Anchor, England’s largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care for older people, has become an accredited real Living Wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation.
Anchor, which employs over 9,000 colleagues across the country, is the largest care and housing provider, to achieve accreditation and commit to paying colleagues the real Living Wage for the foreseeable future, following an annual pay review each spring — which is higher than the National Minimum Wage.
The news comes as research released by the Living Wage Foundation and Smith Institute shows that if a quarter of those earning below the Living Wage saw their pay rise to the real Living Wage, the increase in wages, productivity and spending would deliver £1.8bn pounds back in the UK economy.
The report, Local Living Wage Dividend, also shows that regions across the UK would see a significant economic boost if a quarter of low-paid workers were uplifted to the real Living Wage. London would see the biggest boost (£208mn). Followed by South-East (£197m), North-West (£190m), Yorkshire and the Humber (£165m) and West Midlands (£147m).
Anchor has already been paying its staff the real Living Wage, moving from National Living Wage hourly rates on 1st December 2021 for all roles across all services across the country.
Anchor marked its accreditation as a real Living Wage employer with a plaque unveiling ceremony at its head office in Bradford, on the first day of Living Wage Week, the Living Wage Foundation’s annual celebration of the Living Wage movement.
Anchor has voluntarily given a firm long-term commitment to its staff that it will continue to recognise their contribution in delivering high quality services and sustaining those services. This aims to ensure that staff are paid a wage that is fair and will support them through the cost-of-living crisis.
Louise Barnard who works as a Care Team Leader at Anchor’s Ashcroft care home in Undercliffe, Bradford said it was great to work for an employer which committed to paying the real Living Wage.
Louise said: “I love working at Anchor and supporting the residents who live in this home. I’m proud to work in social care and making a difference, so to work for a company which recognises and rewards the importance of my work by committing to paying the real Living Wage means a lot to me, especially given the increasing costs of living.”
Kate Smith, Executive Director of Business Services at Anchor, commented: “We’re very proud to become an accredited real Living Wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation, which enshrines our commitment to ensuring that people working in the housing and social care sector are appropriately rewarded for their hard work. We also hope it will attract more people to join the sector to ensure we continue to deliver high quality services for residents.”
“Last year, we believe we became the first large provider of care and housing to pay all our colleagues, whatever their age, at or above the Living Wage Foundation’s real Living Wage rate. We are committed to providing competitive rates of pay, an excellent range of benefits and outstanding opportunities to develop careers in a hugely fulfilling sector. We’re proudly not-for-profit which means every penny we make can be reinvested for the benefit of our colleagues and the older people who live in our locations.”
Katherine Chapman, Director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “We are pleased England’s largest care and housing provider, Anchor is an accredited real Living Wage employer. Paying the real Living Wage isn’t just the right thing to do for workers, it’s good for business and the wider local economy too.
“In these volatile and tough economic times, paying the real Living Wage helps tackle in-work poverty and provides a vital economic boost to the UK economy. Through increased spending and productivity gains, the real Living Wage supports a high wage, high growth economy that we all want to see.
“With the cost of living rising, it’s never been more important for employers who can, to step up and provide a wage based on the cost of living, joining over 11,000 Living Wage Employers across the UK. In doing so they’ll not just provide security and stability for their workforce, but they will boost the local economy too.”
Header imahe shows L-R: Kate Smith – Executive Director of Business Services at Anchor, Lenka Kitchen – Care Assistant at Anchor’s Mill View care home, Lord Mayor of Bradford Martin Love, Marina Ageyeva – Living Wage Foundation Programme Manager.
