Broken pay system at Natural England poses risks to net zero and biodiversity targets

Broken pay system at Natural England poses risks to net zero and biodiversity targets - Prospect Trade Union

A new report by Prospect trade union has found that Natural England’s broken pay system is threatening its ability to attract and retain highly-skilled and committed staff.

Prospect’s members in Natural England provide a vital public service, stewarding England’s natural environment, halting biodiversity decline and playing a crucial role in helping the Government to meet its net zero target.

Natural England’s staff are highly skilled experts committed to leaving the natural world in a better state than it is today. Their role impacts on citizens, industry and agriculture. Despite this important remit, they face the lowest starting salaries in Defra and excessively long pay scales that inhibit pay progression.

Prospect’s report found that:

Natural England starting salaries are by far the lowest in Defra, and significantly lower than equivalents in the private and charity sectors, to the tune of thousands of pounds.
Natural England has by far the longest pay scales, but individuals have no hope of progressing through these as a result of a decade of government-imposed pay restraint.
Natural England salaries have fallen 20% in real terms over the last decade.
Two-thirds of Natural England’s workforce currently languish below the mid-points in their scales, not even near the target rate for their job, including staff with over 15 years of experience.
Equal pay has become a problem with widespread cases of men being paid more than women for doing similar jobs – despite promises this has not been resolved.

The State of Natural England 2022 report can be downloaded here.