New London Living Wage of £10.75 per hour

The Mayor of London has announced that the London Living Wage rate is to increase to £10.75 per hour – meaning that 60,000 Londoners are set for a pay rise.

Marking a 1.9 per cent increase from last year’s rate of £10.55 per hour, the move means that there are now more than 1,758 accredited London Living Wage businesses and organisations, employing approximately 60,000 people - double the number since 2016. Despite the notable progress made in London nearly one in five jobs in the capital pays less than the Living Wage.

Sadiq Khan launched his Good Work Standard in July, a new benchmark for good employment standards. The London Living Wage is at the heart of the scheme, which has already accredited 40 employers including the likes of UBS, EY, KPMG, PWC and Deloitte.

London is now also home to the first Living Wage Building, International House in Brixton, owned by Lambeth Council and managed by 3Space.

Meanwhile, Cardiff has become the city in the UK to be 'on track' to introduce the living wage, following a three-year plan between communities, businesses and Cardiff Council in the hope of lifting thousands of workers out of poverty.

The rate is calculated to reflect the increased cost of living and is £1.09p per hour more than the minimum wage for over 25s. The Living Wage Foundation says more than £32 million in extra wages has gone into workers' pockets in Wales since 2011, benefitting nearly 7,000 people.

Oxford City Council has announced a new Oxford Living Wage rate of £10.21 an hour, which will apply from April 2020.