Local council pay can look confusing because, unlike the NHS, there is no single national grade for a given job title. A "Grade 6" at one council is not the same as a "Grade 6" at another. But almost all councils build their grades on the same national pay spine, so once you understand that, council adverts become easy to compare.
The NJC pay spine (the "Green Book")
Most council staff are employed under the National Joint Council for Local Government Services — the "Green Book". It defines a national pay spine: a long ladder of spinal column points (SCPs), each with a nationally agreed salary. Councils then group ranges of SCPs into their own local grades and assign job titles to those grades through job evaluation.
- A spinal column point (SCP) is a single salary step on the national ladder.
- A grade is a band of SCPs (for example SCP 5–9) that a council defines locally.
- Job evaluation decides which grade a role sits in, based on responsibility, knowledge and working conditions.
Why two councils grade differently
Because each council maps SCPs to its own grade labels, the same role can be "Grade 4" in one authority and "Scale 5" in another while paying almost the same actual salary. That is why you should compare the advertised salary figures and SCP range, not the grade name.
What affects the actual salary
- The SCP range for the grade — always quoted in the advert as a £ range.
- Annual increments: you usually move up one SCP each year until the top of the grade.
- Location: London boroughs and some south-east councils pay above the national spine or add a supplement.
- Senior posts (chief officers) often sit outside the Green Book on locally set "JNC" terms.
Pro-rata and part-time roles
Many council adverts quote the full-time equivalent (FTE) salary even for part-time posts, then say "pro rata". If a role is 18.5 hours against a 37-hour week, you receive half the quoted figure. Check the contracted hours line before judging the pay.
Comparing council jobs on GovJobs
GovJobs normalises council salaries into a consistent range so you can sort and filter across authorities, and we link back to the council's own advert for the exact grade, SCP range and contracted hours. Treat the grade name as local shorthand and the salary range as the real comparison.