West Berkshire: what their redundancy policy pays
Sourced from West Berkshire's own published policy, retrieved 2026-08-19.
West Berkshire's own policy
Published as Review of Discretionary Compensation for Redundancy - Supporting Information.
West Berkshire's policy states: 2 x statutory weeks (as at June 2016; a reduction to 1.5x from September 2016 was proposed in the same report). This is calculated on your actual weekly pay, not the statutory weekly pay cap. The policy caps discretionary compensation at 60 weeks' pay.
"West Berkshire Council uses actual weekly pay in its redundancy calculations. Until October 2011, it used a multiplier of three times the statutory number of weeks' pay. The Personnel Committee then made a decision to reduce the multiplier to twice the statutory payment. The multiplier has remained at two since October 2011... It proposes a change to the redundancy multiplier to 1.5, to take effect from 1st September 2016."
Like every local authority, West Berkshire sets this policy under its own discretion (regulation 6 of the 2006 Regulations, below) and can amend it. Read the document itself rather than relying on this summary alone: Review of Discretionary Compensation for Redundancy - Supporting Information, retrieved 2026-08-19.
A note on this figure: This is a 2016 Personnel Committee report, the most recent discretionary compensation document located; it documents the then-current 2x multiplier and a proposed reduction to 1.5x from September 2016. Whether the 1.5x proposal was adopted, and the current 2026 policy, could not be confirmed - no more recent published policy statement was located.
A note on these figures: the policy details below are published fromWest Berkshire's own linked source document and are correct to our knowledge as at 2026-08-19. Treat them as indicative, read the source document for yourself, and check your own offer against it. Read how our figures are checked.
How this compares with the statutory minimum
Every employee with at least two years' service is entitled to statutory redundancy pay regardless of what their employer's own policy says. As at 6 April 2026, that is calculated using a week's pay capped at £751, up to a maximum of £22,530 for 20 years' service at age 41 or over.
West Berkshire's discretionary policy sits on top of that statutory floor, not instead of it: the statutory redundancy payment is calculated first, and the council's own enhancement (above) applies in addition, on the basis stated in its policy document.
LGPS and early pension access
Under regulation 30(7) of the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 2013, an LGPS member aged 55 or over who is dismissed for redundancy or business efficiency is entitled to immediate payment of their pension, rather than waiting until normal pension age. This is separate from, and on top of, any redundancy payment above.
West Berkshire's own policy adds: Regulation 31 of the LGPS Regulations 2013 allows an employer to award 'additional pension' of up to £6,500 to employees made redundant aged 55+; West Berkshire Council has chosen not to exercise this discretion.
Source: LGPS Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/2356), regulation 30(7). Read the regulations. This does not compute a pension figure; it states the rule only, and does not replace advice from your pension fund.
Settlement agreements at West Berkshire
Where a council wants to agree enhanced terms, confirm the LGPS position, or resolve a related dispute alongside a redundancy, it is often documented in a settlement agreement rather than a plain redundancy letter. A settlement agreement is only legally binding once you have received advice on its terms from a relevant independent adviser such as a solicitor, and your employer is usually required to contribute to the cost of that advice.
Before you sign anything, work out what West Berkshire's own policy and the statutory minimum add up to on their own, so you can see what a settlement offer is actually adding.
Related
Get your redundancy offer reviewed
A relevant independent adviser, such as a solicitor, can check how West Berkshire's offer compares with your statutory entitlement and their own policy before you sign anything. Your employer is usually required to contribute to the cost.