Brentford’s Chief Executive Andy Mills commented on the club’s announcement:

“Brentford FC value the contribution our staff make to the club. Without them we could not run the Football Club and we take our responsibility to them seriously. We have also enjoyed a healthy relationship with our former sponsor the GMB union who are fighting for decent wages and conditions. We are pleased to offer our support to Ed Miliband’s Living Wage campaign to tackle poverty pay and we look forward to meeting with his team shortly to explore how Brentford FC can make a commitment and move towards becoming Living Wage employer.”

In his letter urging Premier League clubs to adopt the Living Wage for their employees, Ed Miliband wrote:

“Football clubs are an integral part of communities up and down the country and the actions they take can have a huge influence on millions of people. Premier League clubs can set an excellent example by agreeing to pay a Living Wage to your low paid workers.

“Whether collecting tickets on the turnstiles, serving food or merchandise or cleaning the ground in preparation for the next game, low paid workers are integral to the running of any club and their hard work deserves to be recognised.”

Former Sports Minister Richard Caborn also added his backing to Ed’s call for a Living Wage. Richard Caborn said:

“As a former Sports Minister and a football fan I know that the Premier League generates huge amounts of enjoyment and revenue in this country. The people that make that possible are not only the stars on high wages but the hard work of thousands of low paid workers. When so much is spent on players’ wages and their transfers, it is only right that these workers are paid a Living Wage.”

“The issue that I really care about in this campaign is the Living Wage and I’m supporting ed Miliband because he’s launching a nationwide Living Wage campaign.”

“Ed Miliband…wants to take the campaign, spread it round the country and ensure that some of the most vulnerable people in our society receive the Living Wage; and that’s why I’m backing Ed.”

An article in The Mirror today reports that the councillors have signed a letter endorsing Ed’s campaign for the Living Wage because “it is the best way of giving dignity to those in work.”

The letter states both the moral and business case for implementing the Living Wage, which takes into account higher living costs in cities. Signatories include councillors whose have lead action on the Living Wage, including Cllr Matthew Brown (Preston) who spearheaded Preston becoming a Living Wage employer, Cllr Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich) the former Head of Campaigns at the Fair Pay Network, Gary Doolan the Chair of Islington Labour Group and GMB exec member, and Jim McMahon, the Leader of Oldham Labour Group.

Ed was delighted with the response. He said:

“I put the campaign for a living wage at the heart of my campaign to be leader of our party because I want employers to pay a decent day’s wage for a decent day’s work.

“The support of 400 councillors shows that people from across our party are committed to making that change happen.”

The letter and full list of councillors supporting the campaign is shown below.

At the weekend, Ed Miliband outlined in the Observer how he would incentivise companies to pay the Living Wage by giving them substantial tax cuts.

Research for our campaign by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that companies paying below the Living Wage effectively cost the taxpayer between £5.9bn and £6.3bn a year — because low-paid employees can top up their income with tax credits and benefits, while the Treasury also receives less in tax revenue from those on low pay.

And as an incentive for companies to pay a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, Ed is proposing that firms which implement the Living Wage would be eligible for lower rates of Corporation Tax. If companies take up the idea, the heavy cost to taxpayers of subsidising the low-paid could be reduced by between £3.4bn and £4.1bn a year.

The letter:

Dear Sir,

With the coalition government set on jeopardising the anti-poverty gains made under the last government, it will increasingly fall to Labour councils to show what tackling poverty should look like.

It is no great mystery why 57% of children living in poverty do so despite having at least one member of their household in work. Endemic low pay and working poverty continue to blight the lives of millions of ordinary working people across Britain.

Paying a Living Wage is one solution to the problems of working poverty and a means of moving away from a labour market defined by a large number of low-paid jobs.

Labour Councils have led the way, with local authorities including Camden, Ealing, Glasgow, Greenwich, Hackney, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Oxford, Preston, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest already moving towards becoming Living Wage employers.

These and other pioneering Labour Groups have taken up the Living Wage not only because of the concept’s moral force and the dignity it provides to those in work, but because of the strong economic case underlying it – increased productivity, lower staff turnover, fewer sick days taken by staff and the benefits that flow to local businesses when low-paid workers have more income to spend on the necessities of life.

