Council to pay apprentices the national living wage from April

Apprentices employed by Monmouthshire council will be paid the national living wage from April, senior councillors have agreed.

Monmouthshire council currently pays apprentices the national minimum wage, with salaries ranging from £10,212.32 to £22,690.78 per year depending on age.

As of last April, the council has paid staff in line with the national living wage foundation rate, but apprentices remained on the minimum wage.

The change will see apprentices also paid the living wage foundation rate of £9.50 per hour from April 1, in line with other staff.

It means apprentice salaries will be increased to between £22,562.09 and £24,193.31 depending on age, based on a full-time contract.

Deputy council leader, Cllr Bob Greenland, backed the proposal at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

“When we come out of this pandemic we will find it is the young people in particular who have suffered and will need more help than anybody else,” he said.

“Taking this step at the moment to bring them in line on paying the higher living wage is an excellent thing for us to do.”

Monmouthshire council has 18 apprentices, including six in social care.

But this does not include around 118 existing staff who have signed up to higher level apprenticeships, according to a council report.

A strategy approved by the council in 2019 intended for each apprentice to be paid the same, but a report says this has not happened.

It is hoped the new structure will address discrepancies in pay.

Paying apprentices the living wage next year will cost Monmouthshire council an additional £102,607.17, which will be included in next year’s budget.

Council leader, Cllr Peter Fox said he was ‘pleased’ to see the proposal come forward.

“It builds on our commitment to maintain the real living wage,” he said.