HALF a million pounds: The price of making sure every Gloucestershire County Council employee earns at least enough to cover the basic costs of living.
Just shy of 900 Shire Hall employees currently earn less than the Living Wage which is set at £7.45 per hour – substantially higher than the national minimum wage of £6.19.
The authority is investigating the pros and cons of making a commitment to pay all employees at least the Living Wage but doing so would require a yearly cash injection into the salary pot of £501,000.
Of the 896 county council employees who would benefit from a Living Wage pledge, the vast majority work in the county's schools.
Close to 800 people working in education in the county earn less than the Living Wage, defined as a salary high enough to maintain basic standards of living.
Meanwhile, 119 are employed in county council-specific roles.
The number of people affected overall equates to 245 full time equivalent positions.
A commitment to bringing in the Living Wage at the authority was outlined in the Labour group's 2013 election manifesto and their councillors have been leading the calls to make it happen.
Councillor Lesley Williams (L, Stonehouse), leader of the Labour group, said: "I think ultimately it is up for discussion. These are figures that we need to look at and consider.
"As a principle it's something everybody and anybody should be aiming for but one has to be responsible about it because we all know that county councils are having to find money all the time."
A report into the financial repercussions of bringing in the wage is due to be presented to councillors tomorrow when the county council's overview and scrutiny management committee meets at Shire Hall.
The report sets out who the council employs who currently earn less than the £14,372 Living Wage salary.
Ninety eight of the county council employees who earn less than the Living Wage carry out manual work while 21 are in administrative roles. Meanwhile, 347 permanent and fixed-term school staff are pupil supervisers while 181 are cleaners.
Bringing in the Living Wage would see staff at one secondary, seven special and 140 primary schools given a financial boost.
No school would be impacted by more than one per cent of their previous salary budget if required to make the change.
Ninety four per cent of all affected school employees are female.
Norman Gardner, manager of Gloucester Citizens Advice Bureau, said: "The people we are talking about, many of them certainly, will have already been hit by benefit cuts and we have also seen prices increase quite substantially so this has to be the right thing to do. A responsible employer should be looking at this.
"An extra £40 a week to feed children, clothe them, pay for the heating – that would go a colossal way."
