IT is time for ministers to end their distortions and deceptions about those murky plans for local pay and be honest with public-sector workers.

In recent weeks, I have listened with mounting astonishment to ever more confusing and conflicting explanations about the Government’s purpose in pursuing these new pay deals.

Suddenly, the buzzwords are “flexibility” and lip-smacking “pay premiums” to tempt badly-needed staff to poorer areas of the country which are struggling to attract them.

This week, health minister Dan Poulter promised a “collaborative relationship”, adding: “Pay flexibility allows additional rewards to be paid to staff in areas with workplace shortages.” Who could possibly complain?

Well, the problem is that the language of “rewards” and “premiums” is a million miles from the harsh realities of the policy announced – almost exactly one year ago – by Chancellor George Osborne.

And, with all due respect to juniors such as Mr Poulter, the all-powerful Treasury is driving this forward, driven by right-wing economics, not altruism.

Mr Osborne could not have been clearer - local pay is essential to hold down high public- sector salaries in the North, which are “crowding out” private firms unable to recruit staff on lower rates.

Therefore, national pay bargaining would be broken up, allowing further freezes for workers in the North, and elsewhere, to undercut an overall one per cent public-sector pay cap over the next two years.

In extraordinary evidence to pay review bodies, Mr Osborne raised the stakes further arguing that lives would saved in the South if only nurses in the North accepted lower pay.

Across-the-board pay levels prevented hospitals from topping up salaries where nurses quit for better-paid private jobs – forcing them to turn to agency workers, suffering greater turnover and lower staff morale.

You might ridicule this as dogma-gonemad – many have – but it is among the Treasury’s stated reasons for local pay, whatever the kinder motives now put forward.

And, although growing opposition from Liberal Democrat – and some Conservative – MPs in the North has thrown huge doubt on the project, it’s still alive.

Now, perhaps private firms do reject the North-East because nurses, teachers and civil servants are paid too much? If the Treasury produces some evidence, I’ll happily take a look. But it hasn’t. Meanwhile, ministers duck and dive about the realities of local pay –which simply isn’t good enough.

THAT “Big Beast” Lord Heseltine has ruffled a few feathers as David Cameron’s adviser on reviving poorer regions – not least criticising the death of regional development agencies as “a mistake”.

Next week, the former Cabinet minister will release his latest “pro-growth” review for the Chancellor – focusing on replacements, the local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), and their lack of muscle.

Widely ridiculed as toothless talking shops, can Tarzan save the LEPs?

DO any young readers fancy a career as a political journalist? If so, the deadline for entering a Press Gallery report-writing competition is fast approaching.

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