Bridget Phillipson MP has called for the government during Living Wage Week to take action on a genuine living wage after the rate was raised to £8.25 per hour outside London from April 2016.

The government has pledged to raise the minimum wage to £9 an hour by 2020 however, this is already below the Living Wage for London and likely to be below the Living Wage for the rest of the country by 2020.

More than 1,800 businesses across the country are committed to paying their employees and subcontracted staff the Living Wage -; a voluntary rate of pay based on the cost of living in the UK.

According to the Living Wage Foundation 17.7% of employees earn below the Living Wage. Living Wage Week runs from 2-7 November, and forms part of the Foundations campaign to encourage more employers to pledge to pay the Living Wage.

Bridget Phillipson MP said:

“Many of those in low pay are bearing the brunt of this Conservative government’s cuts. I want to see the government take real action on a genuine living wage.

“A Living Wage is a fair wage and I support those local employers who are paying or have plans to pay their employees the living wage.”