Many will question whether implementing the Living Wage is possible in the context of the coalition’s deep cuts to the public sector. There is no doubt it will be a long and hard journey. But we feel that making a commitment to getting there is not only a moral imperative but an essential step in tackling Britain’s low pay culture and the poverty that too often accompanies it.

Signed:

Ed Miliband

Matthew	Pennycook	Greenwich, former Head of Campaigns at the Fair Pay Network
Matthew	Brown	Preston, spearheaded Preston becoming a Living Wage employer
Bernard	Priest	Manchester, spearheaded paying the ‘Manchester Minimum Wage’ to council employers (£1.01 above the minimum wage)
Gary	Doolan	Islington, Leader of the Labour Group
Jim	Jim McMahon	Oldham, Leader of the Labour Group
Neil	Cooney	Aberdeen
Len	Ironside	Aberdeen
William	Chorlton	Anglesey
Richard	Jones	Anglesey
Tariq	Saeed	Barking & Dagenham
Hardial Singh	Rai	Barking & Dagenham
Sam	Tarry	Barking & Dagenham
Jeffrey	Wade	Barking & Dagenham
John	White	Barking & Dagenham
Manzoor	Hussain	Barking & Dagenham
Barry	Poulton	Barking and Dagenham
Anne	Hutton	Barnet
Andrew	McNeil	Barnet
Ansuya	Sodha	Barnet
Claire	Farrier	Barnet
Robin	Franklin	Barnsley
Penelope	Lofts	Barnsley
Alan	Gardiner	Barnsley
Richard	Wraith	Barnsley
Anita	Husband	Barrow in Furness
Bob	Pointer	Barrow in Furness
Colin	Thomson	Barrow in Furness
Phil	Rackley	Basildon
Andrew	McCormick	Basingstoke and Deane
David	Potts	Bassetlaw
John	Scott	Bassetlaw
Alan	Deadman	Bexley
Brenda	Langstead	Bexley
Margaret	O’Neill	Bexley
Andy	Kay	Blackburn with Darwen
Eileen	Entwistle	Blackburn with Darwen
Brian	Doherty	Blackpool
Hazel	Ward	Bolsover
Keith	Bowman	Bolsover
Dennis	Kelly	Bolsover
Keith	Bowman	Bolsover
Eion	Watts	Bolsover
Nick	Peel	Bolton
Kevin	McKeon	Bolton
Edward	Taylor	Bournemouth
Vanda	Greenwood	Bradford
Steve	Pullen	Bradford
David	Warburton	Bradford
Lynne	Smith	Bradford
M. Nazam	Azam	Bradford
James	Denselow	Brent
Jayesh	Mistry	Brent
Ruth	Moher	Brent
Janice	Long	Brent
Mike	Le-Surf	Brentwood
Philip	White	Bridgend
Mark	Brain	Bristol
Faruk	Choudhury	Bristol
Simon	Crew	Bristol
Brenda	Hugill	Bristol
Douglas	Wilcockson	Broxtowe
Elizabeth	Monk	Burnley
D. Michael	Gray	Caerphilly
Keith	Reynolds	Caerphilly
Helen	Rivron	Calderdale
Robert	Dryden	Cambridge
Meric	Apak	Camden
Sararh	Hayward	Camden
Heather	Johnson	Camden
Phil	Jones	Camden
Tulip	Siddiq	Camden
Sue	Vincent	Camden
Dave	Horan	Camden
Mike	Katz	Camden
Samata	Khatoon	Camden
Michael	Desmond	Camden
Roger	Robinson	Camden
Abdul	Quadir	Camden
Theo	Blackwell	Camden
Mike	Katz	Camden
Michael	Boaden	Carlisle
Jessica	Riddle	Carlisle
Reg	Watson	Carlisle
David	Wilson	Carlisle
Anthony W.	Jones	Carmarthenshire
Steve	Lloyd-Janes	Carmarthenshire
Deb	Green	Charnwood
Patrick	Youell	Charnwood
Graeme	Smith	Charnwood
Les	Sibley	Cherwell District and Bicester Town
Laura	Lennox	Chorley
Tim	Young	Colchester
Deion	Smith	Conwy
Paul	Whalley	Copeland
