Councils are piling on the pressure to give local government staff a pay rise by backing trade union calls.

Newcastle City Council and South Tyneside MBC are among those that have passed motions supporting a 5% rise – matching the unions' claim for 2018 – after years of pay restraint while Ipswich BC has urged the Government to ‘adequately fund councils to pay their staff a decent pay rise in line with the cost of living'.