EAST Lothian Council has been recognised for its commitment to fair pay by achieving Living Wage accreditation.

The announcement was made during Living Wage Week 2024.

The Living Wage Foundation awards this accreditation to employers which pay more than the Government's minimum wage, ensuring that wages reflect the cost of living.

The Living Wage rates, calculated by the Resolution Foundation, consider the wage necessary for a decent standard of living, including housing, childcare, transport and heating costs.

Organisations must pay all directly employed staff the real Living Wage and ensure that regularly contracted employees receive the rate during their working hours for the council.

On October 23, the real Living Wage increased from £12 per hour to £12.60 per hour.

East Lothian Council currently pays £12.56 and will implement the new rate by May 2025.

In comparison, the national minimum wage is £11.44 per hour.

Councillor Norman Hampshire, East Lothian Council leader, said: "Reducing poverty and inequality is a key focus in our council plan.

"The real Living Wage reflects the costs for the basics that we all need and deserve.

"It cannot be right that, in this day and age, people find themselves in work but also in poverty because their wages haven’t kept pace with the cost of living.

"It aims to tackle this situation by offering a fair wage for fair work."

In addition to paying its own staff and contractors the real Living Wage, the council is using its annual spend of approximately £140 million on goods, services and works to deliver additional social, environmental and economic benefits to East Lothian through its procurement processes.

This includes checking whether suppliers are accredited Living Wage employers or if they would commit to paying the real Living Wage during their council contract.

Mr Hampshire added: "While the real Living Wage undoubtedly benefits council staff who already receive it as a minimum, we are using our position as a major consumer of services in East Lothian to ensure these benefits are felt in other workplaces too.

"We want contractors or contract workers undertaking roles on council projects or on behalf of the council, including care staff, to also receive the real Living Wage.

"This will contribute to achieving our vision for an even more prosperous, safe and sustainable East Lothian, with a dynamic and thriving economy that enables our people and communities to flourish."

Lynn Anderson, Living Wage Scotland manager, said: "We’re delighted that East Lothian Council has become an accredited Living Wage employer.

"They join a growing movement of more than 3,750 employers in Scotland who together want to ensure workers have what they need.

"Our Living Wage employer network includes well-known organisations such as SSE plc, ENABLE Scotland and the University of Strathclyde, as well as lots of smaller employers, and we hope to see many more follow their example."