agreement says pay and grading must be fair and non-discriminatory.

The Green Book says an employee’s basic pay is a point or points on the pay spine. Grades are local. Each council decides which spine points sit in which grade, usually after a pay and grading review that uses job evaluation. So the same job title can sit on different points in neighbouring councils, as the spine points explained guide shows.

What the NJC scheme does

The NJC scheme is a points-rated analytical scheme. Each job is assessed against a set of factors, each with defined levels, and the scores are added up. The factors include knowledge, physical demands, mental demands and working conditions. The factor plan and the weightings are meant to be free from bias on grounds of protected characteristics such as sex, race, disability and age.

Information about the job comes from a job description questionnaire (JDQ), and a joint panel of employer and union representatives carries out the evaluation. The local representatives are supposed to be trained in applying the scheme and in equality awareness. A joint panel should also evaluate any new job. A job should be re-evaluated if its content has changed, for example after a restructure or because duties have crept up over time.

Once a review is complete, the Green Book guidance says each employee should be told their grade and pay point or points. You can ask for the results of your own job’s evaluation, showing the points scored under each factor.

Fixed points or salary scales

A grade can be a single fixed point or a scale of several points. The Green Book guidance sets out the trade-offs. Scales can recognise experience and help recruitment and retention, but they are less transparent and can be more open to challenge on equal pay grounds if there are many increments. Fixed points give a clear rate for the job and no progression. An employer that does not use one system for everyone needs an objective justification for treating some jobs differently.

If you are promoted or regraded to a higher grade, the Green Book says you should receive an immediate pay increase. Local arrangements should also exist for recognising temporary additional duties when you act up for a more senior colleague.

Appealing your grade

Part 2 of the Green Book gives every employee who is dissatisfied with the grading of their job the right to appeal for reconsideration, under procedures agreed locally. The NJC guidance lists the grounds for appeal after an evaluation under its scheme:

• the scheme was wrongly applied, for example factor levels were allocated wrongly or guidance was not followed
• the JDQ did not give complete information
• an equivalent job is believed to be graded and paid more highly
• the job was wrongly clustered for evaluation or wrongly matched to a generic evaluation

The model procedure starts with a written appeal setting out your grounds. A discussion follows with a manager and, if you want one, your union representative. If it is not settled, a joint panel of union and management representatives hears the appeal. The panel’s decision is final within the procedure, and the NJC recommends appeals are dealt with within three months. Using the procedure does not affect your legal rights. If you think a grade reflects unequal pay, ACAS explains the legal position, and your union can advise.

Pay above the spine

Posts paid above the top of the spine but graded below deputy chief officer are still within the NJC’s scope. Their pay is set locally, but once fixed it rises with NJC awards. The NJC pay award 2026/27 therefore applies to those points as well as to points 3 to 43.

What to check

• The grade and spine points stated on your job advert or contract, and which scheme your council used to set them.
• Whether your duties have changed since the job was last evaluated.
• Your council’s local appeal procedure and any time limit it sets.
• Whether you can get your factor scores before you decide to appeal.

If a pay question turns into a dispute, our guide to raising a grievance explains the formal route.