As part of Living Wage Week, Ealing Council is marking its intention to become a Living Wage Borough.
By offering up to £200,000 in business rate relief it hopes to encourage local businesses to pay their employees at least the London Living Wage, which is calculated according to the basic cost of living in London.
Ealing Council became a Living Wage Employer in 2013 and wants other local businesses to join the scheme. As an incentive the council is intending to offer a one-off business rate discount equivalent to two years of Living Wage Accreditation fees for the first 100 business that come forward.
The Living Wage is a voluntary higher rate of base pay and accredited employers commit to ensure their lowest paid staff are paid the London Living Wage as a minimum.
Councillor Julian Bell, leader of the council, said: “We know that many hard-working people are struggling to get by and low wages severely impact the quality of life our residents are able to enjoy. We are committed to make Ealing a prosperous, healthier, and fairer borough and essential to this is ensuring people are paid at a decent rate by their employers.
“By offering a business rate discount we hope this proposed scheme will recognise and celebrate good employers in the borough and encourage others to step-up to provide a fair day’s pay for their staff.”
