The East Sussex Council Governance Committee met on 27 August 2025 and agreed to a pay offer for Local Managerial Grade (LMG) Managers for the financial year 2025/26, mirroring the national (NJC) award. The committee also confirmed the minutes of the previous meeting.

LMG Managers Pay 2025/26

The committee resolved to agree the pay offer for LMG Managers for the financial year 2025/26 to mirror the national (NJC) award, as detailed in paragraphs 2.5 and 2.6 of the report.

The Chief Operating Officer presented a report to the committee regarding the pay award for Local Managerial Grade (LMG) Managers for 2025/26. The report sought agreement to make an offer to LMG managers, with the final settlement to be reported back to the committee following negotiations with Unison, the recognised union for pay bargaining on behalf of LMG Managers.

The report highlighted the importance of the national (NJC) pay award in these local negotiations, as decisions on local pay must consider the impact on the wider workforce. It was noted that there is an overlap between LMG1 and the top of the Single Status pay range (SS13), which applies to specialist professional posts like Senior Practitioners/Senior Social Workers in Adult Social Care and Children's Services. The report stated that it is important to maintain comparable levels between these grades.

The national NJC local government services reached a one year pay deal on 23 July 2025 covering the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. The agreement includes:

• a 3.20% increase on all NJC pay points
• a 3.20% increase on all allowances e.g. Standby, Sleep-in
• the deletion of pay point 2 from the NJC pay spine with effect from 1 April 2026

The report included benchmarking data comparing East Sussex County Council's LMG grades with those of neighbouring authorities, such as Brighton & Hove, Kent, Surrey, and West Sussex. The benchmarking showed that 'Operations Managers' and 'Heads of Service' are both below the median range, with 'Team Managers' and 'Assistant Directors' being broadly median/below the median range.

The report recognised the scrutiny on pay for managers, but also emphasised the importance of attracting and retaining high-calibre staff, especially given the current challenges for a number of key posts and the significant financial challenges facing the council. It also noted the critical role played by LMG Managers in ensuring the continued delivery of essential services to the residents of East Sussex.

The estimated impact of mirroring the NJC Pay award to the LMG pay bill is approximately £1.4m per annum including on-costs, which is fully provided for in the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

Temporary Prohibition of Traffic Orders

The Director of Communities, Economy and Transport made several orders under Sections 14(1) and 15(1)(b) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, as amended, to temporarily close roads for works. These orders, which were approved, include:

• The East Sussex (A259 Old London Road, Hastings)(Temporary Prohibition of Traffic) Order 2025, which commenced 27 May 2025 and lasts for 18 months. It is anticipated that works will be undertaken on 2 & 3 July 2025.
• The East Sussex (U7572 Argos Hill Lane, Mayfield)(Temporary Prohibition of Traffic) Order 2025 No.3, which commences 30 June 2025 and lasts for 18 months. It is anticipated that works will be undertaken between 30 June & 10 August 2025.
• The East Sussex (A26 Malling Street / A26 Malling Hill, Lewes)(Temporary Prohibition of Traffic) Order 2025, which commences 24 June 2025 and lasts for 18 months. It is anticipated that works will be undertaken from 20:00hrs to 06:00hrs on 24 & 25 June 2025.
• The East Sussex (A21 Sedlescombe Road North, St Leonards-on-Sea)(Temporary Prohibition of Traffic) Order 2025, which commences 30 June 2025 and lasts for 18 months. It is anticipated that works will be undertaken on 30 June & 1 July 2025.