NEARLY 100 council leaders have written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer demanding a pay rise for those working in their organisations.

Cllr Jas Athwal, leader of Redbridge Council, is one of the Labour figures urging Philip Hammond to fully fund the two per cent rise offered to council staff by the National Employers for Local Government Service this week.

The letter also states that council staff have suffered real terms pay cuts since 2010, resulting in a loss of £1 for every £5 they previously earned.

Cllr Athwal said: "Thousands of local people depend on the hard work of council staff – from care workers to parks attendants, and from social workers to street sweepers.

“I support the decision of the National Employers for Local Government to recognise the difficulties faced by many council workers in recent years, and to offer a two per cent deal for each of the next two years.”

“I’ve joined Labour leaders from across the country to write to the Chancellor to demand that the pay cap is formally lifted, that he fully funds the offer that has been made, and that he urgently addresses the £5.8 billion gap in funding councils face by 2020.”