IN reply to Mr Tony Adamson's letter, all councils have traditionally run two sets of terms and conditions: one for manual workers and the other for administrative, technical and managerial staff.

As there is no logical reason for the differentiation many councils have faced and lost equal pay claims running into millions .

The national solution to the problem is the single status agreement which requires all councils to undertake job evaluation. To date only 20% of councils have done so but the remainder will be obliged to do so in the next few years.

Our approach to job evaluation in Herefordshire isn't the one suggested in Mr. Adamson's letter. While it is true some staff will gain in pay many others will lose and their pay will be reduced after a period of mark time protection.

There is no good time to undertake job evaluation but the longer it is left the greater the risk of equal pay claims, which, if successful would have to be funded from council tax or by reducing services.

The reason all our advertisements say subject to job evaluation is because we feel it only fair to warn applicants that their pay could reduce.

As a council we recognise our obligation to act as a reasonable employer while at the same time not inflating council tax to pay increases to staff.

We have budgeted for a very modest increase in the staff budget to assist with the implementation of job evaluation. This will become public information once we have concluded negotiations with the trades unions.

ROGER PHILLIPS, leader of Herefordshire Council