Published: 20/05/2019
COPELAND Council has been accredited as a Living Wage Employer.
The council has achieved the endorsement from the Living Wage Foundation due to its commitment to paying its staff the living wage as a minimum.
The living wage - a rate calculated against the cost of living and a voluntary benchmark for employers - is currently £9 per hour (£17,363 per year) and is reviewed annually. It is currently 79p per hour more than the National Living Wage.
Copeland councillors voted to formally seek accreditation last year.
Mike Starkie, Mayor of Copeland, said: “We are proud to be accredited as a Living Wage Employer.
“We have paid the living wage as a minimum for some time now – as our workforce is our most valuable asset - and to receive this seal of approval from the Living Wage Foundation is testament to our commitment.”
Tess Lanning, Director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that Copeland Council has joined the movement of over 4,700 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.
“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names, that recognise that paying the real living wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay."
