So, now, at last, there is some hard information to inform the great debate about jobs and non-jobs, front and back-office roles and 'fat cat' salaries in local government. Described as summarising the 'best and most up-to-date' data, the Local Government Group has published a pay and workforce report which fleshes out much of the fine detail of those who work for councils in England and Wales. Overall, the research dispels many of the myths about council pay levels and, drilling down further into the data, it also reveals that councils have an exemplary record on equal pay and in maintaining a balanced age profile among staff. The report shows that councils were rather swift to respond to the economic downturn and start of the recession, with a steady reduction in council staff levels - tumbling by 15,700 full-time equivalent staff in 2008 to stand at 1,099,500 by September 2010, the cut off date for the latest official figures.
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