Trafford Council has been accredited by the Living Wage Foundation in a bid to pay its staff a wage reflective of real living expenses.
Since January 2023, the council adopted the Real Living Wage rate of £10.90 per hour for 320 school and authority staff.
Yesterday, the council revealed that it had been officially accredited by the Foundation, recognising that the organisation voluntarily chooses to pay their staff more than the government’s minimum wage.
Council leader, Councillor Tom Ross, said: “One of our three corporate priorities is to support people out of poverty and paying the Real Living Wage is a key action in responding to the Cost of Living Crisis at a time when costs are increasing.
“We are delighted to have Real Living Wage Accreditation which formally recognises and celebrates employers who choose to go further than the government’s minimum hourly rate.
“Thank you to everyone who has worked on getting us to this point. It is crucial that we help as many people as possible through this crisis.”
The national minimum wage is a statutory wage rate that employers must pay to their workers and is set by the government as a percentage of median earnings.
Currently, the minimum wage is set at £9.50 per hour for workers over the age of 23.
The council has instead adopted the Real Living Wage – a voluntary hourly rate of pay that is calculated according to the cost of living in the UK.
The wage is currently set at £10.90 per hour for workers over the age of 18 and includes a separate higher weighting (£11.95) for London.
Katherine Chapman, Director of the Living Wage Foundation, commented on Trafford Council’s accreditation. She said: “By signing up to the real Living Wage, Trafford Council are leading the way in making Greater Manchester a Living Wage Place at a critical time.
“It’s never been more important for wages to meet the cost of living, and we encourage those organisations who can, to follow Trafford Council’s lead in supporting their workers live a dignified life.”
With this recognition, the council joins local authorities in Bury, Salford, Manchester, and Oldham in paying their staff the Real Living Wage rate.