Benefits of working for a council

Council staff on national Green Book terms get at least 33 days of leave a year including bank holidays, rising after 5 years’ service, a place in the Local Government Pension Scheme, and occupational sick pay of up to 6 months’ full pay and 6 months’ half pay. Most councils add flexi-time, hybrid working for office roles and a range of salary sacrifice schemes. Pay on the NJC spine is modest for many jobs, so these terms make up a large share of the package.

Annual leave

Since 1 April 2023 the Green Book minimum is 23 days of basic leave for staff with under 5 years’ continuous service and 26 days after that. On top come 8 public holidays and 2 extra-statutory days, which gives a minimum of 33 days and 36 after 5 years. The statutory minimum for every worker is 28 days including bank holidays, so a new council starter already gets 5 days more.

Many councils give more than the minimum, especially for senior grades, and some count previous service with other councils or public bodies towards the 5 years. Part-time staff get it pro rata, usually worked out in hours. Staff in schools on term-time contracts take their leave in the school holidays, and it is built into the pay calculation.

The LGPS pension

Council employees are automatically enrolled in the Local Government Pension Scheme, a defined benefit scheme. You build up a set fraction of each year’s pensionable pay, revalued in line with inflation. Your contribution depends on your pay, and the employer sets your band each April.

Pay	Main section	50/50 section
Up to £18,400	5.5%	2.75%
£18,401 to £29,000	5.8%	2.9%
£29,001 to £47,300	6.5%	3.25%
£47,301 to £59,800	6.8%	3.4%
£59,801 to £84,000	8.5%	4.25%
£84,001 to £119,100	9.9%	4.95%

Higher bands continue up to 12.5 per cent on pay over £210,700. In the 50/50 section you pay half the contribution and build up half the pension, while life and ill-health cover stays at the full level. The employer pays the rest of the cost of the scheme, and its rate is set locally by each pension fund, so it differs between councils.

Compared with the NHS and Civil Service schemes, LGPS member rates are low at most salaries. Someone on SCP 20 (£33,673 from April 2026) pays 6.5 per cent.

Sick pay

The Green Book sick pay scale is the same as the NHS’s:

• 1st year: 1 month full pay and (after four months’ service) 2 months half pay
• 2nd year: 2 months full, 2 months half
• 3rd year: 4 months full, 4 months half
• 4th and 5th years: 5 months full, 5 months half
• After 5 years: 6 months full, 6 months half

Most councils manage absence with trigger points, so even short spells of sickness can lead to a formal meeting. Sick pay for council staff explains how the scale and the policies interact.

Flexi-time and hybrid working

Flexi-time is a big draw of council work for office-based staff. A typical scheme sets core hours when you must be working and lets you start and finish when you like around them. Extra hours build up as a credit you can take off later, often as whole or half flexi days. The details (core hours, how much credit you can carry, how many flexi days a month) are local.

Front-line jobs such as refuse collection, social care, leisure and parking enforcement usually work fixed rotas, so flexi-time does not apply.

Many councils have kept hybrid working for office roles, with a set number of office days. Flexible working is a day-one legal right: you can make two requests in any 12 months, and the council must respond within two months. Compressed hours, part-time and job shares are common.

Family leave and other paid time off

The Green Book has its own maternity scheme that adds to Statutory Maternity Pay for staff who meet the service conditions, and many councils improve on paternity, adoption and shared parental pay. Statutory rights such as unpaid parental leave, carer’s leave and time off for dependants apply from day one.

Councils usually have special leave policies covering things like bereavement, emergencies at home, public duties such as being a magistrate or councillor, reservist training and moving house. Some of it is paid. Read the policy on your intranet; it is often more generous than staff realise.

Extras that vary by council

Local schemes differ, but common ones include:

• Cycle to work and salary sacrifice car schemes
• Buying extra annual leave
• Employee assistance programme with free, confidential counselling
• Discounted gym membership at council leisure centres
• Essential car user allowance or mileage for staff who drive for work
• Funded training and professional qualifications, sometimes with a repayment clause if you leave soon after
• Season ticket loans in some larger councils

If you drive for your job, read the guide to the essential car user allowance. Councils pay mileage at different rates and many have dropped the old lump sum.

How it adds up

A council job paying a mid-range NJC salary will not match some private sector pay, but the leave, pension and sick pay are worth a lot over time. When you compare offers, look at the actual grade and spine points on the advert, using the NJC pay spine, and ask for the council’s leave and flexi policies before you accept. The guide on how to get a council job covers where councils advertise and how they shortlist.