Staff working for Pembrokeshire County Council are not paid the ‘real living wage’ but there is a push to increase wages.

Clr. Joshua Beynon asked: “Does Pembrokeshire County Council currently pay all its staff the real living wage of £8.75 an hour? If not, what would be the cost implications of doing so?”

Cabinet member for finance Clr. Bob Kilmister said that there was two year pay deal in place that saw wages rise to £8.50 an hour from April 1.

This was costing £2.7million in total he told full council on May 10.

Paying the living wage at a level of £8.82 would cost and additional £0.3million.

Clr. Kilmister added that next year pay per hour would rise to £9 at a cost of £2.6million.

“The authority is committed to progressing this issue in line with the current pay award to ensure we have a sustainable pay system in the future,” he added.