Sheffield Labour drops Lib Dem policy of extra pay for the lowest paid

By Mark Pack | Mon 27th June 2011 - 10:01 pm

SHEFFIELD’S ruling Labour councillors have been attacked by Nick Clegg for ‘dropping’ a policy to give the authority’s lowest-paid staff an extra £250 each year.

The payment was made for staff paid below £21,000-a-year, under the old Lib Dem administration’s budget for 2011/12 – and Mr Clegg said it was supposed to happen on an annual basis.

But papers setting out the council’s financial plans for 2011/12 – including cuts of at least £48 million – do not include a pay rise next year.

Mr Clegg said: “I’ve had meetings with some of the country’s leading trade union representatives, who recognised that Sheffield was the only big council in the UK to provide the £250 payment – and that it was what they wanted.

“I think they will be horrified to hear that the new Labour council is dropping the commitment to help some of the lowest paid, when they are taking money from reserves to pay for extra spending elsewhere.

6 Comments

Dave 28th Jun '11 - 8:28am

It’s funny that only half of the article has been added to Lib Dem Voice. Maybe that’s because its the only part of the article that they like?

For balance, please read what ithe article goes on to say…

“This approach was discussed with the old Lib Dem leader, Coun Paul Scriven, and agreed to be taken forward. A collective agreement on this was achieved with the Trade Unions, which was explicit that the payment would apply for the 2011/12 period only.”

So hardly Labour cutting a payment. The Council and Trade Union’s agreed whilst the Lib Dems ran the Council that it would be for 1 year only.

This story is no more than spin in the pure desperation of a return to power.
KL 28th Jun '11 - 8:44am

@Dave, what you don’t say is that quote was from the Labour leader of the council and not part of the journalist’s own interpretation. The article also doesn’t actually quote Paul Scriven, not has it given him a ‘right of reply’ to the claims made by Labour. The unions may have accepted that the payment was only for the 2011/12 period, but the intentions of the Lib Dem Council appear to have been to continue the payment in future budgets.

If you’re going to accuse someone of “spin”, at least make sure you’re not spinning in return…
Andrew Tennant 28th Jun '11 - 9:10am

Proof, if proof were needed, that Labour long ago sacrificed social justice or a greater cause for electioneering and profiteering through power.
Kirsten de Keyser 28th Jun '11 - 10:40am

Well, they have to have some spare cash for their olympic ticket allocation
IT 29th Jun '11 - 11:03am

Just to confirm, it was agreed as an annual increase and is in black and white within the budget book. Labour councillors in Sheffield have no evidence what so ever that this was agreed by the previous Council Leader, mainly because the claim is totally untrue!
Leekliberal 30th Jun '11 - 7:22pm

Labour increased the gap between rich and poor over their 13 years and created a vast beaurocracy to adminster it. They are at it again. How about that Labour trolls!