Councils are losing ground to the NHS in the competition for social workers because of their different pay setting arrangements, the Local Government Association has warned.
NHS social workers in England have received a 5.5% rise in 2024-25, compared with an offer of roughly 3-4% for counterparts in the majority of local authorities, a proposal that has prompted ballots for strike action by two of the three unions representing staff.
While pay settlements for NHS and council practitioners were more similar in 2023-24, the LGA said the disparity this year was indicative of local government’s deteriorating competitiveness on salary compared with the health service.
Pay setting disparities
It attributed this to the different ways in which pay is set in the two sectors.
In the NHS, as in many other parts of the public sector, ministers set annual salary increases based on recommendations from independent pay review bodies and generally provide employers with the budget to deliver these.
In contrast, council pay, in most areas, is set by collective bargaining between employer and union representatives, with settlements limited by local government budgets and the pressure on authorities to respond to increases in the national living wage (NLW).
National Living Wage pressures
With the national wage floor having risen by roughly 10% in each of the past two years, councils have had to concentrate rises on the lowest paid, who earn just above the NLW, leaving less for those higher up the salary scale, including social workers.
The situation is particularly problematic in social work because the profession has consistently been cited by authorities as their biggest recruitment and retention challenge.
“With two of the nationally recognised trade unions announcing formal ballots for industrial action in response to the national employers’ offer, it is imperative that decisions made regarding funding for one group of public sector workers who are subject to pay review bodies are not at the expense of another group whose pay is set through collective bargaining,” said the association.
Ironically, the LGA’s argument echoes one made in the past by Cafcass, about the inferior pay settlements it has been able to give staff compared with local authorities because of different pay setting arrangements.
The LGA made the comments in a submission to the Treasury designed to influence next month’s Budget – which will set government funding levels for 2025-26 – and the 2025 spending review, which is expected to set spending limits for the subsequent three years.
Social work pay in councils and the NHS in England
- NHS social workers’ pay is rising by 5.5% in 2024-25.
- For most council social workers, their pay rise will be determined by the annual National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services settlement.
- This year, NJC employers have offered staff up to pay point 43 (minimum salary: £51,515) outside of London a rise of £1,290, with those higher up the pay scale offered 2.5%.
- Staff in outer London are being offered £1,491 up to pay point 48 (minimum rate: £59,328), with those in inner London offered £1,575 up to pay point 50 (£62,457), with 2.5% for those on bigger salaries.
- For a newly qualified social worker outside of London on the minimum of pay point 23 (£32,076), the proposal is worth 4%.
- For a more experienced social worker outside of the capital on the minimum of pay point 30 (£38,223), it is worth 3.4%.
- For a social worker in outer London on the minimum of point 30 (£40,833), it is worth 3.6%.
- For a practitioner in inner London the minimum of point 30 (£41,967), it is worth 3.75%.
- For a senior social worker outside London on the bottom of pay point 35 (£43,421), it is worth 3%.
High social worker vacancy and turnover rates
The LGA’s report highlighted the well-documented challenges councils face in recruiting and retaining children’s social workers, with the full-time equivalent vacancy rate registering 18.9% as of September 2023, and the turnover rate hitting 15.9% in 2022-23.
The LGA also cited social workers’ reported increases in stress and workload levels, as measured by the Department for Education’s longitudinal survey of practitioners in children’s services.
To tackle these issues, the association urged ministers to invest more in the workforce, specifically by:
- Resourcing councils to expand administrative support, supervision capacity and training for children’s social workers.
- Funding training programmes and bursaries to encourage people from other professions to retrain as social workers.
- Spending £500,000 to help 200 former practitioners return to social work, repeating a call the LGA made last year.
The government has signalled that the Budget will be highly challenging for both taxpayers and public services because of the state of the nation’s finances.
Councils’ mounting funding gap driven by social care, says LGA
But, citing data it had released previously, the LGA said councils needed an additional £4.7bn, including £3.4bn for social care, in 2025-26, compared with 2024-25, to maintain services at current levels. In 2026-27, they would need an extra £8.9bn, including £6.3bn for social care, compared with 2024-25, the association claimed.
The money would be needed to manage increased placement costs for looked-after children, rising demand for, and costs of, adult social care services, rises in the NLW and mounting expenditure on special educational needs and disability services.
However, on current projections, increased income for councils would not be sufficient to keep pace with these pressures, leaving authorities with a funding gap of £2.3bn in 2025-26 and £3.9bn in 2026-27, the LGA claimed.
The association said this meant that councils needed “a significant and sustained increase in overall funding”.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 
Hampshire County Council 
Oxfordshire County Council 
South Gloucestershire Council 
Wokingham Borough Council 
Webinar: building a practice framework with the influence of practitioner voice 
‘They don’t have to retell their story’: building long-lasting relationships with children and young people 
Podcast: returning to social work after becoming a first-time parent 
How managers are inspiring social workers to progress in their careers 
Workforce Insights – showcasing a selection of the sector’s top recruiters 
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
Instagram
As someone who wrote a booklet in 2020 about how to care for and support mental heath social workers in the NHS and with other employers, I don’t think it is just about money ( although that is really important!). It is also about professional freedom and respect. The NHS (and other employers like the private sector or VCSE) allows social workers to undertake a range of roles and seems to really value SW expertise and training. In some councils, social workers are working to a very strict personalisation or care act assessment agenda when they often have a lot more skills. In addition far too many are dragged through overlong disciplinary processes or not allowed to do additional post qualification training eg to MA or PHD level. Councils need to compete for social workers time and energy and career satisfaction and in some areas integration with other endives is the answer. Time to get creative!
