Deadline set on council pay deal

The pay deal would affect thousands of council staff

A summer deadline has been set to try to resolve long-running efforts to agree a pay deal for thousands of council staff in south west Scotland.

Dumfries and Galloway Council has approved a "single status" proposal to tackle historic wage inequalities.

Officers said it was the best chance to secure a negotiated agreement with joint trade unions.

A deadline has been set for June to try to bring to an end years of discussions over the deal for council staff.

There have been numerous bids to agree a pay package in recent years.

The council dropped a previous offer last year due to fears it would lead to compensation claims.

However, corporate director Les Jardine said the situation could not be allowed to drag on any longer and set the new deadline.

The move has also been welcomed by trade union representatives who have been working closely with council officials to secure a deal.

They hope to ballot members within the next six weeks.