From 1 April the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage has increased to £12.21 for those 21 and over, and £10 for those aged 18-20.
This will mean a pay rise for up to 11,200 people, 11.5% of workers, across Wigan. Nationally, it is estimated that more than 3 million workers will benefit from the increase.
This is the latest step that the Government has taken to help people struggling with living costs by putting more money back into people’s pockets.
Under the last Conservative Government living standards fell for the first time in modern history, leaving the average worker in England nearly £700 worse off than they were compared to 2010.
Since the General Election this Government has been working hard to undo the damage caused by years of Conservative economic chaos.
We’ve stabilised the economy allowing interest rates to be cut three times, reducing the cost of mortgages and we’ve kept our promise to not raise people’s taxes, meaning you keep more of your money.
The Office for National Statistics have recently confirmed that living standards are now growing at their fastest rate in two years.
This week also sees a rise in the State Pension meaning that 12 million pensioners (almost 62,000 in Wigan borough alone) will gain up to £470 each. This is because the Government has chosen to protect the “triple lock” which ensures that the state pension keeps pace with either inflation, wage rises or 2.5% - whichever is highest. Our promise to protect the “triple lock” for the rest of this Parliament means that pensioners will be up to £1,900 better off over the next four years.
The rise in pensions comes alongside the annual increase in working-age benefits such as Universal Credit, with people receiving those set to receive an extra £150 on average over the course of this year – an increase set to benefit 5.7 million working-age households. Disability benefits such as Disability Living Allowance, Carers Allowance and child benefits are also set to increase by the same amount.
This month also sees the rollout of the first stage of the Government’s free school breakfast clubs programme with several schools across Wigan set to take part.
Delivering on promises made to working parents in our manifesto, all primary aged children in early adopter schools will be able to access a free breakfast and at least 30 minutes of free childcare, every day, helping to support parents getting into work by dropping their children off half an hour earlier. It is estimated that providing such clubs and capping the costs of school uniforms will save families up to £450 a year.
For people in Wigan still struggling with the cost of living crisis created by the Tories, I know that these steps won’t fix everything overnight. But they demonstrate our commitment to putting more money in people’s pockets and improving living standards for all.