Brent Council shortlisted for London Living Wage award

Brent Council has been shortlisted for a coveted award acknowledging institutions that pays their employees at least the London living wage.

Town hall bosses face stiff competition from local authorities in the capital at the prestigious Living Wage Regional Champion Awards 2014, organised by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF).

Cllr Roxanne Mashari, cabinet member for employment and skills said: “I am delighted that our ongoing work to champion the Living Wage and tackle in-work poverty has been recognised.

“There is more work to do to enable businesses in Brent to become accredited Living Wage employers and I look forward to making further key announcements during Living Wage Week.”

An estimated 120 directly employed workers benefitted from pay rises of up £240 annually when the council secured accreditation in November 2013.

The living wage, currently set as £8.80 per hour, is calculated according to the basic cost of living using the ‘Minimum Income Standard’ for the Great Britain.

There are more than 900 employers accredited by the LWF across the UK.

The awards are judged by an independent panel of community leaders from the Citizens UK Living Wage campaign.

The winners from the regional categories will be announced during Living Wage Week 2014 which takes place from November 2 and lasts till November 8.