Mileage Rates

Mileage Rates As fuel prices rise Essex County Council is still paying the 40p rate per mile that ensures that mileage payments are not taxed. ECC Chief Exec Jo Killian announced a review of this as well as the practice of paying less to those attending training courses. The result was that the training rate has been abolished (and not a moment too soon.) but Revenue and Customs will not change the so called 'AMAP' 40p rate.

UNISON's national delegate conference in June agreed to lobby government to change the AMAP rate. Perhaps ECC should press the national employers to join in this effort.

Earlier UNISON's Eastern Regional Office issued the following press release:

• LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORKERS IN THE EAST DEMAND FAIR CAR RATES

UNISON, the UK’s largest public sector union, is today (12 June) demanding that local government employers reopen talks on car allowances given recent hikes in the cost of petrol and diesel.

Local government staff including environmental health officers, surveyors, home carers and social workers who use their cars for work are subsidizing their employers by making up the shortfall between their mileage allowance and the cost of fuel.

The call for action comes as UNISON is balloting nearly 900,000 local government members across the UK for strike action over below inflation pay offers. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, local government workers have been offered 2.45%, and in Scotland the offer is 2.5% for each of the next 3 years, with no re-opener clause.

Ian Barber, UNISON Head of Local Government for the Eastern Region, said:

“Communities rely on local government staff such as social workers, environmental health officers, home care workers and surveyors doing their jobs, but they are being forced to subsidise their employers to carry out these vital roles. Our members have not received an increase in their mileage allowance, but the money they have to spend to pay for their cars has skyrocketed.

I have, only this week, been contacted by a teaching assistant who is being forced to spend an ever increasing proportion of their £800.00 a month take home pay to subsidise her 400 miles a month travel costs just to enable her to continue doing her job”

He goes on to say - “Local government staff are worst placed to cope with these extra costs. After putting up with ten years of below inflation pay deals, they have yet another miserly offer on the table. Many of our members are lying awake at night, worrying about which red bill to pay next. They are fed up of constantly being last on the Government list when it comes to doling out a pay rise, it is time the employers listened to common sense.”

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