Council offers £40m equality pay

The claim affects workers such as care workers, cooks and cleaners

Cumbria County Council has offered £40m to settle an equal pay claim affecting up to 3,000 women.

The compensation claim was originally launched in 2002 by female workers in low-paid jobs who were paid less than men doing similarly-graded work.

The council's Labour-led cabinet agreed to the offer at a meeting this morning.

Public-service union Unison said the offer will be scrutinised by their legal experts before being put to members.

Council leader Stewart Young said he hoped the offer would lead to the issue being resolved.

The case centres around past and present staff, including care workers, cooks and cleaners.

If accepted, it is thought that the women could receive payouts by early autumn.