Double award success for commitment to fair pay

Cornwall has been recognised nationally for its commitment to fair pay at the Living Wage Foundation Champion Awards.

The Cornwall living wage place (LWP) campaign was awarded campaign of the year, while the council's good growth programme and Truro Foodbank were named joint winners of the local champions award.

Cornwall Council CEO Kate Kennally said: "These awards reflect the dedication of our partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors.

"They show what can be achieved when we work together to tackle low pay and insecure work in Cornwall."

The LWP campaign began in 2023, when Truro Foodbank noticed an increase in employed people not being able to pay essential bills and needing to turn to foodbanks for help, the council said.

It added, 30% of households visiting the foodbank, at that time, had at least one person in work but were either paid the lowest legal minimum or were in a job with insecure hours.

Cornwall Council's £186 million good growth programme, which manages the UK shared prosperity fund in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, was praised for its innovative approach to local growth funding since launching in 2022, the council said.

It said the programme was helping to shift Cornwall away from a low-wage economy, adding more than 150 employers and hundreds of employees had already benefited.

Simon Fann, chair of the Cornwall LWP group and manager at Truro Foodbank, said: "This award is a genuine recognition of the commitment put in by a whole team of people to assist employees struggling on the lowest, most insecure pay.

"Getting to this point marks good progress but we must not be complacent.

"Last year, for the first time ever in the UK, more employed people than those on benefits felt compelled to turn to loan sharks with resultant massive interest and debt.

"If this campaign means workers can determine their own financial security without the need to use foodbanks or loan sharks, then that is the true achievement."

Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation said: "Together the living wage movement has put £3.85 billion back into the pockets of low paid workers since the campaign began.

"I warmly congratulate Cornwall Council, Truro Foodbank and the Cornwall living wage place campaign on their well-deserved award and thank them for their support for the living wage movement."

Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].