Scarborough Council unveils plan to 'support residents out of poverty' through living wage campaign

As part of its Building a Better Borough programme Scarborough Borough Council is looking to work with local businesses to generate wealth in the area and help maximise the earning potential of people living and working in the borough.

In a report to the council’s Cabinet, due for decision on Monday February 11, it is recommended that the authority leads the way by applying to the Living Wage Foundation for accreditation as a Living Wage employer. The council has been paying its staff in line with the foundation’s recommendations for the last few years however, receiving accreditation would require the authority to implement the increased real Living Wage rate each year (currently £9.30 per hour) for the lowest pay levels.

As part of this, the council says it would also encourage all its contractors and subcontractors to pay their staff in line with the Living Wage recommendations.

According to the authority, the borough of Scarborough has the highest number of jobs paid below the Living Wage in the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding region. Through this campaign, the council says it wants to "change that statistic, support residents out of poverty, reduce their dependence on work benefits and give them a feeling of pride and respect for the work they do and their employer".

If Cabinet approves the report, an appropriate organisation will be identified to head up the campaign and a detailed campaign plan will be prepared for a future Cabinet meeting, which will include the council’s Economic Development team identifying the organisations that are already paying a real Living Wage and working with those that aren’t.

Cllr Liz Colling, Cabinet Member for Economy, Communities and Commercial said: “We’re committed to leading the way in promoting the benefits of the real Living Wage for employees and their employers. By taking a collaborative approach and working together with local organisations to increase the wages of our lowest earners, we will start to make a real difference to their lives and generate economic benefits for our borough’s communities.”