The deadline passed on Friday (February 14) for Huntingdonshire District Council staff who want to appeal against their pay offer following a review of salaries - but HDC cannot say how many people have appealed.

Nearly 300 employees are facing a cut in wages, some by more than 30 per cent, as the authority seeks to alter its pay structure for the first time in about 25 years. The vast majority of the rest, some 395 staff members, are set to receive a rise.

Letters have been sent to The Hunts Post on behalf of people affected claiming there are “startling discrepencies” in pay grades. They say those who are losing out are among the lowest paid and warn some will struggle to afford their mortgages.

But HDC said this week it could not provide information about how the new pay scale was calculated. A spokesman said yesterday (Tuesday) that paperwork was still being processed which meant it also could not reveal how many people had appealed.

All those that have decided to challenge the offer will be invited to an appeal hearing to state their case. The outcomes are due to be revealed within seven days of the hearings.

The new pay arrangements are due to come into force by April 1. It is estimated the changes will cost HDC an extra £184,000 in 2014/15 but will ultimately results in savings on its wage bill amounting to more than £450,000 by 2020/21.

HDC says the review was necessary because the current system was not financially sustainable and was unfair, potentially leaving the authority at risk of equal pay claims.