Local Government (Pay Accountability) Bill

A Bill to make provision about the approval of remuneration paid to local government employees.

Originating House

House of Commons

Parliament last updated

23 September 2024

In Plain English

AI-generated

May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.

The Local Government (Pay Accountability) Bill would set out a formal process for approving pay for local government staff, aiming to make remuneration decisions more open and accountable. A Committee-stage amendment strengthens transparency by ensuring meetings discussing a pay resolution remain open to the public and that information about the resolution cannot be hidden from documents, in line with the Localism Act 2011 rules on openness.

Key Points

Introduces a formal framework for approving remuneration paid to local government employees.
Amendment at Committee stage requires public access to meetings where pay resolutions are discussed and prevents hiding information about those resolutions in documents, referencing Localism Act 2011 section 39A(1) and (2).
Amendment was proposed by Conservative MP Paul Bristow and agreed in Committee, signalling support for greater openness in local pay decisions.
Emphasises transparency and accountability in local government pay decisions, potentially limiting opaque handling of remuneration.
Bill remains at Committee stage in the Commons with further stages (Report, Third Reading) to come.

Progress

The bill is in Committee stage in the Commons. An amendment strengthening public access to pay-related meetings and documents has been agreed, and the bill will proceed to later stages (Report, Third Reading) and then to the Lords if it progresses.

Who is affected?

Local government employees whose pay is subject to approvalLocal authorities and council staff involved in setting remunerationLocal residents and taxpayers concerned with openness of local governanceThe general public with an interest in transparency of local pay decisions

Generated 21 February 2026

Bill Stages

1st readingCommons

11 Dec 2023

2nd readingCommons

1 Mar 2024

Committee stageCommons

22 May 2024

Report stageCommons

3rd readingCommons

1st readingLords

2nd readingLords

Committee stageLords

Report stageLords

3rd readingLords

Royal Assent

Amendments (1)

1 agreed

Showing agreed, defeated, and withdrawn amendments.

Updates & Documents

News (1)

Local Government (Pay Accountability) Bill

23 May 2024

The dissolution of Parliament took place on Thursday 30 May 2024. All business in the House of Commons and House of Lords has come to an end and this bill will make no further progress.