Four in five care homes in Wigan are being delivered by a Real Living Wage provider following the launch of a council initiative.

Wigan Council pledged in March to ensure that carers at all direct and commissioned care services – including home care, supported living and extra care – would be paid the Real Living Wage. This also included an increase in funding for people who arrange their own care through a Direct Payment.

The council also promised to financially support non-commissioned care homes that agreed to do the same.

Councillor Keith Cunliffe, deputy leader and portfolio holder for adult social care, said: “I am delighted to see so many care homes following the council’s lead and ensuring that carers across our borough are paid fairly and given the recognition they deserve.

“This past year has been a challenging time for everyone as we’ve all had to deal with the cost-of-living crisis. Wigan Council did not want to see our carers being left struggling to make ends meet on minimum wage and that is why we made this commitment, which has resulted in most carers in our borough being paid the Real Living Wage – the only UK wage rate based on the cost of living.

“We do care differently here in Wigan Borough. There are more than 165,000 vacancies nationally in social care and so we know that people need to be at the heart of all our decisions. This includes ensuring our carers are paid fairly and receiving the training and support they need.

“We recently launched our Everyone Can Care campaign to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about caregiving. We want everyone to know that there are caring roles available to everyone, regardless of gender, background or experience.”