The first meeting between the LGA and Prospect ECSG, along with other members of the Soulbury Committee, will be held on 14 May. It will almost certainly be held remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Soulbury Committee, a partnership of unions and the employer body, is the recognised body for the negotiation of pay and conditions of service for local authority educational advisory professionals. Prospect has the largest number of seats on the committee in reference to the large number of Schools Improvement Professionals that the union represents.

Steve Thomas, Prospect national secretary, will play a leading role in the discussions, and he has outlined some of the positions that the ECSG will be looking to push:

• The need to recognise the much heralded increased local government settlement following a decade of under investment

• The reaffirmation of commitment to the Soulbury agreement to ensure that this group of professional workers are properly represented

• That pay for this group has been cut both in real terms and when compared to comparable professionals

Thomas added, “Soulbury professionals have shown their value and commitment, in particular, for their critical contribution in dealing with the impact on schools of Covid-19.

“We are therefore looking for a substantial percentage increase to the scales and to reiterate that these are the pay rates for the job on local authorities, and we believe for this professional community.”