Thousands more to benefit from Oxford Living Wage scheme

Employers including Kelpie Coffee, Oxford Hospitals Charity, Natural Bread Company, and Missing Bean have all committed to the scheme.

This means a further 172 local people will be paid a fairer wage in accordance with higher costs.

Natural Bread Bakery have joined the scheme (Image: Natural Bread Bakery)

This brings the total to 193 accredited employers, meaning more than 32,000 local people (1,298 from the new businesses) will be paid at least £14.06 an hour.  

The new Oxford Living Wage rate was announced in November and came into effect in April.

It is set at 95 per cent of the London Living Wage to reflect the high cost of living the city. 

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Ben Sorgiovanni is launched Kelpie Coffee with his partner Clare and is now part of the scheme (Image: Ben Sorgiovanni)

The scheme is a voluntary rate set above the statutory National Living Wage, designed to ensure workers can meet everyday living costs in one of the UK’s most expensive cities.

The city council’s website offers information on the benefits of paying a living wage and lists all accredited employers. 

Oxford Hospitals Charity have joined the scheme (Image: Oxford Hospitals Charity)

The scheme was originally introduced in 2018, after the Oxford Living Wage grew out of the Living Wage Foundation’s national campaign.

The Living Wage Foundation’s national campaign is a real living wage based on UK living costs.

The foundation predicts the living wage at £13.45, a far cry from the minimum legal national living wage.

The current UK national living wage sits at £12.71 for adults 21 and over, with the London national living wage at 14.80.