Decision - Findings and Recommendations of the Brighton & Hove Living Wage Commission

265.1    The Chair introduced the report and noted that the establishment of a living wage for the city had been a manifesto commitment and he was pleased to see its fruition.  He believed that it had made a real difference and was grateful for the involvement of the private sector and business community.  He also noted that the Living Wage Foundation were seeking to move the goal posts further and therefore there would be a need to review the commitment and continue the excellent work to take matters forward.

265.2    Councillor Mitchell welcomed the report and noted that there was a consensus of opinion and she had been pleased to have been involved in the process.

265.3    Councillor G. Theobald stated that he had been pleased to be a part of the process but expressed the need to be careful as the implications of having a living wage set at a particular level could then have an impact of employers and their ability/willingness to take on young people.  He also queried whether there was a possibility of a legal challenge in respect of paragraph 5.2 of the report.

265.4    The Monitoring Officer stated that the decision in regard to the contract was delegated to officers or a committee, and under the Local Government Act 1988 a decision was able to take into account non-commercial conditions.  Each contract would be considered on a case by case basis rather than a blanket approach and as such he did not anticipate any difficulties with the majority of cases.

265.5    The Chair noted the comments and stated that he believed Brighton & Hove was one of the first councils in the country to introduce a living wage.  He wished to thank all concerned with bringing the project forward and put the recommendations to the vote.

265.6    RESOLVED:

(1)    That the findings of the Living Wage Commission and support their recommendations, as listed in paragraph 3.7 be noted;

(2)    That it be agreed that in support of recommendation four (4) of the living wage report Brighton & Hove City Council, within its procurement process and on a case by case basis, trials requesting contractors to submit a living wage and a non living wage bid. In addition, with partners, the council will share learning from this work and help develop approaches to include the Living Wage in the procurement work of other public bodies in the city; and

(3)    That recommendation five (5) of the Living Wage Commission report be approved and officers be instructed to explore the possibility of gaining Living Wage accreditation.