High Peak Liberal Democrats

Lib Dems would give £527 pay rise to nurses in Lincolnshire to address staffing shortages

Liberal Democrats have announced they would end years of pay restraint for nurses, teachers and police in Lincolnshire by lifting the 1% cap on public sector pay and increases wages in line with inflation.

Under Liberal Democrat plans, the 6,530 teachers working in Lincolnshire would get an average pay rise of £893 by 2021, while the 1,060 police working for Lincolnshire Police Force would see their pay boosted by £471.

The plans would also lead to an estimated pay rise of £527 for the nearly 3,000 nurses working in Lincolnshire by 2021, helping to tackle the shortage of nurses and potential strikes over pay this summer.

In contrast, the Conservative's public sector pay cap combined with rising inflation since the Brexit vote will mean that by 2021, the average nurse will be nearly £4000 worse off.

The announcement comes as a survey by the Royal College of Nursing has revealed nine out of 10 nursing leaders say they are worried about their ability to recruit nurses and that there are an estimated 40,000 nursing vacancies in the NHS.

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Grantham and Stamford, Anita Day, commented:

"Public sector workers in Lincolnshire are facing a double blow at the hands of this Conservative government, with years of pitiful increases to pay combined with a Brexit squeeze caused by soaring inflation.

"Our NHS and schools are already struggling to recruit the staff they need.

"Living standards are falling, prices are rising and nurses are going to food banks - but Theresa May doesn't care.

"A better future is possible. The Liberal Democrats will stand up for our schools and hospitals and give hard-working nurses, teachers and police the pay rise they deserve."

The Conservative Government have imposed a cap on public sector pay of 1% for each year between 2015 and 2019. They have given no indication that this policy will change. This means that public sector salaries are falling behind inflation - a real terms cut. The cap will mean that the average nurse will be around £4000 worse off by 2021.

The Liberal Democrats would remove the 1% cap on pay rises in the public sector. Instead wages would increase in line with the Consumer Price Index. Based on the Office of Budgetary Responsibility's inflation forecasts, this would mean a pay rise of £779 for the average public sector worker, £527 for a nurses and £471 for police.

These plans will be fully costed in the Liberal Democrat manifesto, which will be launched in due course

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