The council has been shortlisted in the Employers Award (East of England) category. Two Living Wage accredited employers, Rachel Talbot of Cambridge Citizens Advice Bureau and Duncan Catchpole of Cambridge Organic Food Company, have been shortlisted in the Leadership category after being nominated by the council in recognition of their contributions to leading the way on the Living Wage in Cambridge.
The awards form part of a series of events and activities taking place in the city and nationwide for Living Wage Week, the centrepiece of which will be the announcement of the new Living Wage rate for 2016-17.
The leader of Cambridge City Council, Cllr Lewis Herbert, will announce the new rate, and details of three more local companies who are becoming newly-accredited, at a celebration event on Monday 2 November at The Guildhall for all local Living Wage employers.
On Tuesday 3 November an event for businesses and all interested people – ‘Making the Living Wage Work for Cambridge Employers’ – is being held at The Trinity Centre on Cambridge Science Park.
This free event organised by the council and the Chaplaincy to People at Work, and supported by ARM Ltd, will feature speakers from the Judge Business School, ACAS, the Resolution Foundation and the Living Wage Foundation.
Other events in the city include a campus meeting with speakers at Anglia Ruskin University, and a ‘No Pay Day’ event organised by Cambridge University Students’ Union to highlight the gender pay gap. There will also be stalls and displays at venues around the city including the central library, Meadows Community Centre and Fair Shares Café at the Emmanuel United Reformed Church on Trumpington Street.
The nationwide Living Wage campaign has been promoted in the city by Cambridge City Council since last year, as part of its anti-poverty strategy. Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis and can then seek accreditation by the Living Wage Foundation.
The campaign’s aim is to encourage employers to pay staff more than the national minimum wage, to reflect the true cost of living. This figure is reviewed regularly, and is currently set at £7.85 per hour outside London.
The rate is higher than the national minimum wage and is calculated according to the basic cost of living using what the Living Wage Foundation calls the ‘minimum income standard’ for the UK. More than 1,500 companies in the UK are now accredited as Living Wage employers, including over 30 in Cambridge.
Cllr George Owers, Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, said: “I’m delighted that the council has been shortlisted for the Employers Award, and that Rachel and Duncan have been nominated for their trailblazing work as Living Wage employers in the city.
“Living Wage Week is a great opportunity for even more employers and employees to find out why the Living Wage is such an important campaign, especially in a city like Cambridge where the cost of living is high.
“Paying a Living Wage isn’t just beneficial to employees – it also benefits the employers themselves, as the evidence suggests that it improves staff motivation and retention, and really boosts an organisation’s ethical reputation.”
“I’d encourage everyone to come and find out more about the Living Wage during Living Wage Week.”
A free event ‘Making the Living Wage Work for Cambridge Employers’ is being held on Tuesday 3 November, 12.45-2.45pm at The Trinity Centre, Cambridge Science Park Cambridge CB4 0FN. Speakers include Prof Simon Deakin from Judge Business School on ‘The Ethical and Economic Case for the Living Wage’; Adam Corlett from Resolution Foundation on ‘The Impact of the National Living Wage’; Maria Shinn from ACAS on ‘Building Productivity in the UK’; and Emma Kosmin from the Living Wage Foundation who will report on the national Living Wage campaign. There will also be the opportunity to receive individual advice from ACAS and the Living Wage Foundation for employers.
The event is free, but people wishing to attend should register in advance at http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-the-living-wage-work-for-cambridge-employers-tickets-18885680579?aff=es2 or by contacting Cambridge City Council’s Living Wage Coordinator Theresa Bateman on theresa.bateman@cambridge.gov.uk or 01223 457046.
For a full calendar of activities taking place in Cambridge during Living Wage Week, visit https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/sites/default/files/living-wage-week-calendar.pdf
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Council shortlisted for living wage champion award
29 October 2015
Cambridge City Council is one of three local employers to be shortlisted in the Living Wage Champion Awards, which take place during the national Living Wage Week from 1-7 November.