[C]OPELAND Council has reaffirmed its commitment to pay its staff the Voluntary Living Wage (VLW).
The Living Wage Foundation has announced an increase to its VLW rate to £8.75 per hour (£16,885 per year), and Copeland Council voted unanimously to become an accredited member of the Living Wage Foundation and implement the new minimum rate.
It represents a 40p per hour increase from the previous Voluntary Living Wage rate, and is over £1 per hour more than the National Living Wage. Eighty members of the council’s workforce are subject to the pay rise that will be backdated to November 1.
Mike Starkie, Mayor of Copeland, said: “We are proud to be a Voluntary Living Wage-accredited employer.
“Our workforce is our most valuable asset and they all deserve a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.
“This follows our recruitment of six new apprentices in October. We are growing our own staff and paying them fairly from the day they walk through the door.
“Enormous credit goes to our councillor Sam Pollen who has championed the Voluntary Living Wage, in our council and beyond, for a number of years.”
