Paying the real Living Wage is good for your employees, your business and society.
By paying this, employers make sure their staff earn enough to live on.
Having the Living Wage Employer accreditation shows your commitment to fair pay to your employees, existing and new customers and potential funders.
We have been a Living Wage Employer since 2017 and are offering grants to cover the cost of accreditation for three years for businesses in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
Benefits to your business
Employers who pay the Living Wage:
- see a reduction in people not coming into work and sick leave
- receive better quality job applications
- find it easier to recruit and retain staff
- see a huge boost to staff morale and productivity
- see improved brand awareness
- secure more contracts and funding
94% of businesses surveyed benefitted from accreditation
Join more than 14,000 UK employers who are accredited Living Wage Employers.
About the London Living Wage
The Living Wage rate is now £13.85 per hour in London.
The Living Wage is the only UK wage rate that is independently set yearly by the Living Wage Foundation.
It is higher than the national minimum wage because it is calculated by it taking account the real cost of living.
Businesses pay this wage rate voluntarily to ensure that their staff receive a wage which meets every day needs, whether that’s food and fuel or a surprise trip to the dentist.
In the Royal Borough of Greenwich, there are over 100 accredited Living Wage Employers, with more in the process of joining up.
Apply for a Greenwich Living Wage grant
Promoting the real Living Wage is key to our work to create a fairer, more inclusive local economy.
To support more employers in Greenwich to become accredited and experience the benefits accreditation brings, we are offering grants to cover the cost of accreditation for a three-year period.
Any organisation of up to 250 employees, who has gained the accreditation, can apply for the grant.
How to become accredited
The accreditation process requires a licence agreement to be signed between the employer and the Living Wage Foundation.
To meet accreditation requirements you must:
- pay all directly employed staff the real Living Wage before accrediting
- pay all regular third party contracted staff the real Living Wage with a three-year phased implementation window for any contracts unable to immediately uplift affected employees
- commit to implement new rates within 6 months of the annual rate announcement
How to access the grants
Submit an expression of interest on the Living Wage Foundation website
Once you've expressed interest:
- You will get then an email with your personalised license agreement link to complete and submit online. You can reach out to a member of the team to raise any questions or ask for a call
- Your license will be reviewed and signed off within 3 to 5 days by a member of the Living Wage Foundation confirming your accreditation
- You can apply for the grants to cover the cost of accreditation
Get help applying
You can get in touch with a member of the Living Wage Foundation by:
- phoning 020 7043 9882
- emailing accreditation@livingwage.org.uk
- emailing the business team at the Council on business@royalgreenwich.gov.uk
Grant conditions
To qualify you must:
- Be an employer and occupy a commercial property within the Royal Borough of Greenwich
- Become accredited with the Living Wage Foundation (and be able to provide an accreditation agreement).
- Commit to and implement the agreement to pay the London Living Wage for a minimum 3 year period, with the Living Wage Foundation (failure to do this may result in recovery of the grant)
- Confirm that any award under this scheme will not result in the organisation exceeding the State Aid threshold
- Continue to occupy a commercial property within the Royal Borough of Greenwich for at least 3 years of becoming accredited. Otherwise any grant will be reclaimed. The grant would remain if the organisation occupies another property within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
Amount of the Grant Award
A grant of three times the annual London Living Wage accreditation fee is being offered to businesses employing less than 251 staff.
The level of grant award depends on the size of business.
| Organisation type |
Size of organisation |
Grant award |
|---|---|---|
| Private sector | 51 to 250 | £906 |
| 11 to 50 | £452 | |
| 0 to 10 | £228 | |
| Charities or public sector | 51 to 250 | £906 |
| 11 to 50 | £452 | |
| 0 to 10 | £228 |
The Living Wage Foundation monitors organisations and should any business break the agreement within 3 years then any grant awarded will be reclaimed on a pro rata basis.
The grant is a one-off award to cover the cost of accreditation.
If an organisation occupies more than one property within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, only one award will be made (the applicant can specify which property).
State Aid and Subsidy Allowance
European Union laws restrict the amount of state funding businesses can receive. This includes government grants, loans or tax reductions.
The EU State aid rules no longer apply to subsidies granted in the UK following the end of the transition period however the following scheme rules are to be applied to subsidies on the basis of the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA).
Applicant businesses will need to confirm that any likely grant award through this scheme will not exceed the set limit for the Small Amounts of Financial Assistance Allowance and COVID-19 Business Grant Allowance.
If you have any queries about the conditions or you need help with completing the form email business@royalgreenwich.gov.uk
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
The Royal Greenwich Living Wage campaign is funded by the The UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025.
The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.
Find out more about the UK Shared Prosperity Fund on GOV.UK
Watch a video from local employers on the benefits of paying the real Living Wage rate
Local employers on the benefits of accreditation
“Being able to say we are a Living Wage Employer has helped me find the best candidates for the position I’ve been hiring for.” Izzy Collishaw, Helix 3D
“Our staff is happier, more motivated, less stressed and worried about cost of living pressures”. Israel George, BPTW
“By becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer, we can show what we stand for: everyone deserves a fair and liveable wage.” Ruthie Carlisle Brown, Emergency Exit Arts
“It helps us with better staff retention and create a better atmosphere. It also looks really good on your company CV when you deal with customers and suppliers”. Marco Olmi, Drury Tea & Coffee
“We get the best results, the most efficiency, motivation and enthusiasm from the team because we are rewarding them properly for the work they do. This has been the key factor to help us grow and develop” Brian Dowling, Helix 3D