Agenda item

To inform the Committee of a petition received from the Hexham Living Wage Group.

The Petitions Committee were requested to acknowledge the petition received from Hexham Living wage Group which asked that the Council increase their subsidy for care services so that care workers could be paid a Real Living Wage.  (A copy of the report is enclosed with the signed minutes).

Pat Devlin, the lead petitioner, addressed the Committee and made the following comments:

·        Hexham Living Wage Group had focused on the Real Living wage after the weekly clap for NHS and care staff and experiences shared by a member of the group regarding care workers potentially dangerous hours worked to make ends meet.

·        They welcomed the Cabinet report and proposals to offer an increased subsidy to care providers conditional on payment of the Real Living Wage as a minimum remuneration.

·        They recognised the national problem of retention and recruitment of care staff and that Northumberland was leading the way in its response, which:

-       Recognised the value of care work through increased remuneration for all over 18 years old base on cost of living calculations, particularly vital in the coming year.

-       Registering the evidence of accredited real Living Wage employers which demonstrated that payment of the Real Living Wage led to improved retention of staff, increased motivation and performance levels and reduction absences due to sickness.

·        The Council should ensure that its procurement policy reflect a preference that contractors pay as a minimum the Real Living Wage, even it not made essential criteria.

·        The petition demonstrated public support, and many were incredulous that care workers were not already paid more than the Real Living Wage.  Collection of signatures during the pandemic had been difficult and the 822 signatures had been collected during brief time slots in 5 towns and villages.  If circumstances had allowed a wider approach, the level of support would have been overwhelming.

·        They had demonstrated their ability to be a channel of communication with members of the public, care workers and care providers and sought an ongoing role in the proposed review of the process.

Neil Bradley, Service Director – Adult Care, confirmed that officers and the lead members for Adult Social Care had been considering the issue when the petition had been received as they had been experiencing problems with retention and recruitment, particularly in home care.   They were pleased that Cabinet had supported the proposals which he confirmed needed to be ratified by Full Council in February as part of the agreement of the Council’s budget.

He also commented that:

·        Despite the comments within the petition in relation to NCC fee levels being lower than other local authorities, officers had not seen strong evidence that higher fees in other areas had led to higher wages, which was why option C had been recommended in the report to Cabinet.

·        The petition had specifically referred to carers pay rates, and the affordability of applying the increase to a wider range of employees within care services was being reviewed as part of the implementation.

·        Officers would be happy to consult and engage with Hexham Living Wage group in any future review.

Councillor Wendy Pattison, Portfolio Holder for Adult Care, acknowledged the work of care staff and supported the payment of the Real Living Wage to employees in that sector.

Members of the Petitions Committee commented that:

·        The petitioner was thanked for bringing the issue to the Council’s attention.  Officers were also thanked for the work that had been undertaken.

·        Care workers provided an essential service, and members were extremely pleased with the Cabinet decision, particularly for their dedication during the pandemic.

·        It had been particularly useful to see a range of options and scenarios as it gave an insight into alternatives, and it would be useful to see this in other committee reports.

·        Organisations operated as private business and could not be compelled by the Council to pay the Real Living Wage, however they would not attract the higher fee.  Some of the companies operated nationally and regionally, and as not all local authorities were adopting the same practice as Northumberland, it could be difficult for them to operate different pay rates between care homes in adjacent areas.  There would also be difficulties in charging different fee rates for similar quality of care at different homes if one accepted the premium and was paying the Real Living Wage and another didn’t.

·        The Council needed to use its influence in procurement processes to ensure that were paid fairly in order to retain good quality staff.

·        The care service was a competitive industry and looked at the cheapest rates.

·        The premium was to be paid to care providers who agreed to pay the real Living wage across Northumberland and all care services.

RESOLVED that the Petitions Committee noted that the objectives of the petition were consistent with recommendations made by the cabinet which were to be included in the proposed budget for 2022/23 to be considered by the Council at its budget meeting in February 2022.