BARROW Council’s wage bill will top the £7million mark this year following  new pay rises coming in.

In the two years between 2018-20, the authority’s £6.6m pay bill will have grown by £409,000 to include rises from a new national pay settlement.

Councils across the country were given the green light by the Government to bring in wage rises for public sector staff.

That followed pay increases being capped at a maximum of one percent under the austerity programme. Unions complained that wages had fallen behind and had failed to keep up with inflation.

The council’s pay structure has also been revised which will see some of its lowest paid get a boost – some up to six percent.

Last April, the lowest earners at the council, which employs around 200 full time staff, were on £16,394.

Cllr Brendan Sweeney, said the council was happy to be open about the increases and highly valued its staff.

He said: “It’s something we shouldn’t keep quiet about because it has lifted and given a substantial pay lift to those at the bottom of our pay scale and that’s where we want to be.

“We want to see better pay, particularly at the bottom end, but for all council employees. When you look at some of these levels and then compare them to some of the salaries paid outside in the private sector, it’s clear Local Government staff are not well paid.

“You only need to look at the number of people who move from this council to BAE Systems.”

He added: “I would like to see that bottom pay coming up further, to be quite frank, and it’s a shame that Local Government is in such a tight spot with its finances.”

Council leader David Pidduck said: “It becomes a bit of joke when our staff look at the salaries that they can get in the private sector. We often regret losing them, but it’s understandable. They are worth a lot more than we can afford to pay them.”

Cllr Mike Cassells said he had taken part in workshops with staff about what they valued about working for Barrow Council.

“Staff made it quite clear that they don’t come here for the wages, they come here because they are dedicated to what they do,” he said.

“It is worth saying that out loud and for it to be acknowledged.”

Cllr Kevin Hamilton criticised the recently announced increase in MPs wages which he said had jumped £12,000 in seven years despite austerity.

The council now has £8m less to spend than it did at the start of the decade. It lost 20 percent of its workforce and 40 percent of its budget.