John	Bowman	Copeland
Paul	Whalley	Copeland
Michael Arthur	McveighDoe	Copeland
Bryan	Massie	Corby
Geraint	Thomas	Crawley
Peter	Lamb	Crawley
David	Shreeves	Crawley
Brenda	Smith	Crawley Borough Council and West Sussex County Council
Shafi	Khan	Croydon
Mark	Watson	Croydon
George	Ayres	Croydon
Mark	Watson	Croydon
Mike	Hawkins	Cumbria
Roderick	Francis	Darlington
Colin	Hughes	Denbighshire
Robin	Turner	Derby
Janet	Turner	Derby
Alan	Charles	Derbyshire
Saxon	Spence	Devon
Barry	Johnson	Doncaster
Eva	Hughes	Doncaster
Mick	Jameson	Doncaster
Craig	Sahman	Doncaster
Andrew	Bosmans	Doncaster
Marilyn	Green	Doncaster
Kevin	Rodgers	Doncaster
Ros	Jones	Doncaster
Bill	Mordue	Doncaster
Austen	White	Doncaster
Sandra	Holland	Doncaster
Archie	Dryburgh	Dumfries and Galloway
Mik	Sabiers	Ealing
Atallah	Said	Ealing
Chris	Summers	Ealing
Andrew	McIntyre	East Ayrshire
Maureen	McKay	East Ayrshire
William	Menzies	East Ayrshire
Neil	McGhee	East Ayrshire
Alan	Lafferty	East Renfrewshire
Mary	Montague	East Renfrewshire
Eddie	Phillips	East Renfrewshire
Elaine	Green	East Renfrewshire
Pat	Neil	East Riding of Yorkshire
Jayne	Buckland	Enfield
Yasemin	Brett	Enfield
Andreas	Constantinides	Enfield
christiana	During	Enfield
Sheila	Carlson	Epsom & Ewell
Dilys	Baldwin	Exeter
Tony	Wardle	Exeter
Hilda	Sterry	Exeter
Greg	Sheldon	Exeter
Neil	Crooks	Fife
Alex	Rowley	Fife
Mark	Hood	Fife
Peter	Curtis	Flintshire
Cindy	Hinds	Flintshire
Aaron	Shotton	Flintshire
John	Eagle	Gateshead
Mary	Smith	Gloucester
Jagir Kaur	Sekhon OBE	Greenwich
John	Fahy	Greenwich
Miranda	Williams	Greenwich
Daniel	Stevens	Hackney
Tom	Ebbutt	Hackney
Michelle	Gregory	Hackney
Wendy	Mitchell	Hackney
Partick	Vernon	Hackney
Alex	Russell	Hackney
Sharon	Patrick	Hackney
Ian	Rathbone	Hackney
Saleem. M.	Siddiqui	Hackney
Caroline	Needham	Hammersmith & Fulham
Mercy	Umeh	Hammersmith & Fulham
Joseph	Ejiofor	Haringey
Sheila	Peacock	Haringey
Rahman	Khan	Haringey
Ian	Campbell	Haringey
Edna	Stevens	Harlow
Jean	Clark	Harlow
Krishna	James	Harrow
Krishna	Suresh	Harrow
Drew	Gale	Harrow
Sasikala	Suresh	Harrow
Bruce	Dowling	Hastings
John	Hodges	Hastings
Bruce	Dowling	Hastings
Alan	Roberts	Hastings
Jay	Kramer	Hastings
Anthony	Mckeown	High Peak
Fraser	Parr	Highland
June	Nelson	Hillingdon
Avtar Singh	Sandhu	Hillingdon
Jason	Ellar	Hounslow
Sue	Sampson	Hounslow
Peta	Vaught	Hounslow
Corinna	Smart	Hounslow
Rilba	Jones	Hull City
Martin	Mancey	Hull City
Alasdair	Ross	Ipswich
John	Legrys	Ipswich
Philip	Smart	Ipswich
John	LeGrys	Ipswich
Raphael	Andrews	Islington
Theresa	Debono	Islington
Andy	Hull	Islington
James	Murray	Islington
Paul	Smith	Islington
Richard	Watts	Islington
Charlynne	Pullen	Islington
Barry	Edwards	Islington
Judith	Blakeman	Kensington and Chelsea
Emma	Dent Coad	Kensington and Chelsea
Robert	Atkinson	Kensington and Chelsea
Pat	Mason	Kensington and Chelsea
Todd	Foreman	Kensington and Chelsea
Alan	Clark	Kingston upon Hull
David	Gemmell	Kingston upon Hull
Peter	O’Neill	Kirklees
