New grants to help businesses become accredited Living Wage Employers
The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate based on the cost of living. Currently 15,000 UK businesses have voluntarily committed to paying this rate, sending a clear message that their staff deserve to be paid fairly.
Despite London having the highest levels of average pay of any part of the UK, people working and residents in Lewisham have the lowest average pay of all central London boroughs.
New research - Good Work in Central London - Central London Forward (pdf) - highlights that staff earning below the London Living Wage are half as likely to be satisfied with their jobs than those earning above that level, and Black Londoners twice as likely to be in insecure work as white Londoners.
We want to change this.
We are proud that we were one of the first local authorities in the UK to become a Living Wage Employer and now, are working with partners and local businesses toward becoming a Living Wage Place – where paying the real Living Wage is the norm. We will be starting work on developing our action plan in 2025.
New grant scheme to help with accreditation fees
In Lewisham, there are currently 97 proud accredited Living Wage Employers, experiencing the many benefits that comes with being a part of this national movement for better pay.
To help more local businesses sign up, this Living Wage Week we’ve launched a grant programme to cover accreditation fees for three years.
If your business or organisation is based in Lewisham, has up to 250 employees and has become an accredited London Living Wage employer for the first time since Friday 1 November 2024 – you can apply now.
Why should my business become an accredited Living Wage Employer?
Many local employers may already be paying the real Living Wage and are yet to become accredited and others may be wondering what committing to better pay can do for their business.
Becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer brings benefits not only for employees– but businesses, local economies and society overall. 94% of Living Wage businesses say they’ve benefited since accrediting with many saying it has enhanced their reputation and improved recruitment for their business.
This week, we are spotlighting local accredited Living Wage Employers, so you can hear how this commitment has enhanced their business. Hear from Lewisham Local, Rosie Bloom Cleaning and Mont58 Coffee.
“Being a London Living Wage employer has improved our reputation as an employer and has helped us with recruitment, retention and building better relationships with our employees. Our funders also encourage us to become and to remain London Living Wage employer.” - Gulen, CEO of Lewisham Local
“Paying the London Living Wage has positively impacted the ladies that I work with because it boosts their morale, gives them an incentive to put a good day's work in and they just feel really, really valued.” - Chantelle, owner of Rosie Bloom Cleaning Services
Councillor Kim Powell, Cabinet Member for Business, Jobs and Skills said:
“Along with the work we have planned within Lewisham, we also look to the new government to set out a national mission to improve job quality and ensure employment support focuses on helping people into decent work.”
“Tackling in-work poverty to improve standards of living is fundamental to making Lewisham a fairer borough for all. Decent wages are at the heart of rebuilding our local economy. That’s why we’re calling on all those employers that can afford to pay the London Living Wage, to please adopt it."