BLACKBURN with Darwen Council has urged the government to end the one per cent pay cap on public sector workers.

It’s chief executive Harry Catherall will now write to Prime Minister Theresa May and chancellor Philip Hammond to ensure that they receive a decent wage.

The borough’s full Council Forum backed a motion moved by Labour councillors Jim Shorrock and Ron Whittle on Thursday night.

It said ‘ if the government can find £1billion to ‘encourage the Democratic Unionist Party to support the Conservative Party in Parliament, it can find the money to pay a decent wage to public sector workers who, on a daily basis,work to provide the vital front-line service that the country depends on’.

Roe Lee ward’s Cllr Whittle said: “Nurses and council workers did not cause the financial banking crisis so why are they still paying for it?

“The government needs to take responsibility and full-fund increases in pay.

“It should not put the burden on public sector employers such as local authorities whose funding has been cut to the bone.”

Cllr John Slater, Conservative group leader, said: “We welcome the DUP’s support of the government so it can get on with Brexit and the other things needed to sort our country out.

“Public sector pay is a matter for the pay review bodies.”

Cllr John Pearson, Tory representative for Livesey with Pleasington, said: “As a former public sector worker, I accept they need to be paid properly but the government has to deal with the deficit in the public finances.”

Liberal Democrat group leader David Foster said: “We support this motion and proper pay for public sector workers.”

The Conservative group abstained in the vote.

Cllr Brian Taylor, Labour representative for Sunnyhurst, accused the Conservatives of abdicating responsibility for their own council’s staff,

He added that the pay freeze was down to ministers not the review bodies,