A NUMBER of councils in the region have yet to meet union demands to pay their staff a ‘living wage’.

According to the GMB union, four North-East local authorities have implemented the living wage, which amounts to £8.25 an hour – Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland.

However a survey by The Northern Echo found a majority of councils were paying less than £8.25 an hour.

The living wage was set up by the Living Wage Foundation and is calculated according to the cost of living in the UK.

It is not compulsory for employers to pay it and is often referred to the voluntary living wage to avoid confusion with the national living wage.

The national living wage is being phased in by the Government from next year and from April means workers aged over 25 must be paid at least £7.20 an hour, a rate which is due to rise to £9 an hour by 2020.

Darlington Council confirmed a number of its staff were on less than the living wage.

A spokeswoman said: “The council is facing a very challenging budget in February and no decisions, which could increase costs, are being taken in advance of this.

“Councillors will consider the implementation of the living wage in February.”

Stockton Council said it was committed to ensuring that the needs of its lowest paid staff were properly considered and this included working towards paying the living wage.

It said the lowest hourly rate paid to its workers increased to £7.19 an hour, as of January, and that was under review.

Newcastle City Council said it was making preparations to align to the living wage next year and currently paid a minimum of £7.75 an hour.

North Tyneside, another council which does not pay a living wage, said it was currently considering options for pay from April next year.

Two other local councils, South Tyneside and Sunderland, said that while they had not implemented the living wage, they were “firmly committed” to doing so.

North Yorkshire County Council did not provide a substantive response to the Echo’s inquiry. Earlier this month its leader Councillor Carl Les said implementing the Government’s national living wage would cost an additional £6m and could hurt frontline services.

Justin Bowden, GMB national officer for local council workers, said the union was now pressing for a living wage to be set at £10 an hour.

He said: “GMB supports the work of the Living Wage Foundation to raise wages and we will continue to make strong representations to all councils across the UK to make work pay.”