The British Cleaning Council has welcomed support from the Labour Party for tax breaks to private sector companies paying the living wage. Leader Ed Miliband’s recently suggested to The Guardian that firms could be offered either tax relief on training or capital investment if the Labour Party were successful in the 2015 elections. He has also called for living wage zones to be set up to boost productivity whilst limiting the welfare bill.

The BCC have supported the Living Wage campaign since its inception. Chairman, Douglas Cooke, said: “The living wage is both the right thing to do for staff, and the right thing to do for the contract cleaning industry. The contractor benefits from increased commitment and increased value of training and development. It also attracts new talent to the industry.”

The BCC also encourage all political parties to consider extending tax breaks to the clients of contract cleaners, to avoid decisions being taken on lowest price alone a practice which thwarts attempts by contract cleaners to increase standards for their staff.

Cooke continued: “It’s not just cleaning contractors who decide on levels of pay. If clients are given a financial incentive to require it as part of their contract terms, it will benefit everyone. We look forward to more support for the living wage from across the political spectrum this year.”

Notes:

The living wage is set at 8.55 per hour within London and 7.45 outside. The national minimum wage is £6.19 per hour.

For more information on the living wage please go to www.livingwage.org.uk/