Employers across west Cheshire are
being urged to make a stand against poverty by paying staff the Local Living
Wage.
Please sign up using the Local Living Wage form to show your commitment to paying the local living wage.
Cheshire West and Chester Council has launched a campaign to help make sure workers in the borough can earn a decent living.
Despite the affluent image of leafy Cheshire, 16 per cent of households in the borough of West Cheshire have an annual income of £15,000 or less, which is similar to the number of UK households having an income of £15,000 or less at 17 percent.
The Local Living Wage is about paying an hourly rate based on the real cost of living for employees and their
families. This Local Living Wage rate is currently set at £8.75 for employees, aged 18 and over in west Cheshire, and is reviewed annually. The Council has paid all of its directly employed staff at least the Local Living Wage since April 2016.
Councillor Paul Donovan, Cabinet
Member for Democracy and Workforce, said: "Increases in the cost of living mean that so many of our families are struggling with the basics – with putting food on the table or heating their homes.
"We want to make west Cheshire a Local Living Wage borough, where everyone can earn a decent living – but we
need help from employers, both large and small.
"We’re looking for employers who are willing to lead the way, sign up to our Cheshire West and Chester Local
Living Wage Charter and pay all their staff at least the Local Living Wage.
"Employers signing up to the charter are signing up to reduce poverty, boost the local economy and make life
better in west Cheshire.”
Employers that pay a Local Living Wage also report lower absenteeism and staff turnover, higher productivity and
improvements in the quality of work, greater motivation and morale and stronger
recruitment.
The Local Living Wage rate is different from the National Living Wage of £7.83 per hour (1st April) for people aged over
25, a mandatory rate set by government and formerly known as the minimum wage.
Paying the Local Living Wage is voluntary.
For more information
about the Local Living Wage, visit www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/LLW.
To sign the Council’s charter as a Local Living Wage employer, please take a few
minutes to complete the Local Living Wage form.