Preston City Council celebrates becoming first Real Living Wage City in Lancashire

Members who attended Preston City Council's Real Living Wage celebration. — Members who attended Preston City Council’s Real Living Wage celebration.

Preston City Council hosted a Real Living Wage celebration this month to showcase becoming the first Real Living Wage city in Lancashire.

The event gave a platform for other Real Living Wage employers to share their experiences, whilst shining a light on the benefit of becoming a Real Living Wage employer.

The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate based on the cost of living. It is voluntarily paid by over 15,000 UK businesses who believe their staff deserve a wage which meets everyday needs.

In 2012, Preston City Council was the first local authority, in the North of England to become a Real Living Wage accredited employer and complement the foundations of Community Wealth Building.

The event was opened by Councillor Valerie Wise, Cabinet Member for Community Wealth Building, in which she talked about the importance of being a Real Living Wage employer and encouraged those considering becoming an accredited Real Living Wage employer to move forward in the process.

She said: “It’s a wonderful event and a great platform to promote not only the fact that Preston City Council is an accredited Living Wage employer, but also Preston’s Living Wage City status.

“We would love for other employers and councils to follow suit. As proven by conversations with both employers and employees, staff morale and retention improve significantly in businesses paying the real living wage.”

A Q&A panel saw employers such as Michael Manley from GLL, Kath O’Flaherty from Preston City Council and John Chesworth from Harrison Drury Solicitors, share their first-hand experiences of being accredited Real Living Wage employers and encourage others to follow suit.

Kath O’Flaherty, Head of Workforce at Preston City Council said: “The Living Wage agenda is intended to promote the economic and social well-being of people living and working in Preston.

“The Council has a long history of action on low pay and has been paying the Real Living Wage as the minimum rate for all its workers since 2009. Although it impacts only a small number of workers in roles at the lowest end of the Council’s pay spine, it does help to attract workers and reduce turnover in those roles. In particular, we’ve had an excellent response in recruiting younger workers into apprenticeship roles.”

To find out more you can visit Preston City Council’s website.

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