Press release from the Brighton Green Party:

Green council leader Bill Randall (21 July) announced radical plans to introduce a Living Wage in the city of Brighton & Hove.

At a meeting of the whole council, he confirmed that the council will be taking a number of steps to reduce inequality in the city through narrowing the gap between the highest and lowest paid workers.

Bill commented, “Reducing inequality is a key plank of our plan for the city.

“We will be consulting on a 60p-an-hour rise for the council’s lowest-paid workers, many of whom are women, and many also part-time workers.

“This, and other initiatives, mean we have narrowed the ratio between the highest and lowest paid council employees to just above 11:1.

“We are also establishing a Living Wage Commission for Brighton & Hove, which will look at the benefits, risks and opportunities of establishing a Living Wage in the city’s public, private and third sectors.

“I’m pleased that we’ve received support for the initiative from trade unions, the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce, Brighton University, the Hospitals Trust and the Sussex Police Authority.

“We will continue to work with other partners to achieve a fairer city.”