Agenda item

To receive the report of the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance on any Notices of Motion received by him.

Councillors are asked to note that any Notices of Motion must be received by the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance no later than noon on 8 February 2022.

The Council had before it a Notice of Motion set out in the agenda papers standing in the names of Cllr Lynn Denham, Cllr Mel Allcott, Cllr Luke Mallett, and Cllr Dan Boatright.

The motion was moved by Cllr Lynn Denham and seconded by Cllr Josh Robinson, who both spoke in favour of it, and Council agreed to deal with it on the day.

Those in favour of the motion commented:

·         The real living wage had been calculated at £9.90 an hour which contrasted with the national living wage which was set at £9.50 an hour from April 2022. However, the National Living Wage only applied to workers over 23 whereas the Real Living Wage applied to workers over 18 years of age. This meant that 18-20 year olds would only receive £6.83 an hour under the national living wage for doing the same job as an “adult”

·         Paying the Real Living Wage would improve staff relationships with management, improve recruitment and retention, improve staff information, and improve health and well-being. Worcestershire LEP had identified low wages as an issue across the county. The increase would be beneficial for the local economy with increased staff spending power.

·         The introduction of the national living wage had not had the negative impact on employment as some predicted. A recent Harvard University paper had indicated that wage increases of the lowest paid improved loyalty, productivity and delivered increased earnings for businesses. The introduction of the real living wage at a time when the cost of living was increasing in the post covid environment should be supported

·         The motion merely asked that the issue of introducing the real living wage be considered by the Cabinet Member. It was important to address issues associated with staff recruitment and retention because of the potential impact on service provision

·         In a time of financial pressures on families, the Council could set an example as a good employer to other businesses by adopting the real living wage. Lower paid employees were likely to spend more of their earnings locally

·         Bringing a motion to Council was a legitimate part of the Council’s constitution. It was still possible to undertake national pay bargaining whilst paying the real living wage as Worcester City Council had done. This motion was an opportunity to send a positive message to those staff affected.

Those against the motion commented:

·                The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Economy and Skills commented that increasing the tax free allowance and a rise in the national minimum wage rise was the best way to tackle poverty. The motion would result in an increase in Council Tax at a time when the cost of living was rising. It would also mean a move away from national pay bargaining. The Council’s priority was not solely to protect the interest of its staff but also to consider the impact on local residents

·                The motion had not made any reference to the impact of the real living wage on private sector staff.          

On being put to a named vote, the motion was lost.

Those in favour of the motion were: Cllr Mel Allcott, Cllr Dan Boatright, Cllr Lynn Denham, Cllr Matt Jenkins, Cllr Natalie McVey, Cllr Beverley Nielsen, Cllr Josh Robinson, Cllr Richard Udall, and Tom Wells. (9)

Those against the motion were: Cllr Steve Mackay, Cllr Alastair Adams, Cllr Salman Akbar, Cllr Allan Amos, Cllr Marc Bayliss, Cllr Bob Brookes, Cllr David Chambers, Cllr Brandon Clayton, Cllr Kyle Daisley, Cllr Nathan Desmond, Cllr Allah Ditta, Cllr Matt Dormer, Cllr Elizabeth Eyre, Cllr Simon Geraghty, Cllr Laura Gretton, Cllr Peter Griffiths, Cllr Karen Hanks, Cllr Ian Hardiman, Cllr Adrian Hardman, Cllr Marcus Hart, Cllr Bill Hopkins, Cllr Adrian Kriss, Cllr Aled Luckman, Cllr Emma D Marshall, Cllr Karen May, Cllr Tony Miller, Cllr Jo Monk, Cllr Dan Morehead, Cllr Richard Morris, Cllr Tony Muir, Cllr Tracey Onslow, Cllr Scott Richardson Brown, Cllr Andy Roberts, Cllr Linda Robinson, Cllr Chris Rogers, Cllr David Ross, Cllr Mike Rouse, Cllr James Stanley, Cllr Emma Stokes,  and Cllr Shirley Webb. (40)