Chamber of Commerce President Leads Living Wage Commission

The role of the Commission is to see whether employers would agree on the benefits of introducing a voluntary minimum living wage across the city and to look at how it might affect them. The Commission will also determine an hourly pay rate that would represent a living wage for employees in the city. A living wage is entirely separate from the National Minimum Wage (currently £6.08 an hour) and is designed to take into account the real costs of living.

Brighton & Hove City Council leader Bill Randall said: “I’m delighted that Julia Chanteray has agreed to chair the new commission.”

Julia Chanteray said: “I’m pleased to be representing the city’s business community in taking this idea forward.

“There’s already been a good response from businesses and Chamber members to the idea of a living wage and we will work hard to make sure it’s more than an idea and becomes something which works in practice."

“In particular, I want to make sure that a living wage has a positive impact on the economy of Brighton and Hove, and is not in any way a burden on businesses.”

Bill Randall also said: “Tackling inequality is one of the council’s top priorities. A living wage for the city would be a huge step forward, but at the same time we have to stay focused on the need to promote the competitiveness of businesses that offer jobs to local people.”

Sitting alongside Ms Chanteray on the commission are:
•             a cross-party group of councillors backed by senior council officials
•             Catherine Anderson, chair of the city’s Hotel Association
•             representatives of Sussex Police and the local NHS
•             representatives of Brighton University
•             trade union representatives
•             representatives of the city’s community and voluntary sector
•             Rhys Moore of the national Living Wage Foundation
•             representatives of Brighton & Hove Albion FC.

The Commission has also benefited from the expertise of Donald Hirsch, a leading authority on the Minimum Income Standard for the UK.

The Commission will talk to key sectors, including the business and community and voluntary sectors, before presenting its findings to the Brighton & Hove Strategic Partnership and the council’s cabinet in March 2012.

Notes for editors

About Julia Chanteray
Julia Chanteray, the president of the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce, began her business career in Edinburgh in the 1990s, developing social enterprises in a deprived area of Scotland’s capital, where she also received her MBA. Since 1999 Julia has worked in the private sector, initially as the operations director of a fast-growth dot-com. In 2002 she moved to Brighton and started her own business. The Joy of Business now provides support, advice and mentoring for enterprises of fewer than 30 employees, and Julia still also works a great deal in the social enterprise sector. She has been a member of the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce since moving to Brighton.

About Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce
Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce supports many businesses of all sizes and sectors across the city with services ranging from its popular twice-monthly breakfasts and monthly evening events to skills training and business support. It is also the voice of business in Brighton & Hove, representing its members on all the key local partnerships and initiatives, sitting on a variety of bodies and forums, and feeding local business issues into the City’s strategy developments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Sarah Springford, director
Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce
Tel: 01273 719097
Email: director@businessinbrighton.org.uk
Site: www.businessinbrighton.org.uk

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