Spring Community Hub becomes 300th Living Wage Employer in Southwark

11 September 2023

Southwark Council is proud to announce that Spring Community Hub are the 300th organisation in the borough to become an accredited Living Wage Employer.

The charity set up their food bank to help tackle hunger within the community, sharing more than 5,200 food parcels during the first year of the pandemic. They also offer crisis support and wraparound services, including back-to-work support, a holiday club for children, a clothes bank and social supermarket. They witness first-hand the effects of in-work poverty and know the importance of paying a fair living wage.

Now they are the 300th employer in Southwark to commit to paying all their employees a minimum of £11.95 an hour in line with the London Living Wage.

Felicia Boshorin, CEO at Spring Community Hub, said: “We are proud to be the 300th Living Wage Employer in Southwark. Given the work that we do, we are acutely aware of the impact of the cost of living crisis on people in the borough, even those who are working. As responsible employers, it is important to us to set a positive example by paying our staff a living wage so they can at least meet the basic costs associated with living in London. The process of getting accredited was straightforward and we look forward to promoting our status as Living Wage Employers in the hope that it will encourage others to do the same.”

Thanks to Spring Community Hub and Southwark’s other accredited employers, over 4,800 people working locally have benefited from a pay rise. This is the only wage rate independently calculated based on what people need to live on, which is particularly important amid the cost of living crisis.

Since becoming a Living Wage Employer in 2012, the council has worked with businesses across Southwark to expand uptake of the Living Wage in the borough. Southwark became the first London borough to become a Living Wage Place in March 2020 demonstrating the council’s commitment to a thriving and inclusive economy.

Cllr Martin Seaton, cabinet member for jobs, skills & business, visited Spring Community Hub to thank them for their commitment and celebrate reaching the milestone of 300 Living Wage accredited employers in the borough.

Cllr Seaton said: “Southwark is a proud Living Wage Place thanks to employers like Spring Community Hub. They are doing vital work tackling in-work poverty out in the community and now among their own workforce. Putting fair wages into the pockets of workers also benefits employers and residents by creating a more inclusive local economy.

“If you’re an employer not yet paying your employees the London Living Wage, I encourage you to do the right thing and become accredited. It’s good for your business, good for your employees, good for the economy and so a win for us all.”

Register online for an information pack from the Living Wage Foundation

For more on support from Southwark Council on accreditation, email southwarkbusinesdesk@southwark.gov.uk with ‘Living Wage accreditation’ in the subject line.

Page last updated: 11 September 2023