As it has just been Living Wage Week when the Living Wage locally was increased to £7.85 per hour (£9.15 in London), how are we progressing in Dorset?

Dorchester Town Council is already paying the Living Wage.

At the recent West Dorset District Council full council meeting I asked two questions on the Living Wage.

First, how many employees of the joint workforce of WDDC and Weymouth and Portland Bor-ough Council are employed below the Living Wage?

The answer was encouraging – when the new joint wage structures are implemented in December 2014, the council envisages that all employees will be above the Living Wage.

My second question was: when will WDDC be able to call itself a Living Wage Employer and what steps are you taking to achieve this?

They gave no commitment to this, as to call yourself a Living Wage Council your supply chains of companies and contractors must also be paid the Living Wage.

Councils must set an example and I hope, in future, progress can be made on this.

What about the county council, where over 500 employees are below the Living Wage?

I have been told a bottom rate of pay is being abolished and some progress is being made. I call on Labour county councillors to keep an eye on the process of making sure all employees of Dorset County Council are paid the Living Wage.

My third question at WDDC was: would the council (considering Magna Housing’s withdrawal of foreseeable building of affordable housing) consider following Reading and Winchester Councils in restarting the building of council housing?

The answer was WDDC hope to build 110 to 113 affordable houses this year, and the two councils named had not sold of its council housing stock.

But 110 to 113 affordable homes is not enough!

The population of West Dorset deserves better than this.

Barry Thompson, Chairman of the Dorchester and District Labour Party