Living Wage campaign earns council national honour

Cardiff Council’s commitment to paying its employees the Living Wage and encouraging employers to follow suit has earned a national honour for the Living Wage City Partnership.

At the prestigious Local Government Chronicle awards, held in London’s Grosvenor Hotel this week, the council won in the Public/Private Partnership category.

Making the award, the judges said the council’s submission demonstrated both passion and commitment with an impressive whole council approach, adding:

“It has clearly built momentum over several years, to the extent that there is a clear and broad coalition of public, private and voluntary sector parameters.

“It has developed an impressive momentum that has helped engender greater independence and reduced the dependency on public services.”

The council made a commitment to pay the Living Wage (currently £9.90 an hour) over 10 years ago and has led the way in Wales and the UK in promoting the Living Wage

The Cardiff Living Wage City Partnership was established in 2018 to promote the benefits of the Living Wage and to help deliver a more equal Cardiff.

The Partnership is led by the council and brings together a range of organisations including Cynnal Cymru, Citizens Cymru, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff and Vale Credit Union, Capital Law and Cardiff University. Cardiff was awarded Living Wage City status in 2019.

Cllr Chris Weaver, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation and Performance, said:

“We’re really proud this fantastic partnership working has been recognised. Cardiff Council has long promoted the Living Wage, and the Cardiff Living Wage City Partnership is a great example of the public, private and voluntary sector in our city working together to achieve a common and important aim. I’d like to thank all our partners for their incredible work contributing to this.

We look forward to continuing to work in partnership over the years ahead to help even more organisations in the city become Living Wage employers, which can lift people out of poverty, reduce inequalities, and boost our local economy.”

In Cardiff, more than 64,000 people now work for accredited Living Wage employers and Cardiff University has calculated that an additional £39m has gone into the city’s economy as a result, while the number of people earning below the Living Wage in Cardiff has fallen from 42,000 in 2017 to 24,000 in 2021.

By April 2024, the Living Wage Partnership plans to have 260 accredited real Living Wage employers in the city, 85,000 employees working for Living Wage companies and 10,500 workers receiving a pay rise to at least the Living Wage.

Representing the council at last night’s awards were strategy and development manager John Paxton and Steve Robinson, head of commissioning and procurement.

For more information on the Living Wage, visit www.livingwage.wales