Conservative Leader of West Lindsey of West Lindsey District Council has confirmed that the Council is currently a living wage employer and will be unaffected in financial terms when the Government introduce a National Living Wage next April.

Cllr. Mrs. Shelia Bibb (Gainsborough North) asked the Leader at a Full Council meeting on Monday 27th July:

“The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt. Hon. George Osbourne MP, has announced in his Summer Budget that on top of an increase of 20p to the National Minimum Wage in October, in April next year the Conservative Government will introduce a National Living Wage of £7.20 an hour for over 25sw. Could the Leader explain the effect of this decision on West Lindsey District Council?”

Cllr. Jeff Summers, the Leader of the Council, responded:

“The lowest pay band in West Lindsey District Council is currently £7.43 per hour, therefore there will be no immediate effect on the Authority.

“The fact that we are in front of the game in terms of remunerating our staff demonstrates our awareness of the cost of living.

“At present we have a financial strategy within the Council’s forward budget to ensure we keep a pace of inflation.”

The response from the Leader came as some analysis suggested that some other local councils were not well placed to pay their employees a living wage, with a cost of a billion pounds to be found.