Circle Housing accredited as living wage employer

A leading housing association has gained accreditation as a living wage employer for paying staff and contractors an hourly rate based on the cost of living.

Circle Housing, which employs more than 2,600 people, has committed to paying its employees and contract staff the voluntary living wage of £8.25 an hour, and £9.40 in London.

Chief executive Mark Rogers said: "All our contractors, agencies and partners will be paid the UK living wage and therefore everyone working under Circle Housing contracts will be paid the living wage in the next three years."

Sarah Vero, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: "The best organisations are voluntarily signing up to pay their people the living wage, a pay rate based on the real cost of living.

"We hope that others in the sector follow the lead of Circle Housing. They join a growing list of more than 2,000 organisations ranging from FTSE 100 companies to independent businesses, small to medium-sized enterprises and third sector employers who all share our belief that work should be the surest way out of poverty."

Circle Housing has more than 70,000 properties across England.

The voluntary rate is well above the Government's new national living wage of £7.20 an hour for adults from April.