Making Norwich a Living Wage City

Becoming a Living Wage City: Tackling in-work poverty in Norwich

Too many people who live and work in Norwich are unable to earn a wage which simply meets the cost of living. That is why business and community leaders from across the city are committed to making Norwich a Living Wage City to tackle the problem of in-work poverty.

The real Living Wage is voluntarily paid by employers, set at a rate to ensure employees earn enough to meet the cost of living.

In October 2023, the Living Wage Foundation unveiled their new Living Wage rates based on the cost of living with the rates of pay reflecting the continued price rises faced by UK households. Accredited employers will be required to implement these new rates of £12 across the UK, and £13.15 in London by 1 May 2024. The Government’s National Living Wage is £10.42 for anyone aged 23 and over.

What are the benefits of becoming a Living Wage City?

🤝 Good for business: Employers who pay the Living Wage benefit from improved staff recruitment and retention, strengthened reputation, and improved relations between staff and management.

💸 Good for communities: The Living Wage helps boost the local economy by promoting the financial health of those who live and work within it. In other words, it helps to reduce poverty and inequality.

🏠 Good for Norwich: Making Norwich a Living Wage City will help the city to attract and retain talent whilst making Norwich a more attractive place to live and work.

A local, community led campaign

In 2022 The Norwich Living Wage Action Group was recognised by the Living Wage Foundation for its plan to make Norwich a Living Wage City. Our Action Group, leading the campaign to make Norwich a Living Wage city, is made up of leaders from a broad range of local employers that want to do more to make Norwich a city which delivers fair pay for all. This includes Norwich City Council, Aviva, Broadland Housing Association, representatives from local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the Voluntary sector.

Norwich already has Living Wage employers across all sectors of its economy but there is much more to do – we want to increase the number of accredited employers in Norwich from 79 to 150 over the next two years. If successful, that would equate to almost 19,000 people working for a real Living Wage employer.

By becoming a designated Living Wage City our campaign will continue to raise awareness of the blight of insecure, low paid employment, persuade more employers to become accredited and ultimately ensure employees in Norwich are paid a fair wage.

Want to get involved? There are a two ways you can help make Norwich a Living Wage City:

Ask your employer to become a Living Wage employer If you work in the private sector, you can talk to your manager or HR department about becoming a Living Wage employer. If you work for a public sector organisation, you can contact your elected representative and ask them to support the campaign.

Spread the word Talk to your friends, family, and colleagues about the Living Wage and the campaign to make Norwich a Living Wage City. Share the campaign on social media and encourage others to get involved.

Together, we can make Norwich a Living Wage City and create a fairer, more prosperous city for everyone. Watch the video below to learn more about the Real Living Wage and how your business can join the movement