17.03.22

A commitment to pay its employees the Living Wage and encourage employers across the city to do the same has earned Cardiff Council a nomination for a national honour.

The Council has been shortlisted in this year’s prestigious Local Government Chronicle awards under the Public/Private Partnership category for its real Living Wage initiative.

Over the last 10 years, since the Council made a commitment to pay the Living Wage, it has become a Living Wage Council and established the Cardiff Living Wage City Partnership along with a number of other major employers.

In the past four years, the actions taken by the Partnership have helped Cardiff reduce the proportion of jobs paying below the real Living Wage to 11.6% (24,000 jobs) in 2021, from 20.7% (42,000 jobs) in 2017, making it one of the best performing cities in the UK in this respect.

Cllr Chris Weaver, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation and Performance, welcomed the recognition that membership of the LGC shortlist has brought. “The number of Living Wage employers in Cardiff accounts for nearly 45% of the Welsh total and the news of the awards is as much a credit to them as to us but we are eager to build on our successes.

“We have more than 64,000 people now working for accredited Living Wage employers and Cardiff University has calculated that an additional £39m has gone into the city’s economy as a result.

“After comfortably exceeding our city-wide targets for April 2022, the Living Wage City Steering Group met earlier this month to agree a new action plan and three ambitious new targets. By April 2024, we aim to have:

• 260 accredited real Living Wage employers in Cardiff
• 85,000 employees working for real Living Wage employers, and
• 10,500 workers receiving a pay rise to at least the real Living Wage.

“I am pleased to announce that South Wales Police has recently received accreditation, and work to secure South Wales Fire & Rescue Service's accreditation is progressing, which means that seven of the eight organisations that are members of the Cardiff Public Services Board will soon be accredited as real Living Wage employers.”

“Employers such as the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff University, Citizens Cymru, Cynnal Cymru and many others have played a crucial role in driving this initiative and generating a critical mass of Living Wage employers within the city. Around 93% of Living Wage businesses said they have benefited since gaining accreditation and I encourage all employers to find out more at www.livingwage.wales .”

The LGC 2022 awards will be held in Grosvenor House, London, on July 20. Eight other councils, including Leeds, Haringey, Buckinghamshire and West Berkshire, have also been nominated in Cardiff’s category.