London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 15, 2026

Teachers, police officers, nurses: What pay rise are they getting?

Teachers, police officers, nurses: What pay rise are they getting?

The government could be on a collision course with millions of public sector workers after announcing this year's pay awards.

Pay deals covering 2.5 million workers, including teachers and NHS staff in England, and police in England and Wales, have been published.

Unions attacked the deals, saying they amounted to real-terms cuts that do not reflect the rising cost of living.

So who has been given what?


Teachers

Schools in England could find themselves caught up in industrial action after the biggest education union said it would ballot teachers.

Pay for most teachers in England will rise by 5% from September this year, an increase from the initial offer of 3% for 2022-23.

Teachers with more than five years experience will get £2,100 on the average salary of £42,400.

For teachers in the first years of their career the increase is bigger - 8.9% - but only because of a long-standing promise to raise the starting salary to £30,000 in England by September 2023.

This was a promise made long before the current cost-of-living crisis.

All of this has to be paid for by schools out of existing budgets. Schools in England are getting more cash, but after a long squeeze on their budgets many are worried about other cost pressures, such as rising energy bills.

The National Education Union has said it will ballot teachers over the 5% pay award, raising the prospect of industrial action in schools later this year.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the union, said the "biggest real-terms pay cut in a generation" left them with no choice but to seek the views of teachers.

The other main teaching union, NASUWT, said it was dismayed and would consider how to respond. The last national dispute over teachers' pay was in 2008.


Doctors, nurses and NHS staff

It looks unlikely that the pay award for NHS will be enough for staff - their unions had been looking for above-inflation rises. The Royal College of Nursing asked for 5% above inflation, which at the time of asking equated to a 12.5% hike.

It responded immediately, warning the government was making a "grave misstep" and it would be consulting its members.

Meanwhile, the joint group of NHS unions, which represent other staff including midwives, physios and porters, said a pay award like this would be "nowhere near enough".

The British Medical Association has yet to respond, but has already warned it was preparing to ballot junior doctors if more significant pay rises were not made.

As they agreed a four-year pay deal in 2019 when inflation was much lower, they are only entitled to just over 2% this year - not the 4.5% more senior doctors will receive.


But beyond the threat of industrial action there is another problem for ministers.

The NHS budget was settled on the expectation that staff would only get 3% and therefore this award would add nearly £2bn extra to the costs the health service faces.

Managers are warning that unless that is covered by the Treasury, services will have to be cut.


Police and prison staff

With the government committed to employing thousands more police and prison officers, the real-terms pay cut for public sector workers in the criminal justice system will make those ambitions more challenging.

Police officers are to receive a £1,900 salary uplift - equivalent to a 5% overall pay award.

For new recruits, the increase is worth 8.8%, and ministers will be hoping that is enough to attract the 8,000 extra officers they are planning for this financial year.

For some more senior staff, the award is worth less than 1%.

Prison staff are to receive a base pay increase of at least 4%, but as with the police, new recruits will get more, around £2,500 extra. There is a plan to recruit an additional 5,000 prison officers in the next two years.

The courts system is under huge pressure at the moment, but Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has agreed only to increase the pay of judicial office holders by 3%.

Data published by the Office for National Statistics hours before the pay awards were announced show record levels of vacancies in public administration - 39,000 empty jobs in a sector which includes police and prison officers, as well as courts staff.

Competition for recruitment will be intense.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Forget Tinder: The Surprising Platform Where People Find Love
Harvard Astrophysicist to Lead U.S. Scientific Advisory on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
On the Island That Did Not Yield to Trump, There Is No Electricity, and 10 Million Live in Darkness
Emergency Sirens Activated Across Bahrain as Interior Ministry Issues Shelter Directives
Key Trends to Watch
United Nations Expert Calls for Full Implementation of Supreme Court Ruling on Legal Definition of Sex
Industry Coalition Urges Labour Lawmakers to Back Continued North Sea Oil and Gas Production
Parliamentary Committee Calls for Tougher Restrictions on Unhealthy Food Advertising
Government Expands Awaab's Law to Cover Heat and Additional Housing Hazards
Energy Regulator Opens Independent Investigation Into National Grid Operator
United Kingdom and European Union Sign Landmark Gibraltar Border Agreement
Chancellor Unveils Financial Services Reform and Artificial Intelligence Strategy at Mansion House
Counterterrorism Police Take Over Investigation Into Killing of Former Minister Ann Widdecombe
Beer Industry Warns UK Rules Could Limit Growth of Alcohol-Free Market
Home Office Faces Legal Challenges Over Asylum Seeker Accommodation Closures
UK Heatwaves Linked to More Than Two Thousand Seven Hundred Deaths as Climate Debate Intensifies
Home Secretary Faces Pressure Over Political Security After Ann Widdecombe Murder Investigation
United Kingdom Opens Trade Consultation With Indonesia, Philippines, United Arab Emirates and Uruguay
Robert Jenrick Joins Reform UK After Leaving Conservative Party Leadership Role
Counter-Terrorism Police Take Over Investigation into Murder of Former MP Ann Widdecombe
Andy Burnham Secures Strong Labour Backing in Race to Succeed Keir Starmer
Global Markets Slide as Middle East Conflict Escalation Sends Oil Prices Higher
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Offers Condolences Following Death of Qatar’s Father Amir
UK Regional Innovation Policy Focuses on Research Clusters Across Scotland, Wales, and Northern England
UK Corporate Transparency Rules Set to Become More Strict Under Modern Slavery Reform Plans
UK Civil Service Estate Strategy Shifts Government Activity Away From London
UK Strengthens National Security Powers Through New Threat Designations
Greater Manchester Police Conduct Drink and Drug Driving Operations After Football Events
UK Government Advances Darlington Economic Campus With Construction Milestone
UK Authorities Increase Football-Related Security Operations After Tournament Fixtures
UK Invests Fifty-One Million Pounds in National Cryogenics Facility and Regional Innovation Hubs
UK Moves Toward Tougher Modern Slavery Reporting Rules With Corporate Penalties
UK Government Reports Forty-Three Million Pounds in Savings From Office Estate Reform
UK Government Expands Civil Service Regional Strategy With Manchester and Darlington Campus Projects
UK Designates Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as National Security Threat
United Kingdom Financial Markets Monitor Business Response to Economic Policy Changes
Scottish Renewable Energy Expansion Highlights Need for Faster Grid Development
Wales and Regions Strengthen Focus on Economic Development Through Tourism and Investment
Retail Industry Warns High Street Businesses Remain Under Pressure
Police Chiefs Highlight Growing Challenges Managing Protests and Public Order
Agriculture Leaders Seek Clarity on Post-Brexit Farming Support and Environmental Rules
Transport Unions Warn of Further Industrial Action Over Pay and Working Conditions
Welsh Tourism Sector Reports Strong Growth Driven by Domestic and International Visitors
National Infrastructure Review Gains Support as Leaders Seek Faster Project Delivery
Financial Markets Assess Impact of United Kingdom Corporate Tax Policy Changes
Northern Ireland Assembly Debates Cross-Border Trade and Infrastructure Cooperation Plans
Government Opens Consultations on Housing Reform and Planning System Changes
Scottish Government Faces Pressure to Accelerate Offshore Wind and Grid Expansion
National Energy System Operator Warns Grid Investment Is Needed for Future Electricity Demand Growth
United Kingdom Research Council Invests in Artificial Intelligence and Biotechnology Innovation Hubs
×