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An Oxfordshire council has “paused” its application to become an accredited Living Wage employer.
The move to seek accreditation was initially championed by Green councillors on the Vale of White Horse District Council in 2023, following revelations that some council contractors were paying wages below the real living wage.
However, the Liberal Democrat-led authority has stated that a “consideration of workload” was undertaken in light of the government’s announcement regarding the reorganisation of local government.
The council indicated that “it would be for the new council to set its own direction on HR matters such as pay”.
The Living Wage Foundation has set the real living wage at £12.60 per hour outside of London, exceeding the National Minimum Wage of £12.20.
The Foundation reports that over 16,000 employers have received accreditation for committing to pay the higher rate.
Vale of White Horse District Council has cited that achieving accreditation requires contacting all of the authority’s third-party suppliers and contractors to secure their commitment to paying the living wage.
The council described this undertaking as a “time-consuming and resource intensive process”.
Green councillor Katherine Foxhall expressed disappointment regarding the decision to suspend the accreditation process.
She stated, “We still really think that it’s vital that as major employers within the county, that councils really lead by example.”
“Particularly in the context of local government reform, what we’re trying to get our leaders to do is to set the tone and the priorities of whichever authority that follows.”
“It’s really vital that we say these are the things that are important to us, these are our priorities.”
“Paying people fairly is a crucial aspect of council services.”
Under proposed local government reorganisation plans, district councils in Oxfordshire are slated to be dissolved in 2028, with the county’s two-tier system being replaced by unitary authorities.
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