Molly	Walton	Kirklees
Barbara	Jones	Kirklees
Ronald	Round	Knowlsey
Allan	Harvey	Knowlsey
Tony	Cunningham	Knowlsey
Kenneth	McGlashan	Knowlsey
Kevin	Ellard	Lancashire
Carl	Crompton	Lancashire
Ciaran	Wells	Lancashire
Javaid	Akhtar	Leeds
Bernard	Atha	Leeds
Mark	Dobson	Leeds
Jane	Dowson	Leeds
Ted	Hanley	Leeds
Josephine	Jarosz	Leeds
Alison	Lowe	Leeds
Ronald	Grahame	Leeds
Lucinda	Yeadon	Leeds
Virginia	Cleaver	Leicester
Manish	Sood	Leicester
Manish	Sood	Leicester
Colin	Marriott	Leicester
Paul	Westley	Leicester
Deepal	Bajaj	Leicester
Shofiqul	Chowdhury	Leicester
Bettyn	Newton	Leicestershire
Chris	Best	Lewisham
Paul	Bell	Lewisham
Kevin	Bonavia	Lewisham
Pauline	Morrison	Lewisham
Gary	Hewson	Lincoln
Kev	Clarke	Lincolnshire
Barbara	Murray	Liverpool
Jacqui	Nasuh	Liverpool
Ann	O’byrne	Liverpool
Steve	Munby	Liverpool
Nick	Small	Liverpool
James	Noakes	Liverpool
Gerard	Woodhouse	Liverpool
Malcolm	Kennedy	Liverpool
Ann	O’byrne	Liverpool
Lakhbir	Singh	Luton
Mahmood	Hussain	Luton
Naeem Ul	Hassan	Manchester
Ken	Barnes	Manchester
Anna	Trotman	Manchester
Suzanne	Richards	Manchester
Michael	Colley	Mansfield
Julia	Yemm	Mansfield
Paul	Godwin	Medway
John	Dehaney	Merton
David	Chung	Merton
Len	Junier	Middlesbrough
Anthony	Easson	Monmouthshire
Ronald	Higginson	Monmouthshire
Felix	Fenning	N W Leicestershire
Maureen	Lowson	Newcastle upon Tyne
Michael	Burke	Newcastle upon Tyne
Joyce	McCarty	Newcastle upon Tyne
David	Cook	Newcastle upon Tyne
John	Collinson	North Lincolnshire
Steve	Swift	North Lincolnshire
Michael	Grant	North Lincolnshire
Debbie	Stone	North Somerset
David	McGarr	North Tyneside
David	Corkey	North Tyneside
Maureen	Madden	North Tyneside
Brian	Marshall	North Yorkshire
Tess	Scott	Northampton
Valerie	Tyler	Northumberland
Paul	Foster	Northumberland
James	Lang	Northumberland
Ken	Parry	Northumberland
Margaret	Richards	Northumberland
Mohammad	Aslam	Nottingham
Eunice	Campbell	Nottingham
Dave	Liversidge	Nottingham
Malcolm	Wood	Nottingham
Darrell	Pulk	Nottinghamshire
Alan	Rhodes	Nottinghamshire
Shoab	Akhtar	Oldham
Hugh	Mcdonald	Oldham
Ateeque	Ur-Rehman	Oldham
Michael	Boaden	Oldham
Gerald	Ball	Oldham
Javid	Iqbal	Oldham
Steven	Bashforth	Oldham
Barbara	Dawson	Oldham
Fida	Hussain	Oldham
Joy	Wrigglesworth	Oldham
David	Hibbert	Oldham
Bernard	Judge	Oldham
Jean	Stretton	Oldham
John	Tanner	Oxford
Susanna	Pressel	Oxford
Roy	Darke	Oxford
Gill	Sanders	Oxford
Antonia	Bance	Oxford
Beverley	Hazell	Oxford
Dee	Sinclair	Oxford
Joe	McManners	Oxford
Mary	Clarkson	Oxford
Mary	Clarkson	Oxford
Sarah	Hutchinson	Oxfordshire
Richard	Stevens	Oxfordshire
Javed	Iqbal	Preston
Robert	Boswell	Preston
Tom	Burns	Preston
Martyn	Rawlinson	Preston
Dave	Wilson	Preston
Albert	Richardson	Preston
Ian	Beckett	Preston
Frank	De Molfetta	Preston
Drew	Gale	Preston
Brian	Rollo	Preston
John	Swindells	Preston
Peter	Rankin	Preston
Jonathan	Saksena	Preston
Paul	Gittings	Reading
Deborah	Edwards	Reading
Betty	Tickner	Reading
Graeme	Hoskin	Reading
