More than 350 staff at Huntingdonshire District Council have appealed the decision to alter their pay, The Hunts Post has learned.

Every job title at the authority was evaluated to create a new salary structure – the first time salaries have been reviewed across the board for more than 20 years.

Out of 328 roles, the pay offer relating to 116 of them – more than a third – has been challenged and will be the subject of appeal hearings, potentially affecting 359 employees.

The new arrangements are due to be brought in from April 1 and appeals are expected to be heard this month and early next month.

HDC said in a statement that it could not reveal the number of appeals because it would be “inappropriate and insensitive” to release that information.

But The Hunts Post has seen an email sent to staff by HDC managing director Jo Lancaster which confirms the extent of the staff hoping to challenge the new structure.

In it, she asked staff to “bear with us” while hearings were organised and added: “I understand that the appeals process may be daunting for some people, however I believe it to be a fair and robust process.”

Under the new structure, of the 692 permanent members of staff, 294 people could receive a pay cut and 395 employees are in line for a rise. Just three will stay the same. It is not known how the review will affect nearly 1,000 part-time staff.

Of those who have appealed, 80 of the 359 are due to receive an increase in pay.

Hearings, which started earlier this month, are to be held by an independent chairman, an HDC moderator and an HR rep.

Once a decision has been made, it is understood HDC will not accept any further challenge.

The new pay arrangements are being brought in, says HDC, to create a more fair and equitable system. The old structure, the authority argues, left it open to equal pay claims.