YEP Says: Let's look after our low-earning staff in Leeds

Developments are coming thick and fast: look at the Victoria Gate development and read elsewhere in this newspaper for details of reaction to plans for a new 40-storey building which would be the biggest in the city.

But not all of Leeds is glossy, shiny buildings and upmarket shops. Many, many people in Leeds earn very little and large parts of our city are poor as a result.

So news that staff who are working to make Leeds city centre better are to receive a pay rise is excellent news.

Leeds Business Improvement District has signed up to become a Living Wage employer.

Living Wage employers agree to pay a minimum rate set every year by the Living Wage Foundation based on what it considers is the amount people need to meet basic living standards.

The welcome ambassadors and street rangers make a vital contribution to the Leeds visitor experience, interacting with people across the city centre and helping to raise standards.

There are 147 Living Wage employers in Yorkshire including the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Ilkley Brewery.

So congratulations to BID. The more people who are earning a decent living wage, the better for all of us.

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