John	Ennis	Reading
Dev	Sharma	Redbridge
Ross	Hatfull	Redbridge
Richard	Rudland	Redcar & Cleveland
Jim	Harte	Renfrewshire
Eddie	Grady	Renfrewshire
Simon	Lloyd	Rhondda Cynon Taf County
John	Watts	Rhondda Cynon Taff
Adam	Fox	Rhondda Cynon Taff
Mark	Norris	Rhondda Cynon Taff
John	David	Rhondda Cynon Taff
Albert	Davies	Rhondda Cynon Taff
Robert	McDonald	Rhondda Cynon Taff
Jonathan	Burns	Rochdale
Amanda	Robertson	Rossendale
John	Foden	Rotherham
Barry	Kaye	Rotherham
John Francis	Swift	Rotherham
Jahangir	Akhtar	Rotherham
Iain	StJohn	Rotherham
Brian	Steele	Rotherham
Jahangir	Akhtar	Rotherham
Hilda	Jack	Rotherham
Dave	Pickering	Rotherham
Alan	Buckley	Rotherham
Sheila	Walker	Rotherham
John	Watkins	Rushmoor
Mike	Roberts	Rushmoor
Roger	Jones	Salford
Howard	Balkind	Salford
Norbert	Potter	Salford
Christine	Hudson	Salford
Jim	King	Salford
Paul	Tweed	Sefton
Anthony	Carr	Sefton
Robert	Brennan	Sefton
Anthony	Carr	Sefton
Paul	Cummins	Sefton
Ian	Maher	Sefton
Bob	Packham	Selby
Stephanie	Duckett	Selby
Gill	Furniss	Sheffield
Harry	Harpham	Sheffield
Peter	Rippon	Sheffield
Peter	Price MBE	Sheffield
Mazher	Iqbal	Sheffield
Chris	Weldon	Sheffield
John	Robson	Sheffield
James	Walsh	Slough
Fiza	Matloob	Slough
Alexandra	Goldie	South Ayrshire
Philip	Saxton	South Ayrshire
Kevin	Richards	South Derbyshire
Trevor	Southerd	South Derbyshire
Pat	Rooney	South Gloucestershire
Michael	Titherington	South Ribble
David	Furnell	Southampton
Sarah	Bogle	Southampton
Althea	Smith	Southwark
Ian	Wingfield	Southwark
Helen	Hayes	Southwark
John	Hendry	Stirling
Roy	Rix	Stockton on Tees
Sandy	Martin	Suffolk
Thomas	Wright	Sunderland
Dianne	Snowdon	Sunderland
Dennis	Richardson	Sunderland
Neville	Padgett	Sunderland
Victor	Agarwal	Surrey
Rodney	Bates	Surrey Heath
Nick	Williams	Swale
Alan	Lloyd	Swansea
Dennis	James	Swansea
Derique	Montaut	Swindon
Robert	Wright	Swindon
Kevin	Welsh	Tameside
Denise	Ward	Tameside
Andrew	Govier	Taunton Deane & Somerset County
Thomas	Martin	Tendring
Kate	Wheller	Thanet
John	Watkins	Thanet
Angela	Gaywood	Thurrock
Diana	Hale	Thurrock
Lutfa	Begum	Tower Hamlets
Shahed	Ali	Tower Hamlets
Joshua	Peck	Tower Hamlets
Shahed	Ali	Tower Hamlets
Dolores	O’Sullivan	Trafford
Ejaz	Malik	Trafford
Kevin	Procter	Trafford
Tom	Ross	Trafford
Stephen	Adshead	Trafford
Margaret	Isherwood	Wakefield
Richard	Taylor	Wakefield
Gerry	Lyons	Waltham Forest
Shabana	Qadir	Waltham Forest
Wendy	Speck	Wandsworth
Sheila	Boswell	Wandsworth
Peter	Carpenter	Wandsworth
Maureen	Shram	Wellingborough
Maureen	Cook	Welwyn Hatfield
Geoffrey G	Calvert	West Dunbartonshire
Noel	Delaney	West Lancashire
Bruce	Ferrie	West Lothian
Neil	Findlay	West Lothian
Graeme	Morrice	West Lothian
Patricia	Mc Allister	Westminster
Abdul Aziz	Toki	Westminster
Steven	Bashforth	Weymouth
Paul Ralph	Kimber	Weymouth
Brian	Kenny	Wirral
Moria	Mclaughlin	Wirral
Denise	Realey	Wirral
Denise	Roberts	Wirral
Stuart	Whittingham	Wirral
Paul	Blackwell	Wrexham
Ronald	Shewan	Wyre Borough

