Unite Ballots Council Housing Workers Over Pay at Seven English Councils

Unite the Union has started a formal process to ballot council housing maintenance workers at seven local authorities in England about possible strike action regarding pay.

The ballot follows a pay offer from the Local Government Association, which Unite describes as unsatisfactory and imposed without negotiations. Workers at councils including Stoke-on-Trent and Dudley are among those being asked to vote on whether to proceed with industrial action.

The initial group of councils involved in the ballot also includes Durham, Leeds, Southwark, Newham, and Bristol. Unite is focusing on staff in housing maintenance roles at these authorities as part of the current action.

The union has set the ballot period to begin on 19 February 2026 and close on 26 March 2026. This timeframe gives eligible workers several weeks to participate in the vote on potential strike action.

What the numbers show

• The pay offer in dispute is a 3.2% increase
• Seven councils are included in the initial ballot
• The ballot opens on 19 February and closes on 26 March 2026

Unite has stated that the 3.2% pay increase was presented by the Local Government Association without prior negotiation. The union has described the offer as unsatisfactory for the affected workers.

Housing maintenance staff at the named councils are being asked by Unite to decide whether to authorise strike action in response to the pay offer. The process is limited to these seven councils for the initial stage of the ballot.

The outcome of the ballot will determine whether industrial action will be pursued by the union members involved. Unite has not announced any further steps beyond the current ballot period as of the latest update.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.