The public service union UNISON is calling upon Councils and Councillors to support their 2018 pay claim, end the pay cap and ensure that all employees receive at least the national living wage.

We am proud to say that it was the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group who first proposed that all Council staff received at least the national living wage in December 2013, and that this proposal is now Council policy.

We were also proud to back an amendment to a Labour motion at last Council that we support the campaign led by the Royal College of Nurses to ‘Scrap the Cap’ for public sector workers.

For too long now, public sector pay has been held back because of the Conservative Government’s continued obsession with austerity. The Liberal Democrats want to see that changed.

We have seen how much we rely on our Police, Fire Service and NHS to respond selflessly and with courage and professionalism when faced with emergencies such as the MEN Arena terrorist bombing, Grenfell Tower fire and, last week, the Pemberton House siege in Shaw.

But we also continue to rely week in, week out on our Council refuse collectors to take away our rubbish and our care workers to care for our elderly relatives.

And yet all the while this Government short-changes them.  If Theresa May can find £1 billion to bribe Irish Unionists to make an electoral pact with her, she can find the money to pay a decent wage rise to public sector workers.