But we can do more to make the Living Wage a reality, and to show how good campaigning can turn our values into reality. Last week, Ed Miliband wrote to the CEOs of 30 of the biggest employers in the country, urging them to take action on a Living Wage. Now we need you to write to local businesses in your area too, to advocate for the benefits of the Living Wage and to urge business leaders in your area to adopt it.

Please download the toolkit now — write to local businesses near you and tell the local press that campaigners in your area are working for a Living Wage.

What’s struck me most this week about the importance of the Living Wage is a comment we received on this website yesterday. The comment, left by Karina Beecham, said:

“My husband is a security officer on £6.90 an hour, working 12 hours shifts. He has to work at least 60 or 72 hours a week so that we can make ends meet. I also work full time but thankfully my wage is above this limit. You certainly have our support and many other security officers’ wives. Thank you.”

This is why we’re campaigning for a Living Wage.

We know the power of real, grassroots community action. By working in our communities, we can help address in-work poverty, and make Britain a fairer and more prosperous place. Please write to business leaders in your community, and tell the local press why this campaign matters.

Thank you.

Karen Buck

The letters have gone to over 30 of the top businesses in the UK, including household names such as Marks and Spencer, Tesco and Holiday Inn. In the letters Ed outlines the moral and business case for the living wage, asks whether they already have a policy on it, and what steps they have taken or are intending to take to implement it.

Work should be a pathway out of poverty but for too many people it’s no such thing. The Minimum Wage was a great step in that direction, but leading businesses should be doing more than the minimum.

Since Citizens UK launched the Living Wage campaign in 2001, over 8,000 families have been lifted out of working poverty. There are already over 100 Living Wage employers accredited by Citizens UK including KPMG and Barclays. They’ve been convinced of the benefits to their business as well as the moral case – we want to encourage others to show the same leadership.

Citizens UK trustee Reverend Paul Regan backed the letter;

“Making sure that staff are paid enough to afford the essentials of life is the most basic corporate responsibility. In this difficult economic time it’s even more important that businesses become Living Wage Employers. We welcome Ed Miliband’s important contribution to this campaign and urge businesses to heed this call.”

The letters are targeting the retail, care and hospitality sectors which are the UK’s biggest low-wage employers including:

The Arcardia Group; Asda; Associated British Foods; BHS; Cadbury-Schweppes; Care UK; Carphone Warehouse; Cordia; Dairy Crest; Diageo; Four Seasons Health Care; Game Group; General Healthcare Group; HMV; Holiday Inn; Sainsburys; John Lewis; Kelloggs; KFC; Kingfisher; London Care; Marks & Spencer; McDonald’s; MFI; Morrisons; New Look; Next; Pizza Express; Primark; Southern Cross; Healthcare; Spar; Tesco; Unilever; WH Smith.

You can read the letter in full below. We intend to publish the responses to his letter in September.

Dear Chief Executive,

I am writing to you as one of Britain’s largest employers to urge you and your board to adopt a Living Wage, which will benefit both your employees and your business.

The Living Wage is the term used to describe the minimum hourly pay necessary for an individual’s adequate housing, food and other basic needs. A methodology devised by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation calculated the national average rate as currently at £7.60 an hour.

In 2001, a campaign was launched by the community alliance London Citizens to encourage employers to exceed the current statutory minimum wage in favour of the Living Wage. To date, 8,000 low-paid families have benefited from the success of this campaign and the subsequent implementation of the Living Wage across numerous successful businesses. Those businesses have also taken on the responsibility of ensuring their procurement service workers – such as contracted cleaning, catering and security staff – also have the opportunity to earn a wage that covers all their basic living needs.

