Despite a two-year freeze, changes to terms and conditions and in some cases pay cuts, the salaries of public sector staff are still on average higher than those in the private sector according to a report from right-of-centre think tank Policy Exchange.

Drawing on published statistics from such sources as the Office of National Statistics, the PE compares public sector staff such as nurses, teachers, therapists, leisure assistants and so on with private sector workers, nationally and on a regional basis.