How council pay is negotiated: the NJC, claims and offers

Council pay in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is negotiated nationally by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services, usually called the NJC. Employers sit on one side and three unions on the other, and together they agree a pay rise for the whole spine each year. Councils and schools then apply it locally. The 2026 round ended on 24 August with 3.3% from 1 April 2026.

Who sits on the NJC

The Green Book’s constitution says the NJC covers local authority employees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, other than those under separate national machinery. It has 70 members. Twelve represent employers: nine from the Local Government Association, and one each from the Welsh Local Government Association, the Northern Ireland Local Government Association and the National Association of Local Councils. The other 58 represent staff: 31 from UNISON, 16 from GMB and 11 from Unite. NIPSA sits as an observer.

The NJC negotiates collective agreements on pay and conditions, urges authorities and unions to apply them, and settles disagreements about how the national agreement should be read. The text you work under is the Green Book, which also contains the pay spine.

How a pay round runs

The stages of the 2026 round are public:

1. The unions lodged a claim on 1 December 2025 for the year from 1 April 2026. They asked for at least £3,000 or 10 per cent, whichever was greater, on every spinal column point.
2. The National Employers made what they called a full and final, one-year offer: 3.3% on points 3 to 43 and on locally set points above the top of the spine but below deputy chief officer.
3. GMB, Unison and Unite rejected it. Unison announced targeted strike ballots from 9 July to 6 August, and in Northern Ireland from 8 September to 13 October. Unite announced targeted industrial action ballots from 16 July to 17 August. GMB said it was looking for employers where local ballots might be held.
4. The award was agreed on 24 August at the same rate as the offer: 3.3% on points 3 to 43, on allowances, and on the points above the top of the spine.

The award notices say employers are encouraged to implement it as swiftly as possible, which is why payment dates vary. The backdated pay guide explains how. The earlier round ran the same way: a 3.20 per cent rise from 1 April 2025, with the circular signed by the employers’ secretary and the union secretaries.

The employers’ side is appointed by the LGA, the Welsh and Northern Ireland local government associations and the National Association of Local Councils. The Green Book therefore describes the NJC’s role as urging authorities to apply what it agrees, with no power to impose it. The 2026 ballots were announced while talks were still open, and the award was agreed on 24 August.

What the national deal does not decide

The national agreement fixes the value of the pay spine and the allowances. Each employer decides the rest:

• which grade your job sits on, through local job evaluation
• whether a grade is a fixed point or a scale with increments
• local premium rates for overtime, nights and weekends
• posts above the top of the spine, whose pay is set locally but then increased by NJC awards

Two councils can apply the same 3.3% and still pay different amounts for the same job title. The NJC pay spine guide shows the points, and how councils grade jobs explains the local side.

Scotland and schools

The NJC covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, so Scotland is outside this guide. For school support staff in England, a separate negotiating body is being set up under the Employment Rights Act 2025. See who sets school support staff pay.

What to check

• Which union represents you, and whether it is consulting members on an offer.
• The date the award is effective and the date your employer says it will pay it.
• Whether your contract names the NJC terms or the Green Book, since that decides whether the national award binds your employer.
• The cash value of the current award on your grade, which the 2026/27 NJC pay award guide gives. How unions work and what they can do for you is in the trade unions guide.