VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Mayor urges employers to embrace living wage
06/11/2024 North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has urged employers to embrace the real living wage as part of the region’s fight against child poverty and low pay. |
Care providers closing due to ‘perilous’ environment
16/01/2024 Social care services are facing a situation that is ‘more perilous than ever’ with 43% of providers closing services or handing back contracts, study reveals. |
Autumn Statement: £1bn extension to Household Support Fund
17/11/2022 Local authorities will receive £1bn of funding to ensure vulnerable households are supported through the cost of living crisis, the chancellor has announced today. |
Over 50% of low-paid workers turn to foodbanks
16/09/2022 Over half of low-paid workers report using foodbanks during the last year, a new study of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis has revealed. |
Councils face ‘battle to balance budgets’
09/09/2022 PM Liz Truss should use any emergency budget to address the inflation cost pressures facing council budgets and the social care crisis, council chiefs say. |
Staffing crisis causing ‘irreparable damage’ to care sector
30/06/2022 NHS leaders have called for a care worker minimum wage of £10.50 an hour to prevent staff leaving the sector and causing long-term damage to the health system. |
New living wage to be announced early due to cost of living crisis
30/05/2022 Campaigners fighting for employers to pay a living wage has announced it will be bringing its new 2022-23 rate announcement forward to September. |
Over 30% of care jobs pay below living wage
31/03/2022 Workers within the care sector in England are more likely to earn less than the real living wage compared to those in Scotland and Wales, research reveals. |
Third of households unable to afford cost of living rises
14/03/2022 Over a third (34%) of households will be unable to afford the cost of living by £8,600 this spring, think tank says. |
Greater Manchester recognised for Living Wage plans
15/11/2021 Greater Manchester has become the first city-region to be officially recognised by the Living Wage Foundation for its plans to become a Living Wage City Region. |
Families with children to lose £20 a week over winter
27/09/2021 A typical low-income family with children could see their income fall by over £20 a week over the next six months, a think tank has warned. |
A fifth of employees still paid under the real Living Wage, research shows
09/11/2020 A fifth of employees are still paid under the real Living Wage, new research has shown. |
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Harnessing the power of place can lead to better pay
17/05/2019 Douglas White explains why the Living Wage Places movement is gaining traction across the country. |
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Five million workers benefit from National Living Wage
27/11/2018 Up to five million workers benefited from the National Living Wage (NLW) this year, according to a new pay analysis. |
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Business rate discounts should drive adoption of Living Wage
14/09/2018 A union has called on London boroughs to follow Brent Council by developing a business rate scheme which incentivises employers to pay a living wage. |
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Dundee Council recognised for driving Living Wage
07/06/2018 Dundee City Council has won this year's Living Wage Champion Award for Local Authority Leadership. |
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Labour council chiefs promise councils ‘ten new freedoms’
20/03/2018 Labour’s council leaders promise to give councils ten new freedoms to build homes, schools and children’s centres on their party’s first day in power. |
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Manchester to pay care staff living wage
15/03/2018 Manchester City Council has pledged to pay an extra pound to the city’s lowest-paid home care staff in a move to help retain carers. |
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London living wage breaks the £10 mark
06/11/2017 The mayor of London today announced a ‘landmark’ increase in the London Living Wage, from £9.75 to £10.20 per hour. |
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Minimum wage enforcement for care workers is suspended for a month
29/09/2017 A further suspension of the minimum wage enforcement in the social care sector has been announced by the Government. |
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Parents ‘struggle’ to cover family costs due to benefit freeze
22/08/2017 Working parents are unable to meet basic family costs due to the combination of inflation and the freeze on benefits, report warns. |
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Whitehall’s 30 hours free childcare policy ‘in danger’ as nurseries opt out
18/04/2017 The Government's promise to provide parents with 30 free hours of childcare is in danger as daycare nurseries opt out leaving 50,000 children without places. |
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Thousands of nursery workers paid ‘illegal poverty wages’, study reveals
17/03/2017 One in 10 nursery workers are being paid below the minimum wage despite nurseries benefitting from Government subsidies, new analysis reveals. |
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Welsh councils receive extra £10m of social care funding
05/01/2017 The Welsh government has announced it is making an extra £10m a year available to the social care sector to help meet the extra costs of the national living wage. |
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Autumn Statement: Councils facing £337m costs over new living wage
23/11/2016 Councils are expecting to fork out an extra £337m a year after the minimum wage was increased to £7.50 an hour in today’s Autumn Statement. |
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Don’t backslide on the national living wage, warns foundation
07/09/2016 A think thank has warned Theresa May against watering down the National Living Wage (NLW), which it claims could leave low paid workers up to £1,000 a year worse off. |
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Young social care workers benefit from NLW, report finds
30/08/2016 Four out of five young social care workers benefit from the National Living Wage (NLW) despite no legal entitlement, according to think tank. |
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National Living Wage should be ‘abandoned’, think-tank says
19/08/2016 The planned move to the National Living Wage (NLW) should be ‘abandoned’, free-market think-tank says. |
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Brighton Eye paying ‘poverty wages’ despite council being living wage employer
22/06/2016 Brighton Council must intervene to ensure those working at the city’s new observation tower are not paid poverty wages, union says. |
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Government hails living wage as a breakthrough for pay equality
01/04/2016 Government analysis predicts the National Living Wage will eradicate the pay gap between the lowest paid men and women by 2020. |
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Extra costs force councils to ‘crunch point’
31/03/2016 Extra costs, resulting from a double whammy of changes, are forcing councils towards ‘crunch point,’ council chief executives have warned. |
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Think tank warns poorer areas will struggle with new Living Wage
05/01/2016 Implementing the new National Living Wage (NLW) will be toughest in lower-paying city regions, according to a new report by the Resolution Foundation. |
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Think tank warns of ‘pay crunch’ in social care sector
12/11/2015 The new living wage could create a ‘pay crunch’ in the social care sector, according to analysis published today. |
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Council first to request charities pay Living Wage to staff
03/11/2015 A London borough has become the first council in the country to ensure any charities or voluntary groups it gives funding to pays a Living Wage to their employees. |
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Croydon Council to pay London living wage
30/10/2015 The council, which is one of the largest employers in the borough, will now pay its employees a minimum rate of £9.15 per hour, £2.65 more than the national minimum wage. |
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Hampshire County Council to axe 450 jobs
25/10/2015 Hampshire County Council has approved cuts of up to £98m, which could lead to 450 jobs being axed. |
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Northumberland introduces living wage for all council staff
20/10/2015 Around 1,400 staff are in line for a pay rise following Northumberland County Council’s decision to adopt the living wage from this month. |
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Welsh council agrees to pay staff a Living Wage
02/10/2015 Rhondda Cynon Taf Council (RCT) has agreed to pay more than 3,500 staff a Living Wage by April 2016. |
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Two-tier care system leaves state-funded provision on the brink says report
30/09/2015 Austerity measures have created a two-tier care system with state-funded provision on the brink of going bust as the national living wage squeezes them even further, a report has warned. |
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Major care home provider could ‘collapse’ under living wage pressure
20/08/2015 Care leaders have warned introduction of the National Living Wage could cause a ‘catastrophic collapse’ in the sector within the next year. |
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Living wage could trigger ‘catastrophic failures' in homecare
28/07/2015 The new National Living Wage could lead to ‘catastrophic’ failures in the homecare sector, an open letter to the chancellor is warning. |
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Pushing the Living Wage further
27/07/2015 Ann-Marie Hopkins argues it is more important than ever to focus on the Living Wage and increasing the amount of pay for trainees. |
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Councils warn living wage will cost £1bn by 2020
13/07/2015 Councils will have to find more than £1bn a year by 2020/21 to cover the costs of the new National Living Wage, according to estimates by the Local Government Association (LGA). |
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Union reveals two days of strike action at Barnet Council
17/04/2015 Two days of strike action are to hit a London borough later this month, as staff walk out over contract fears. |
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Living wage vow from combined authority
25/03/2015 Six council leaders from Yorkshire have vowed to introduce the living wage, amid warnings town halls need to take stronger action on local pay. |
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Councils call for power to tackle rogue employers
25/03/2015 Councils should be given the power to tackle businesses who fail to pay workers the national minimum wage, according to a new report. |
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Council under pressure to backdate 10 months of living wage payments
12/02/2015 A Bedfordshire borough has come under pressure to ‘treat employees equally’ by backdating almost a year of living wage payments to care home staff. |
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Follow Brent’s lead on living wage offer to businesses, councils urged
26/01/2015 Councils across the UK have been urged to follow Brent’s lead by cutting business rates for companies paying the living wage. |
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Councils should keep savings from tackling poverty says report
12/12/2014 A new report is calling for local authorities to be allowed to keep any savings made from tackling poverty and unemployment in their area. |
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Home care nearing ‘crisis’ point warns report
02/12/2014 Council cuts and poor employment practices means the home care service system is heading towards a 'crisis', a new report is warning. |
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Brent proposes business rate discount for living wage employers
05/11/2014 Brent Council could become the first in the country to offer lower business rates as an incentive to pay staff the living wage. |
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Cambridge latest council to pay living wage to employees
04/11/2014 Cambridge City Council has been accredited as a Living Wage employer. |
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Public sector urged to ‘lead the way’ as Living Wage rises
03/11/2014 A 20p rise in the hourly UK living wage has been welcomed by trade unions and campaigners, with 35,000 employees set to benefit. |
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Part-time female workers 'way off' living wage finds research
28/08/2014 The living wage is 'out of reach' for most women working part-time across large parts of the country, according to new research. |
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Council staff losing £2,245 a year says TUC
09/07/2014 Government austerity measures have left public sector workers an average of £2,245 a year worse off in real terms, the TUC has claimed. |
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Croydon Council pledges to pay Living Wage
08/07/2014 Croydon has become the latest council to sign up to the London Living Wage. |
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Pay Living Wage to one million more workers, commission says
24/06/2014 Providing the Living Wage to one million more workers by 2020 should be a Government priority, a commission of businesses and anti-poverty groups claim. |
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Rotherham to pay Living Wage
14/04/2014 Rotherham Council is introducing the Living Wage for all employees, with 1,500 low paid staff set to benefit from increased pay from October. |
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Call for devolution of minimum wage enforcement
14/04/2014 The mayor of Newham has called on the Government to devolve enforcement of the minimum wage from HM Revenue and Customs to local authorities. |
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Bristol gives lowest paid staff a one-off payment
09/04/2014 Low-paid council staff in Bristol have been awarded a one-off payment after an agreement on paying the Living Wage was failed to reach. |
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Councils urged to pay all staff a Living Wage
08/04/2014 Southwark LBC has called on all local authorities in England to pay their staff the living wage. |
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Islington Council agrees 'fairer deal' for home carers
21/01/2014 Home carers in Islington will be paid a London Living Wage of at least £8.80 per hour, under new contract arrangements announced by the council. |
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Unions singing from the same hymn sheet on pay
18/12/2013 Union workers are singing for their supper – or at least a pay rise – as part of the campaign for a living wage. |
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Adopting the Living Wage
06/12/2013 Dave Prentis discusses why local government should be adopting the Living Wage. |
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Salford pledges to improve working conditions across city
14/11/2013 A new standard in working conditions has been launched in Salford in order to crack down on zero-hour contracts and implement a living wage. |
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More councils should adopt living wage says shadow minister
08/11/2013 Shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves has urged councils to adopt a living wage. |
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Unions demand Living Wage for low-paid council staff
05/11/2013 Trade unions representing more than 1.6 million local government workers have called on council employers to put their lowest paid staff on the Living Wage by increasing the lowest wage rates by £1 an hour. |
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Living wage for Nottinghamshire CC workers
23/09/2013 Nottinghamshire CC will increase the pay of more than 2,200 workers after its policy committee decided to pay its employees the living wage from April. |
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Nottinghamshire considers Living Wage
12/09/2013 Nottinghamshire CC will spend about £1.36m if councillors approve plans to ensure none of its workers are paid below the Living Wage. |
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Living wage should be paid to all council workers
06/09/2013 What do decent pay and conditions and economic growth have in common? |
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1.4m drop below the living wage
04/09/2013 Since 2009, the earnings of 1.4 million employees have dropped below the national living wage, a report by the Resolution Foundation has revealed. |
