Coventry City Council has set aside £9m a year over the next three years to cover the potential financial impact of ongoing equal pay claims from female employees.
Hundreds of staff have lodged claims since 2022, backed by the trade unions Unite the Union and GMB Union. The claims relate to alleged disparities between roles traditionally dominated by men and those carried out mainly by women.
The council’s cabinet member for finance, Richard Brown, said the authority was taking a precautionary approach by recognising the potential financial risk in its medium-term planning.
He said the funding provision was part of a ‘forward-thinking’ approach to financial management and risk identification.
Brown added he was confident the situation was under control but acknowledged the need to prepare for possible liabilities as discussions around the claims continue.
The MJ last year reported that the city council could face an equal pay bill of more than £30m.
A budget report for 2026-27 stated: ‘Given the significant uncertainty around whether a financial obligation exists, or the value of any obligation, we are not at this point able to make any accurate financial assumptions in the medium-term financial strategy. We are however, acting prudently with a strategy of building reserves should a liability be the eventual outcome.’
A Coventry City Council spokesperson said: ‘There was an equal pay preliminary hearing held on 2 March, with a further two preliminary hearings taking place in June and September ahead of the full hearing which is set for 2 November. A preliminary hearing is part of the standard tribunal process in readiness for the full hearing. The tribunal process commenced some time ago and a lot of work has been done to prepare for the hearing including careful financial planning for a range of outcomes.’
