It's worse than that....
Compared to the private sector, yes they pay peanuts, but depending on the grade it's still theoretically a liveable wage.
Why theoretically? Because the cost of living in Cheltenham is fucking horrific, so unless you fancy a long commute you might as well live somewhere else and stack shelves for a living.
I'm slightly paranoid by nature anyway, so won't be touching the challenge with a barge-pole