Many leading employers have found the benefits of adopting a Living Wage compelling, both for their staff and their businesses. KPMG, Barclays and others have already taken a lead on implementing the initiative, and have cited immediate benefits, including reduced turnover of staff, lower absenteeism, higher productivity and increased staff morale.

In order to further promote the principle of a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, and increased productivity in our economy, I am conducting the enclosed survey of leading businesses, and I hope to publish the results in September.

I would therefore be very grateful if you would take the time to complete the short survey, and return it to me at the address above. I will of course share the findings with you.

Thank you in advance for your responses, and I look forward to working with you.

Yours sincerely,

Ed Miliband

Living Wage Questionnaire:

1. Were you aware of the Living Wage and the Living Wage campaign before I contacted you?
2. Is your business currently a Living Wage employer?
3. Does your business intend to become a Living Wage employer in the future?
4. What steps, if any, has your company taken to explore the adoption of a living wage?
5. Would you like to receive more information on the case for adopting a Living Wage, or be put in contact with a current Living Wage employer?

As Chair of the Fair Pay Network, I know as Ed does that it’s wrong that while some of our leading companies can have chief executives who rake in millions, a security guard still isn’t guaranteed a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work. It’s the sort of injustice that Labour would fight against every day under Ed Miliband, in opposition and in government.

Watch Ed’s video, in which he talks about the importance of the Living Wage, and then sign the petition in support of the Living Wage:

The minimum wage will always be a legal floor — but Ed knows we should be campaigning to create a society where people do more than the legal minimum, where we feel a responsibility to one another. We already know that many employers go beyond the legal requirements when it comes to their work on the environment, on training and on investing in the local community. We believe employers should also extend that sense of responsibility to fair wages. And as well as being a moral imperative, the Living Wage is also proven to deliver better productivity and results for businesses.

That’s why Ed has called on business leaders to adopt a Living Wage — please add your voice and sign the petition.

Under Ed Miliband, Labour can do something about the injustice of working poverty in this country, and prove that through committed campaigns we can translate our values into real and meaningful action.

Thank you for showing interest in Ed Miliband’s Living Wage campaign. Hundreds of people up and down the country have joined Ed in calling for a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work and action to tackle working poverty, by signing our petition.

Now we want to work with you to bring together local Living Wage campaigns in towns and cities across Britain – to help some of our lowest-paid workers and show how our values can transform people’s lives.

Please sign up to be a Living Wage Leader in your community.

As a Living Wage Leader, you’ll push your local employers to pay a Living Wage to their employees. You’ll work with community groups, trade unions, Labour Party members, Labour Councillors and faith groups in your area to build a dynamic campaign. You’ll be supported with 1:1 help, a toolkit, and all the resources you need. And you’ll be in touch with each other through regular teleconferences to keep you updated and so you can share your experiences with others.

Even in opposition, the Labour Party can become the most effective grassroots campaigning organisation in the country — and achieve our goal of a Living Wage that will improve the lives of thousands of hard-working people across the country.

To do that, we need your help – so please do sign up below to become a Living Wage Leader.

Thank you – I hope to see you soon working towards the living wage.

How would you practically implement a living wage?

I’ve put the living wage campaign at the centre of my campaign for the Labour leadership because it sums up both the Labour Party’s values and its activism.

It speaks to our values because it touches our deep sense of justice, of fairness and of a belief in the dignity of work. And it speaks to our activism because this has never been a party to rest on its accomplishments or believe change only comes from those with the most power. To equip ourselves for government once more, the Labour Party needs to become a vibrant movement for change – and taking on grassroots campaigns like this is crucial to that endeavour.

I’ve already thrown my support behind Labour Councils and Labour Groups who have led the way on the living wage – like Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Glasgow, Preston, Oxford, Lambeth and Hackney – and I’ll be working with others to do the same.

Businesses too have a chance to show they are responsible employers by adopting the living wage and Labour members can and should campaign to raise the wages of the lowest paid employees in shops and banks as well as councils.

When in government I pushed to make Whitehall a Living Wage employer -– a commitment that appeared in our manifesto. When in government again we need to throw its entire weight behind the campaign, by supporting councils who adopt it, by broadening the range of public sector workers who get it and by moving towards a procurement process that supports living wage employers bidding for external contracts.

