News: Council

Brighton and Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat on
the living wage

Over 800 of the lowest-paid people working in our city have seen a pay rise, as a result of the Living Wage Commission we established three years ago.

The commission looked into how the living wage could be introduced into Brighton and Hove to ensure that the lowest paid workers earn enough to live on in our city.

We, the council, committed to the living wage, and supported a citywide campaign to encourage employers to raise the wages of their lowest paid employees too. I’m proud to say that the Brighton and Hove living wage campaign is one of the most successful in the country. It’s the UK’s only business-led campaign, and there are now 151 local employers taking part.

The living wage is an idea that campaigners have pushed for some years, and which has really gained traction more recently. Too many people in our communities are being paid poverty wages that don’t leave them enough money to live on. There is of course the minimum wage, which about one in five of our residents are earning – but the reality is that it simply doesn’t keep up with the soaring costs of living. And we all pick up the bill for low pay, with the welfare system topping up people’s incomes so that they can survive.

Paying employees more is not only the right thing to do, and saves the public purse money, but it is good for business too. Staff members feel more valued, are more likely to stay at an organisation, work better, and morale is higher. Local people also have more money in their pockets to spend in local shops which boosts the local economy.

A growing number of local employers are showing that it’s possible to reward employees and build a successful company at the same time, and I look forward seeing more sign up in this National Living Wage Week.