Pay rises for social workers are a joke over the past 10 years. I’ve never had so much work in my career and feel like a mug compared to other professions who are getting 10% pay increases.
It is the final straw (of many many straws) that makes me want to leave the profession for something far less busy/stressful that pays better.
The culture in the NHS for black social workers is far kinder than in councils. I qualified in 2019, from my first job in 2020. I worked for 4 local authorities and 2 NHS Trusts.
I got to senior manager in adult social care. Very rare for a black man. In Local Authorities, they want to operate like the private sector, kpi focused, money saving takes priority, performance management is priority.
I got performance managed out of my first manager job in a council. My service manager felt I got to where I was too quickly. I am in my 30s. The problem with social work is that there are these dinosaur service managers (white, middle class, middle-aged) typical mold plaguing social work with their own selfish ambitions to appease heads of service.
I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE NEWLY QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORKERS TO JOIN THE NHS.
As a black man, greater career prospects, opportunity to express and be yourself. More importantly make a difference to the lives of people. I actually look forward to going to work every day in my job in the NHS.
What we need is our own pay scales and to come out of the green book arrangements, i asked my union about this and was shot down saying its not in our interests as its better for the union to have strength in numbers. Instead theyre tring to get job evaluations agreed for across whole of wales so at least the same job in every authority is paid the same!
Why is this bad? Do you really think you can negotiate your own personal pay with your employer? Who by the way doesn’t know nor wants to know about you individually.
I URGE ALL NEWLY QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORKERS TO JOIN THE NHS. I URGE ALL LOCAL AUTHORITY/COUNCIL SOCIAL WORKERS TO JOIN THE NHS.
My first job in 2020 was with a council, but had an honorary contract with the NHS under sect 75 agreement. I saw clearly the NHS cares more about their staff than councils do.
I moved to another council, my goodness me even worst lasted, 6 months, again rotten culture. I then got my first team leader job. Yay! In the NHS! Loved every moment.
18 months later, I decided to give it a go in Adult Social Care (Older Persons Team). First Senior Manager Post.
I lasted 9 months. I was put on a performance management plan. My opinion as to why? I am black in my 30s, and far from middle class. I know right not the typical middle-age, middle class, white comrades who dominate senior positions.
I am back in the NHS where I belong I will never go back to Council.
Councils are focused on key performance indicators, my former manager told me “We have a business to run”. Wow, I thought I joined the public sector. In Adult Social Care, they are focused on saving money.
Staff wellbeing comes last. I am seriously considering doing my diploma in nursing part-time. The public are happy to see Nurses at their front Door Not a social worker. Social workers don’t get their lunch break, don’t finish on time and constantly burnout. THERE ARE TOO MANY MANAGERS, NOT ENOUGH LEADERS IN SOCIAL WORK THAT IS THE REASON. Too many donkey dinosaur managers blocking up the leadership ladder just to top up their pension pot.
The reason why nothing has changed since the death of Victoria Climbie, White Conservatives – middle-aged, brutal managers bullying their staff to think and do more private sector like. Economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Instead of, being out there making a difference in the community.
I believe the opportunity to develop in your role, the support around wellbeing and an opportunity to develop your skills and promote your professional identity within a multidisciplinary team goes a long way to encouraging social workers to consider the NHS. We should be celebrating social workers being employed in a range of organisations rather than suggesting it comes down solely to money with an attempt to split the social work profession into LA versus NHS. Social Workers also work in hospices and charities as well as independently.
Well I’m a social worker employed by the NHS. Yes it seems we have better environments and greater autonomy to do our jobs but it’s not all rosy in the NHS either. The zero risk approach is paramount and pressure to discharge relentless. All said though my main reason for staying in the NHS is better pay. Money matters more than some of us like to admit.
Pay is better, working conditions are better, and staff benefits are better. The NHS gets everything whilst local authorities get very little. My equivalent role in the NHS now pays £3500 more. It’s a disgrace!
Ever set foot in a crumbling hospital? Ever tried to use NHS IT? Ever tried to find a clean toilet? Ever tried to speak to the same nurse about a patient more than once? Ever tried to park your car in an NHS car park? Ever been berated by an NHS manager who thinks social workers are a waste of his/her resources. Pay settlement was higher for NHS staff but that’s about it. Stop pitching worker against worker, that’s the game loved by managers as it’s the resentment which keeps us being compliant and complicit in our own exploitation. What are the better NHS staff benefits by the way?
I’ll stick to local government thank you. You just have to find a good one.