More than 1,000 equal pay claims lodged against the local authority remain unresolved, with officials unable to say how much the cases could cost taxpayers.
The claims have been highlighted by the council’s external auditor, Grant Thornton, which warned that the authority faces ongoing financial uncertainty while legal action continues.
A report presented to councillors said 1,063 claims had been lodged and that any potential liability was currently impossible to calculate.
The claims were first announced by the GMB union in June 2023, although detailed information was not provided until several months later.
Council documents state that the authority believes it has grounds to defend the claims and has sought advice from a King’s Counsel as well as specialist external lawyers.
The report said: ‘The council has continued to take KC (King’s Counsel) advice on equal pay and also on the council’s transgender toolkit and school admissions arrangements.’
It added: ‘The council has a job evaluation scheme against which all jobs are evaluated and keeps under review its pay and allowances structure.
‘The council considers that the claims are defensible and has commissioned external legal advice to undertake the detailed analysis and advise the council on potential defences or any potential risks they may pose.
‘This process is likely to take at least two years. The council does not therefore currently have any reliable data upon which to make any financial assessment or judgement for inclusion in the statement of accounts and therefore has disclosed this issue as a contingent liability.’
The warning comes after Birmingham City Council faced one of the biggest equal pay disputes in local government history. The authority eventually paid £250m to settle claims, although the total liability had initially been estimated at £760m.
Brighton and Hove City Council said it regularly reviews its pay and allowances structure and operates a job evaluation scheme covering all roles.
Separate figures published by the authority show its gender pay gap currently favours women. The council reported a mean gender pay gap of minus 7.9% for 2025-26, with female employees earning an average hourly rate of £20.56 compared with £19.05 for men.
Women make up almost two-thirds of the council’s workforce of about 5,000 employees.
The equal pay claims are expected to remain under legal review for at least the next two years.
Image: Callum Parker/UnSplash
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