West Sussex County Council (WSCC) has adopted new mileage rates as of 5th October 2026.
The headline change is a change of mileage rate to 55 pence.
The branch lodged a claim for the new HMRC increased mileage rates on behalf of members. The Council formally responded to the branch in writing to agree to meet HRMC rates from October. This change was linked to the rollout of Oracle. Essentially, the technical difficulties of implementing this change of mileage rate demanded that it happened at the same time as the implementation of Oracle.
Oracle was confirmed for rollout after final testing, so this means that the new rates will apply in line with Oracle rollout, as below.
Members should note:
- The rate has increased from 46.9p to 55p
- This rate applies now until 10,000 miles (not 8,500)
- There is a new and higher rate for when driving for vocational training
- There is a new rate of an additional 5 pence for miles undertaken with a passenger, for the first time at WSCC.
The Council also confirmed continuation of its current approach of paying a higher mileage rate after the miles per threshold has been passed (now at 10,000 miles) for staff with disabilities. That is, the rate will be maintained at 55p for staff who have a disability where driving is an essential part of their role, they have no choice other than to use their own vehicle, and it is a necessary reasonable adjustment for them to be able to undertake their role.
The mileage claim has been taken up by branch through the submission of a formal, written claim document and we believe it is now satisfactorily resolved. UNISON West Sussex has done this work locally for West Sussex members, but it is also worth noting that it was efforts made by the UNISON General Secretary, Andrea Egan, also a registered social worker, who persuaded the then chancellor Rachel Reeves to review HMRC rates for the first time in 20 years. Once that had been successfully achieved and rates reviewed, it enabled the branch to lodge its claim – but it was still down to individual employers as to whether to increase their rates, which WSCC agreed to do.
The branch is lodging claims with other West Sussex employers. If you want the branch to take this up with your employer, please contact the office.