Letters November 5: Does living wage compare to life on pension?

From: Richard Godley, Whitby.

SO shock and horror. There are six million people earning less than the “living wage”.

Assuming that we ignore the recommended London living wage of £9.15 an hour and base calculations on the outside London living wage of £7.85 per hour, then for a 40-hour week that equates to £314 per week.

If you were one of the 10 million plus pensioners in this country (of whom 1.6 million 
are estimated to be living in poverty) who get a basic State Pension and possibly Pension Credit to top it up to a fabulous £151.20 per week you may find that story slightly offensive. Or is it just me?

From: David Cook, Parkside Close, Cottingham.

We read that a prominent banker, Jes Staley, is set to earn a total remuneration package of £8.3m.

At the same time many small towns are set to lose their one remaining bank – much to the distress of many elderly inhabitants who depend on local facilities.

I wonder, could there possibly be any connection between these two facts?