Multiple government departments including the Department of Health and Social Care, HM Treasury, and the Home Office are conducting the 2026-27 public sector pay review, coordinated by the Office of Manpower Economics and the Senior Salaries Review Body. The review addresses recruitment and retention challenges across the public sector, with particular focus on teacher pay which has fallen significantly in real terms since 2010, and fair pay agreements in adult social care. This is an active pay round with draft statutory instruments and economic evidence submissions underway.
Consultation about the fair pay agreement process in adult social care.
HM Treasury’s Economic Evidence for the Pay Review Bodies as part of the 2026-27 Pay Round
In response to: Fair pay agreement process in adult social care
In response to: Fair pay agreement process in adult social care
Consultation about the fair pay agreement process in adult social care.
The Department regards pay as its strongest lever in recruiting and retaining teachers. For example, following the most recent 5.5% pay award, the Department reduced its teacher trainee targets as it expected 2,500 more teachers to stay. However, teacher pay …
HM Treasury’s Economic Evidence for the Pay Review Bodies as part of the 2025-26 pay round.
Teacher salaries need to be attractive in order to boost recruitment. We welcome the introduction of a £30k starting salary as a step towards improved competitiveness. However, it is clear that this salary will have to be increased in the …
We understand the Department’s budgetary pressures. However, in order to compete with other sectors and improve recruitment and retention, teacher pay must keep pace year on year with other comparable sectors. It is also essential that funding to enable the …
Where available, bursaries and scholarships improve teacher recruitment. We heard strong evidence that bursaries should be targeted where they will be most effective, such as for subjects with longstanding under-recruitment, subjects where demand is expected to increase and subjects that …
Chronic pay issues within the civil service have lowered morale and risk departments not being able to recruit and retain skilled staff. The Cabinet Office acknowledges that there are longstanding issues within the civil service relating to pay and reward. …
As part of their employer responsibilities, departments are delegated the authority to set pay for their staff below SCS level. Each department sets its own pay structure which defines pay rates for each grade. Annual pay increases are governed by …
Civil service pay for almost all grades has seen a long-term decline. Since 2013, civil service median pay has decreased in real terms for all grades apart from the most junior grade (Administrative Assistant).28 The Cabinet Office recognised that declining …
Other longstanding civil service pay issues include the existence of pay disparities between departments for staff at the same grade level. For example, differences between the higher executive officer (HEO) pay band at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural …
Departments vary quite substantially in their approaches to performance-related pay, including how much they spend on it. For example, departmental per-head spending on performance-related pay in 2021–22 ranged from £13 to £1,366 per employee, for staff 27 C&AG’s Report, para …
This document has been submitted to the Senior Salaries Review Body for the 2024 to 2025 pay round.
Evidence submitted to the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) by the Department of Health and Social Care for the 2024 to 2025 pay round.
HM Treasury’s Economic Evidence for all OME’s Pay Review Bodies as part of the 2024-25 pay round.
CDDO told us that government can offer interesting and rewarding opportunities, and the possibility for digital career progression up to levels of seniority that were almost unheard of several years ago.28 It believes this can make a career in the …
In line with Sir Paul Nurse’s recommendations for greater flexibility on pay with conditions for Public Sector Research Establishments, we recommend that a consistent set of pay flexibilities should be applied to public bodies in the sector with financial discipline …
The Government should assess the impact of further salary increases on recruitment targets for STEM subjects with particularly acute shortages; and detail its findings in its response to this Report. It should also tell us what further interventions are planned …
We are seeking views on a new administrative control process for public sector exit payments over £95,000, and amendments to the process for special severance payments.
That this House supports the Public and Commercial Services union’s demand for a fair pay rise for civil servants; expresses concern that, with general inflation at a 40-year high of around ten per cent, the Government’s proposal to give its …
We are seeking views on a new administrative control process for public sector exit payments over £95,000, and amendments to the process for special severance payments.
NHS England employs 104,000 people in adult social care jobs. NHS England must undertake a review of pay in their social care jobs. In the review, NHS health and social care roles must be compared based on the skills, competencies, …
The number of academy trusts paying at least one individual above £150,000 increased to 473 trusts (17% of trusts) in 2019/20, from 340 trusts (12%) in 2018/19. Almost two- thirds of trusts (1,772; 64%) in 2019/20 reported paying at least …
The Department cannot say when it will implement its commitment to a starting salary of £30,000 for new teachers. In September 2019, the Government set out its intention that salaries for new teachers would rise to £30,000 by September 2022, …
In September 2019, the Government set out its intention that salaries for new teachers would rise to £30,000 nationally by September 2022. It stated that this increase would make teacher pay among the most competitive in the graduate labour market.46 …
The Department said that it remained committed to the £30,000 starting salary for teachers. It explained that it had had to adjust the rate of progress towards this based on conversations with HM Treasury and on the wider context. It …
In its written evidence, the National Association of Head Teachers emphasised the need to improve salaries for teachers and school leaders as a critical element of any strategy to resolve the “longstanding recruitment and retention crisis”. It said that schools …
HM Treasury assessment of the equalities impacts of the public sector pay policy announced at Spending Review 2020
The civil service struggles to attract and retain specialist staff. Since 2010 the civil service has been subject to pay restrictions, which have limited its ability to offer progressive pay packages to staff. Areas such as Digital and Commercial have …
The Cabinet Office recognised that rules introduced in 2010 on civil service pay make it difficult to attract and retain skilled specialists in some areas.15 Some skills, such as the ability to lead large projects, are particularly scarce. The Cabinet …
Some functions, such as the Commercial function, have introduced pay flexibility in order to try and increase recruitment of specialists. The Cabinet Office told us that the use of flexibilities in the Government Commercial Organisation had been an effective way …
Pay flexibilities can however lead to disparities in specialist pay, which can create an internal market between departments for those with specialist skills. To tackle this, the Cabinet Office explained how it is managing the issue. For senior civil service …
Seeking views on the proposed draft regulations.
Seeking views on the proposed draft regulations.
Seeking views on the proposed draft regulations.
That this House cautiously welcomes the long over-due pay rise of 3.5 per cent for teachers and other public sector workers, many of whom have faced real-term cuts to their wages in recent years; notes, however, that teachers in Wales …
A consultation to inform the Major Review of the Judicial Salary Structure being conducted by the Review Body on Senior Salaries.
A consultation to inform the Major Review of the Judicial Salary Structure being conducted by the Review Body on Senior Salaries.
In response to: Indexation and equalisation of GMP in public service pension schemes
Details of the government’s policy on public sector pay policy.
The government is consulting on options to make public sector exit compensation terms fairer and more consistent.
The government is consulting on options to make public sector exit compensation terms fairer and more consistent.
In response to: Consultation on a Public Sector Exit Payment Cap
Consulting on proposed legislation for a £95,000 total value on exit payments in public sector employment.
This consultation seeks views on the government’s plans to legislate for the recovery of exit payments when high earners return to the same part of the public sector within twelve months of leaving.
The government is consulting on options to make public sector exit compensation terms fairer and more consistent.
Consulting on proposed legislation for a £95,000 total value on exit payments in public sector employment.
Consulting on proposed legislation for a £95,000 total value on exit payments in public sector employment.
This consultation seeks views on the government’s plans to legislate for the recovery of exit payments when high earners return to the same part of the public sector within twelve months of leaving.
This consultation seeks views on the government’s plans to legislate for the recovery of exit payments when high earners return to the same part of the public sector within twelve months of leaving.