Council signs up as living wage employer

The move, which follows a campaign by Labour councillors, will mean the pay of the lowest paid workers employed by Hessle Town Council rising to £7.45 per hour from April 1.

It is significantly higher than the national minimum wage of £6.31 an hour for adults.

The leader of the Labour group Coun Chay Bell said it would cost under £600 for a handful of part-time employees and wouldn’t increase the precept paid by local taxpayers.

Coun Bell said: “It isn’t going to cost a massive amount, considering we are about to buy a chain of office for the deputy mayor that is going to cost a couple of hundred pounds. We thought it was the right thing to do.”

The living wage has been adopted by a number of councils in Yorkshire where it has been a historic cause since 1894, when it was called for by the Liberal MP for Dewsbury, Mark Oldroyd.

Last week Energy giant SSE joined close on 400 other UK firms by signing up as a living wage employer for 20,000 staff across the UK.