West Northamptonshire Council passes £10 minimum 'wage floor' for council employees amidst rising costs nationwide

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) will soon be paying its employees a minimum of £10 per hour after the motion was approved at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (February 15).

The increase, which was first enquired about by WNC's Labour Group, will see council employees' wages jump ten pence higher than the UK's living wage, which the Living Wage Foundation calculates at £9.90.

This compared to the national minimum wage for 23-year-olds and older, which will jump from £8.91 to £9.50 as of April 1, means that WNC's staff will be at least 50 pence better off every hour.

A spokesman for the council said: "The Cabinet at their meeting on February 15, 2022 has recommended that full council include provision in the budget for the minimum hourly rate of pay for WNC employees to be increased above that of the Foundation Living Wage to £10.00 per hour, recognising that the final award is subject to the collective bargaining with the recognised trade union representatives for 2022/23.

"While we respect that pay is always subject to the local pay bargaining process with Unions, we want to acknowledge the excellent work our staff do every day and to give an early commitment to uplifting the minimum pay points across our payscales to above the Foundation Living Wage.

"This increase to above the Foundation Living Wage is a way of rewarding the valuable and hard work our staff do every day and it demonstrates that we value our workforce, whilst hopefully also helping them with the current financial challenges that are facing everyone."

The decision has also been praised by West Northamptonshire's Labour Group, who see it as a first step in making their area a better paid place overall.

Councillor Emma Roberts, the group's Deputy Leader, said: “We are delighted by this decision – a £10.00 wage floor makes a real difference.

"We asked HR and finance to calculate what this would cost in readiness for the budget, so we are always happy to share our inspiration.

“The Living wage foundation rate is an excellent benchmark to follow and stepping above that means that we show a real desire to support those who are impacted.

"Years of wage stagnation means that there is still a long way to go to make wages match the cost of living, but this is an excellent start and will give some that peace of mind.

"Whilst I celebrate the decision, we must not lose the goal here and that is for WNC to be a Living Wage Foundation accredited employer.

"By taking that accreditation, every time there is an increase in the living wage rate the council employees will get that and in addition we can then start to look, by having the accreditation at all the providers we work with and ensure the reach of the living wage is as far and wide as possible.

"Becoming a living wage town would be brilliant for workers, businesses and the local economy – WNC is leading the way and I hope we can look to implementing this across all of our contracts so that from here on out, so that the starting point of every public contract is guided by the TUC’s Great Jobs Agenda.”

The Labour Group's corporate scrutiny member, Labour Councillor Keith Holland-Delamere, added: “We welcome the administration’s decision to instigate a £10 an hour wage floor for our Council employees. The Labour group has been campaigning to introduce the National Living Wage Foundation for some months.

"Through building cross party support in the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny committee we have made clear the vision for a better paid workforce that will help with recruitment and retention. We will continue to campaign to introduce this policy with contracted out employees.”