Eight public sector unions confirmed the results of ballots overwhelmingly backing strike action over government proposals to introduce pension changes which will affect many of local authorities' 2.2 million workers.
The results showed an average of four to one in favour of industrial action, an average turnout of the unions' membership of just 28%.
The ballot results were announced today after efforts to avert strike action in tripartite talks between unions, ministers and local government bosses failed to resolve the impasse over the scrapping of the "85-year rule".
Under the rule, council staff are allowed to retire on full pensions once their combined age and years of service add up to 85. This allows some of them to retire as early as their mid-50s.
Unions have been pushing to ensure the proposed change does not affect existing council workers, in line with the rest of the public sector workforce, which has been guaranteed lifetime protection from changes to their pensions scheme.
But the government insists that the 85-year rule must be removed within eight years because it will not comply with EU age discrimination legislation, a claim hotly disputed by the trade unions.
Unison leader Dave Prentis said there was "no reason" for excluding council staff from protection to proposed public sector pension changes, which have already been promised to civil servants, teachers, police, firefighters and health workers.
"By refusing to pay out on the local government pension scheme, especially when they have given protection to every other government pension scheme, the government has destroyed the retirement plans of tens of thousands of public sector workers," he said.
"These essential workers have had enough of being told they are to blame for rising council tax increases. Local government pensions cost just 2.7p of the council tax pound, so don't be fooled into believing that these people are to blame.
"It is simply immoral that the employer's association doesn't come clean and admit that they have already spent the pension funds paid in good faith by scheme members. This is a pensions con."
Amicus, which represents 16,000 members in local government, has already announced endorsement from the membership for a national strike.
Unions say the decision to scrap the 85-year rule should only affect newcomers, and not the existing workers who signed up to the pension scheme in good faith.
Town hall leaders, meanwhile, claim the current pension arrangements are no longer affordable and place an undue burden on council tax levels.
Council leaders criticised the decision to strike on the basis of a 28% ballot turnout, representing around one-fifth of the local government workforce.
Sir Sandy Bruce Lockhart, chair of the Local Government Association, also accused unions of breaching an agreement on a timetable on talks.
"It is deeply disappointing that even before any decisions have been made the unions have chosen to go down the route of industrial action. There is no majority or mandate for strikes, and this is something the union leaders should think long and hard about," he said.
"Any stoppages would affect some of the most vulnerable in our society.It is equally frustrating that the unions appear to be breaking a clear agreement with us and the ODPM over the timetable for the long term reform of the local government pension scheme. The council taxpayer simply cannot pay more."
Unison, the union with the largest membership in local government, pointed out that the bulk of contributors to the local government pension scheme were women, the average of whom drew £31 a week upon retirement.
This is the second time in 12 months that members have backed strike action over the issue.
Unions first wielded the threat of industrial action last March, prompting the government to promise fresh talks just weeks ahead of the general election.