The living wage campaign can become the hallmark of a Labour Party engaged in local communities, campaigning for change. It can show that even in Opposition we can help some of the poorest people in society to do better.

Labour brought in the minimum wage, we now have an opportunity to lead the fight for a living wage. I hope we will seize it.

You can sign the petition in support of the living wage here.

Here are a few voices from that launch event in support of the living wage:

Let me start by thanking Citizens UK for organising this event, all the people who have turned out to show support.

Three months ago at a meeting organised by London Citizens, I met a cleaner who worked in Whitehall, who talked to me about her struggle to make ends meet.

It was her struggle and her story that inspired us to put a commitment in the Labour manifesto to pay the living wage in Whitehall departments.

And the reason I am launching my campaign for a living wage today, and the reason I want Labour party members to be involved in it, is that it speaks to three deep and fundamental questions that we should be talking about today:

What kind of society do we want to live in?
How does the Labour party bring about change?
And what can each of us do to make a difference?

First of all, why does the living wage campaign speak so profoundly to our values?

Because it touches our deep sense of justice, of fairness and of a belief in the dignity of work.

We just know it’s wrong when we look at the cleaner in the government department or in a bank in the City and we believe deep in our soul that when they are working every hour that God sends they should be paid enough to live on.

We know it’s wrong when some of our leading companies can have chief executives that can rake in millions and there is a security guard that doesn’t get a living wage.

The living wage campaign speaks to something else about our society: the issue of power in our society.

The minimum wage will always be the legal floor.

But we believe in a society where people do more than the legal minimum.

Just like many employers go beyond the legal requirements on the environment, on training and on investing in the local community, so too we want them to do so on wages.

Whether this happens will be determined not just by the law but by the distribution of power and the consequences of that.

And our duty as citizens is to force this issue onto the agenda of employers: because we know that individual employees will never have the power to force it on to the agenda.

That is why we need to act together.

Some people might say, given the fiscal climate, now is not the time for a living wage.

But we are campaigning now because some employers can afford to pay the living wage now, and all of us know that the best and most successful campaigns in our history take not days, not weeks, not months but years – and that’s why we must make a start today.

And the living wage speaks profoundly to our party and its future.

We are the party of labour – and the living wage is an embodiment of that.

But we need a different kind of labour party to deliver that change.

As someone said to me last week – delivering leaflets is an essential role for Labour party members but it is only one small part of the change they can achieve.

Some people will tell you that you can’t achieve anything in Opposition. Of course we want to get to back to power but the role of Opposition is not just to oppose but also to create:

To create a movement that can change things in Opposition and government.

To create the conditions in which you can win power

And to create a mandate for things you want to win for

And I say to our party: we cannot win the next election unless we become a genuine popular movement.

Being a member of the Labour Party should be about campaigning for change in people’s lives today, not just a change in government at the next election.

The path back to power lies not through managerialism but mobilization.

I’ve seen campaigns like Karen Buck in Westminster North or Stella Creasy in Walthamstow and I know the Labour Party can become the most effective grass-roots campaigning organization in Britain.

And so the third question is this: what can each of us do to make a difference?

As Matthew Bolton said to me, no one ever leaves a Citizens UK meeting without a mission.

So what I am going to do is launch my national campaign and take it around the country.

I am going to be urging labour party members to get involved in the living wage campaign.

I am going to be holding more events in local areas, including with the Fair Pay Network, who have pushed for this for many years, and the trade unions, not just in London but around the country.

I am publishing a campaign pack spelling out what people can do:

To work with a local coalition that can start to mount a campaign

To work with the local labour group or council to win their support

To reach out to employees and to local businesses to put it on their agenda

The living wage campaign can become the hallmark of a Labour party engaged in local communities, campaigning for change.

It can show that even in Opposition we can help some of the poorest people in society to do better.

I want the labour leadership campaign to be not simply about electing a person but building a movement.

It is about showing to young and old alike, that labour can be once again the best force for change in Britain.

The American politician Robert Kennedy said that each time someone stands up for an ideal, it sends out a ripple of hope and those ripples can build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression.

That’s what Citizens UK does.

That’s what the living wage does.

And that’s what I want the Labour Party to do.