Lib Dems would give £527 pay rise to nurses, teachers and police in Rugby

Liberal Democrats have announced they would end years of pay restraint for nurses, teachers and police in Warwickshire by lifting the 1% cap on public sector pay and increases wages in line with inflation.

Under Liberal Democrat plans, the 5,126 teachers working in Warwickshire would get an average pay rise of £895 by 2021, while the 853 police working for Warwickshire Police would see their pay boosted by £471.

The plans would also lead to an estimated pay rise of £527 for the 1,925 nurses working in Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust by 2021, helping to tackle the shortage of nurses and potential strikes over pay this summer.

In contrast, the Conservative's public sector pay cap combined with rising inflation since the Brexit vote will mean that by 2021, the average nurse will be nearly £4,000 worse off.

The announcement comes as a survey by the Royal College of Nursing has revealed nine out of 10 nursing leaders say they are worried about their ability to recruit nurses and that there are an estimated 40,000 nursing vacancies in the NHS.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Rugby & Bulkington, Jerry Roodhouse, said:

"The NHS and our schools are struggling to recruit the staff they need and rising inflation not helped by Brexit means that prices in the shops are rising and living standards are falling. It's also been reported in the news that nurses are going to food banks just to get by. This is terrible and Theresa May doesn't seem to want to do anything about it. The Liberal Democrats believe a better future is possible. We will stand up for our schools and hospitals and give hard-working nurses, teachers and police the pay rise they deserve."