Conservation officer salary in England (regional cut)
The English regions split on London weighting, employer density and grade availability. ONS ASHE 2025 gives the headline median; the NJC 2025/26 spine, uplifted by the agreed 3.30 percent 2026/27 award from 1 April 2026, sets the local authority pay.
How English regions split
The English regions split on three axes: employer density (more NGO posts in the South-West and East Anglia, more local-authority planning conservation in the North-West and Yorkshire), London weighting (separate GLPC Inner/Outer London pay spines, an effective uplift of roughly £4,000-£6,000 Inner and £2,900-£4,000 Outer), and grade availability (Defra ALB head offices concentrate Grade 7 and SEO posts in London and a few regional hubs).
Fixed-term ratio in England
The CJS 2026 vacancy sample (Jan-Apr, analysed by us) shows about 48 percent of English advertised conservation posts were fixed-term, in line with the wider sector. NHLF and EU-replacement-fund cycles drive most of the FTC concentration in the NW and SW.
NJC pay position
The NJC 2025/26 spine applicable to England and Wales puts SCP 23 at £34,434 (LGA published schedule). The 2026/27 award of 3.30 percent was agreed in August 2026 (after UNISON's strike ballot closed on 6 August 2026 below the turnout threshold for action), effective 1 April 2026 and backdated, so current pay is the 2025/26 point plus 3.30 percent (SCP 23 rises to about £35,570). SCP 2 was deleted from the spine on 1 April 2026. Scottish counterparts are on the SJC spine; see the Scotland page for the differing position.