MD3388 2025-26 pay award for the GLA’s Mayoral Appointees and Statutory Officers

1.1.    On 12 November 2024 the GLA made an offer of a 2.5 per cent increase to all posts at Grades 1- 15 and spot rates (excluding the London Living Wage spot rate, whose increase is determined separately), in line with the resources identified for the annual pay award in the GLA’s draft budget, 2025-26. 

1.2.    The funding available for the pay award was determined in the GLA budget in the context of enormous financial pressures across the GLA Group, not least in the Metropolitan Police Service, TfL and the London Fire Brigade. The Chief Officer was not willing to consider leaving posts unfilled or deleting posts to free up resources for a higher offer. 

1.3.    Through subsequent discussions with UNISON, the Chief Officer agreed to include the following provisions in any revised offer:

•    an increase to the current sick leave entitlement under the Sickness and Absence policy from four months full pay and four months half pay to six months full pay and six months half pay for eligible employees on successful completion of their probation period
•    a commitment to work collaboratively with UNISON in 2025-26 to assess the GLA’s maternity leave provisions and other family friendly policies and other related benefits
•    the creation of a joint working group to understand the travel costs which UNISON members incur in travelling to and from work and whether any actions could be taken to reduce the burden of these costs.

1.4.    UNISON proposed a tiered pay offer; however, the GLA maintained that the approach agreed and taken for the 2024-25 pay award – applying a uniform pay award across all grades in advance of the implementation of our new Job Families framework – would best preserve existing grade relativities.  

1.5.    The Chief Officer’s final formal offer to UNISON for the 2025-26 pay award was made on 9 April 2025. It was a 2.5 per cent pay award to Grades 1-15 and spot rates (excluding the London Living Wage spot rate, whose increase is determined separately), with the inclusion of the provisions mentioned in paragraph 1.3, and with the following additional provision:

•    a £500 non-consolidated award to members of staff employed on 31 March 2025 on Grades 1-6 or on the London Living Wage spot rate (pro-rated for part-time staff based on their working pattern as at 31 March 2025).

1.6.    UNISON balloted its members on this offer from 14 April 2025 to 25 April 2025 and informed the GLA on 30 April 2025 that their members accepted this offer.

1.7.    The Mayor and the London Assembly were provided with a report on the Chief Officer’s proposal (Appendix 1).

1.8.    Final agreement on the GLA staff pay award has been confirmed via CO817 (Appendix 2).

1.9.    The pay award for all staff whose pay award is determined by the Chief Officer will be implemented in the 11 June 2025 payroll, backdated to 1 April 2025.

1.10.    There are two groups of staff whose pay awards are not included in the Chief Officer’s decision: the 13 Mayoral Appointees whose pay awards and other benefit changes are the decision of the Mayor; and the three Statutory Officers whose pay awards and other benefit changes are a joint decision of the Mayor and the London Assembly. This Mayoral Decision deals with the pay award to these two groups.
 

2.1.    Under section 70(1) of the GLA Act, the Mayor must determine the pay award for the 13 Mayoral Appointees. The London Assembly and the Mayor, acting jointly, must determine the pay award and other benefit changes for the GLA’s Statutory Officers in line with sections 72 (Head of Paid Service), 73 (Monitoring Officer) and 127A (Chief Finance Officer) of the GLA Act. The GLA’s Chief Officer holds the post of Head of Paid Service, and the Chief Finance Officer holds the post of statutory Chief Finance Officer. 

2.2.    The 2025-26 pay award proposed for the Mayoral Appointees and Statutory Officers is an increase of 2.5 per cent, which is the same as that being awarded to all other GLA staff on Grades 1-15 and spot rates. 
 

3.1.    The pay award applied to the Mayoral Appointees and Statutory Officers is based on a standard percentage increase of 2.5 per cent. Therefore, no negative impacts upon any of the recipients are expected. By applying the same percentage increase across the board there is no disproportionate impact on any member of the group with a protected characteristic.

4.1.    The sponsoring Assistant Director for this decision is the Assistant Director, Financial Services, as the Chief Officer and the Chief Finance Officer have a conflict of interest.

4.2.    Every Mayoral Appointee is impacted by this decision, and therefore has a potential conflict. Accordingly, it has been reviewed by the Chief of Staff based on the instruction of the Mayor.

4.3.    The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) is employed by MOPAC and therefore not subject to this GLA decision. MOPAC’s policy is that the DMPC should be paid the same as other GLA full-time Deputy Mayors and MOPAC is therefore expected to adopt the same salary increase for the DMPC.
 

5.1.    A sum of £3.132 million has been provided for in the GLA’s 2025-26 budget for a pay award for all staff. 

5.2.    The proposals recommended in this paper are contained within this financial envelope, which was formally approval by the Mayor as part of the GLA: Mayor budget for 2025-26.
 

6.1.    The Mayor and the London Assembly, acting jointly, have the power to determine remuneration for the three Statutory Officers, as part of their contractual terms and conditions, in accordance with sections 72(1C), 73(1C) and 127A(3) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (as amended) and section 5.1 of the Statutory Officer Protocol. 

6.2.    The Mayor’s approval to changes to the remuneration of the Statutory Officers must be given via a Mayoral Decision Form. The full London Assembly must decide any changes to the Statutory Officers’ terms and conditions. 

6.3.    By adopting the Statutory Officer Protocol, the Mayor and the London Assembly jointly agreed that, as a matter of principle, the standard terms and conditions that apply to all staff appointed by the Head of Paid Service should normally also apply to the three Statutory Officers.

6.4.    Under section 70(1) of the GLA Act, the Mayor has the power to determine the remuneration of the 13 Mayoral Appointees appointed by him under section 67(1) of the GLA Act.