Leader of Brent Council, Muhammed Butt, surrounded by young Brent citizens calling for him to act on the Living Wage (Photo: Amanda Rose @amandarosephoto)
Over 50 members of Brent Citizens – including school pupils, teachers and parents on minimum wage jobs struggling to make ends meet – gathered in the foyer of Brent Civic Centre tonight dressed up like Santa to sing Christmas carols and to put Brent Council’s Leader Cllr Muhammed Butt and the Cabinet Lead for Employment, Cllr Eleanor Southwood, on the community’s “Naughty List” this Christmas, following the Council’s u-turn on their public pledge to make Brent a Living Wage Borough.
School students remind Cllr Butt of his public pledge (Photo: Amanda Rose @amandarosephoto)
They urged the councillors to renew their commitment and champion the Living Wage across the Borough, including at the Old Oak Common and Park Royal regeneration site in the south of the Borough, which is set to generate 56,000 new local jobs, though it remains unclear whether those jobs will guarantee a Living Wage or not.
As the cost of living crisis continues to push more people into poverty, Brent Council has backtracked on their pledge to work hand in hand with community leaders, workers on low pay and local Living Wage Employers on a 3-year collaborative journey to make Brent a Living Wage Borough.
This commitment was made by the re-elected Council Leader Muhammed Butt to over 150 local residents at a Brent Citizens Accountability Assembly held at Ark Academy in Wembley just two weeks before the local elections on 5th May this year. Moreover, this same commitment was printed black on white on Brent Labour’s own Election Manifesto, shared with thousands of households in the run up to polling day.
With 24,400 workers earning less than the London Living Wage, Brent suffers from one of the highest rates of residents earning less than the London Living Wage, which increased from £11.05 to £11.95 this year in line with the rising cost of living, and which is significantly higher than the minimum wage of £9.50 an hour.
Singing Living Wage themed carols to the tune of Jingle Bells, the diverse community group donned Santa hats and Christmas jumpers to encourage Brent Council to rethink its plans. Students from Brent Citizens’ member schools have hand-made two sets of Christmas stockings: some filled with sweets, others filled with coal. Which ones Cllrs Butt and Southwood will receive, will depend on whether they renew their commitment to tackle in-work poverty together.
Tarik El Farjani, Y11 student at Ark Academy and Maryam Syed, Y10 student at Al Zahra School, both leaders with Brent Citizens, said:
Brent’s Labour Manifesto published ahead of the local elections is entitled ‘Moving Forward Together and Leaving No One Behind’, but Cllr Butt and Cllr Southwood’s actions speak louder than words and are anything but that. We are extremely disheartened by the Council’s shocking u-turn. The two of us stood on stage in front of Cllr Butt at the Brent Citizens Accountability Assembly, when he looked us in the eye and publicly committed to making Brent a Living Wage Borough and the Old Oak Common site a Living Wage Zone
Brent Labour's Manifesto pledge
Marlon Legister-King, teacher at Newman Catholic College and leader with Brent Citizens said:
At our College, we are proud to teach our young people that commitments matter. The Council has set a bad example that lowers young people’s faith in politics and democracy. They are the workers of tomorrow, as well as the voters of tomorrow. We are all already feeling the impact of this cost of living crisis. Now is the time to do more, not less, to tackle poverty at its roots and make Brent a place where workers are guaranteed a Living Wage.
Mina, cleaner on the minimum wage at a school in Brent, said:
I’m a cleaner at a school in Brent which does not pay the Living Wage. When the Council first committed to working with Brent Citizens and the Living Wage Foundation, I was filled with hope. Employers like mine need to be encouraged to accredit as Living Wage Employers. To hear that Brent Council is making accreditation optional is an incredible shame. It is only through accreditation that employers are compelled to increase wages year on year, in line with the cost of living. My rent and bills have increased, whereas my wage is still the same. We need more accredited Living Wage Employers in Brent!
After speaking to the the students Cllr Butt agreed to at least meet with Brent Citizens again to revive the plan to 'Make Brent A Living Wage Borough.'
Following the Brent Citizens' Action he tweeted:
