Living Wage Information

This is not a political message however some supporters may be affected by the changes being made, so we have posted the following for information. If anyone is affected and we have helped them, it has then been worth doing -
 
Cambridge City Council is working to encourage and support more employers in Cambridge to sign up to the Living Wage.  What is the Living Wage? It’s an hourly wage rate set by the Living Wage Foundation, which reflects the real cost of living.  It is set at the level needed to afford an acceptable basic standard of living. 

The Living Wage rate for 2016 is £8.25 for the UK (outside London) and £9.40 in London.  It’s a voluntary rate that employers choose to pay.  The national minimum wage is compulsory – currently it’s £6.70 for over 21s, but from April 2016 there will be a new £7.20 rate for over 25s (which George Osborne termed a “national living wage”). 

The new “national living wage” will be compulsory but it is not based on the cost of living.

From April 2016 there will be changes in Tax Credits and other benefits, which are currently being discussed. 

For Living Wage Week at the beginning of November, Cambridge Citizens Advice Bureau wrote some leaflets to give guidance to workers on the Tax Credits changes, the national minimum wage, new Travel to Work rules, and employees’ Basic Rights at Work.  If you’d like any of the leaflets, just phone the CAB.  Cambridge CAB can help with employment, benefit and debt issues, and a whole range of other areas too – their telephone number is 0344 848 7979.

If you want to know more about the Living Wage campaign, ring Theresa on 01223 457046, or email livingwage@cambridge.gov.uk