LATUC Lancashire Living Wage Campaign

The Lancashire Association of Trades Union Councils (LATUC) is part of the national TUC and represents over 30,000 trade union members in Lancashire. The LATUC wrote to all Lancashire Councils in December 2013 asking the following four questions:

1) Has the council agreed to pay staff at least the National Living Wage of £7.65 per hour?

2) Does the council pay at least the Living Wage to all staff contracted as agency staff?

3) Has the council a policy of attempting to secure the payment of a Living Wage in its procurement processes?

4) Has the council considered setting up a scheme where local employers paying the Living Wage can apply to be recognised as a ‘Living Wage Employer’?

The replies received show that 9 out of the 15 councils in Lancashire will pay their staff the national Living Wage rate of £7.65 per hour in 2014 and one council will set its own Living Wage rate of £7.45 per hour. This is good news as the Living Wage is far better than the national minimum wage rate of £6.31 per hour. A single person on the national minimum wage earns £4,050 a year less than they need for a decent standard of living according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. A couple in full-time work on the minimum wage with two children earn £13,200 less than they need.

Councils which will pay staff the national Living Wage rate of £7.65 per hour in 2014:

1. Blackpool Council  (Labour)

2. Burnley Borough Council  (Labour)

3. Chorley Borough Council  (Labour)

4. Hyndburn Borough Council  (Labour)

5. Lancashire County Council  (Labour)

6. Lancaster City Council  (Labour)

7. Pendle Borough Council  (Liberal Democrat coalition)

8. Preston City Council  (Labour)

9. Rossendale Borough Council  (Labour)



Councils which will pay staff their own Living Wage rate in 2014:

10. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council (£7.45 per hour)  (Labour)



Councils which will not pay staff the Living Wage rate in 2014:

11. Fylde Borough Council  (Conservative)

12. Ribble Valley Borough Council  (Conservative)

13. South Ribble Borough Council  (Conservative)

14. West Lancashire Borough Council  (Conservative)

15. Wyre Borough Council  (Conservative)