Luc Gauci Green on calls to make work pay in Barnet
Unloading supplies at Chipping Barnet Foodbank – (Credit – Leïla Davaud)
Campaigners are calling on Barnet Council to take action on low pay as the borough lags behind others in London on wage accreditation.
The team at Chipping Barnet Foodbank are advocates of the adoption of London Living Wage, hosting campaigns and events alongside the Living Wage Foundation.
However, currently 29 out of 33 London boroughs are accredited living wage employers but Barnet remained one of the four not accredited.
In recent years, the foodbank has noticed that demand for their services is outstripping supply, including from people who are currently employed but earning less than living wage.
Bob Bevil, the foodbank’s advocacy and campaign lead tells Barnet Post “that means there are people subcontracted to the council who are earning less than living wage”.
He adds: “They’re the types of people that we’re starting to see more and more of at the foodbank. These are families where one or two of the adults in a household might be working but they’ll be subcontracted to the council for a poor rate.”
Barnet is the only Labour-led council in London that is not accredited. In addition, Barnet’s primary anchor health care institution, the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (which runs Barnet Hospital as well as the Royal Free) is not accredited either.
Bob says “If we can encourage these big organisations to pay the London Living Wage, it would alleviate pressure on the foodbanks.”
He highlights that there is both a moral case and a business case for adopting the London Living Wage which is advocated by Middlesex University’s research. The university is one of the institutions in the borough that does pay the London Living Wage.
A Middlesex University spokesperson said: “Adopting the London Living Wage aligns with our commitment to be a responsible employer, and our values of fairness and supporting the wellbeing of our staff while also making good business sense.”
Dr Andrea Werner of Middlesex University is a researcher whose work advocates for the London Living Wage. She says a commitment to the living wage in Barnet would have a positive impact on individual workers, local employers and the community.
In her research, workers being paid the living wage “can better meet rising living costs”; “avoid getting into debt”; “can spend money on things they couldn’t afford before” like better quality food and clothing; “are able to work fewer hours” and can lead a better quality of life; “feel more valued” and have a positive psychological impact; “are able to save money for the future”; and “are able to invest in their own education”.
She adds that employers also gain numerous benefits. Paying the real living wage “helps to attract and retain good quality staff” which “helps save money in recruitment and training costs.”
This also translates into “better staff morale and motivation” and the organisation can provide a “more consistent, reliable and higher quality service.”
It also has reputational benefits and might even help with grant applications or accreditations. The research has shown that it has a positive effect on organisational culture, atmosphere and some mention “less absenteeism and less sickness”.
Dr Werner also suggests that the community can benefit from the “increased purchasing power of their residents” earning London Living Wage, with particular benefits for local businesses and trade.
She also referenced the Living Wage Foundation’s work: according to their research, they estimate that “if 25% more workers were paid a real living wage, the economic benefit to the UK economy would be £1.7bn, and to London £208.3million.”
They also observe frequent clustering of living wage employers, “often following the lead” of major local employers like universities and significant purchasing organisations like local authorities.
Both Barnet Council and Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust have now started the process of accreditation.
Zahra Beg, the council’s cabinet member for equalities, told Barnet Post: “All directly employed council staff are paid at least the London Living Wage and many of our contracts with third-party providers include a requirement for a commitment to the London Living Wage.
“Our manifesto pledged to work with local employers towards becoming a London Living Wage borough, and as a council we have started the process of becoming a Living Wage Employer.
“As part of our work to deliver on our London Living Wage commitment, we have already been able to move to the London Living Wage for our extra care, equipment services, day care, and prevention sectors in adult social care. In addition, all services delivered by our local authority trading company, Your Choice Barnet, including supported living, respite services and care homes, pay staff London’s Living Wage.
“We recognise that there are challenges in some areas of our supply chain, particularly within social care contracts, where meeting the London Living Wage can be complex due to sector-wide funding constraints. We are working closely with the Living Wage Foundation to address these barriers.”
A spokesperson for Royal Free London said: “We are pleased to confirm the trust is applying for London living wage accreditation across our group. This will be an extension to the existing accreditation held by North Middlesex University Hospital, which merged with Royal Free London at the start of 2025.
“Currently, all staff employed directly by the trust receive pay above the London Living Wage. Additionally, as part of our procurement process, any contractors tendering for business with the trust must pay their staff the London living wage or higher.”
Bob Bevil’s concern, however, is that action is not coming fast enough. He says: “Corporate time tends to drag compared to day to day time of residents experiencing poverty.
“When large corporations like councils commit to things, it tends to take time, bureaucracy takes time. Whereas when you come to the foodbank and walk around, there’s a much greater sense of urgency amongst people using its services because they really can’t afford waiting for these changes to happen.”
After getting these anchor institutions accredited, Bob says their next aim is to get as many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as possible to accredit, especially as Barnet’s working population is predominately within SMEs.
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