Published on Monday 30 June 2025
Members of the trade unions GMB and UNISON have voted overwhelmingly in favour of accepting proposals to introduce a new pay structure for BCP Council employees.
Results of trade union ballots held in June saw 83% of UNISON members accept the Council’s offer, while 77% of GMB members also voted in favour of the proposal.
The outcome means that the Council will be able to implement new pay and terms and conditions for its staff on 1 December 2025, subject to formal approval by councillors in July.
The Council has been working towards the introduction of a single pay structure for staff since it was formed as the local authority to serve residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in 2019.
Cllr Jeff Hanna, BCP Council Cabinet Member for Transformation, Resources and Governance said:
“It’s great news that members of both GMB and UNISON have voted to accept the Council’s proposal for a fair pay structure. We’ve put a huge amount of time and effort into reaching this point.
“Since it was formed six years ago, the Council has been firmly committed to putting in place a new pay structure that is fair and transparent for its entire workforce. Currently, we still have staff being paid at several different rates for doing the same job and that cannot be acceptable. This is a huge challenge for the Council - it has been a significant source of anxiety and concern for our workforce and it has understandably affected staff morale.
“Achieving consistency across our pay structure would allow us to address these longstanding issues and offer a package of terms and conditions that enables the Council to attract and retain the skills and talent it needs to deliver the best possible services for our residents.
“Under the current proposal, at least 92% of our staff would see either an increase or no change in their pay. Those staff facing a reduction in their pay would have the certainty that their salary will be protected at current levels for a further 18 months.
“I firmly believe this is the best offer we could have made to our staff considering the limitations on the Council’s budget, and it would allow us to achieve the fairness and equality in our pay and grading structure that has always been our primary aim.
“Our next step is to seek formal approval at a meeting of the Council for the additional £1.7m investment required for the proposed pay structure. This would take our total investment in the new pay structure to £4.6m, which reflects how much we value all the great work our employees do for the residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.”
A report to Cabinet and Council will set out the range of savings available to elected members to meet the additional costs resulting from the enhanced offer accepted by the trade unions.
Subject to the funding arrangements being approved at the next Council meeting, the Council can then finalise the signing of a collective agreement with the trade unions, with a view to implementing the new staff pay structure on 1 December 2025.
A report outlining the offer accepted by the trade unions will be considered by members of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Board on 15 July and then Cabinet on 16 July, before it is presented to all councillors for a final decision at the next meeting of Council on 22 July.