Religious governing body The Methodist Council has been accredited as a living wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation.
The council has committed to paying all of its 220 staff, whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors, at least the voluntary London living wage rate of £9.75 an hour.
The living wage is an independently set hourly rate of pay that is calculated according to the basic cost of living. It is paid by employers on a voluntary basis, and is updated annually. The current living wage for employees working across the UK is £8.45 an hour. The higher London living wage rate of £9.75 an hour is reflective of the increased living costs of being based in the capital.
The voluntary living wage is separate from the statutory national living wage, which is paid to employees aged 25 and over. The national living wage rate is currently set at £7.50 an hour.
Nick Moore, head of support services at the Methodist Church, said: “Social justice is part of the Methodist tradition. We believe in ‘a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work’. Working hard full-time should earn a person enough to live free of poverty.
"Today in the UK there is a legal minimum wage, but despite this, over a third of children in poverty live in households where adults are in full-time paid work. This is why The Methodist Council has chosen to become a living wage accredited employer. As the living wage is independently calculated each year based on what employees and their families need to live, we want to make sure all of our employees are paid at this rate as a minimum.”
