The Bishop's Palace and Gardens in Wells is delighted to have been accredited as a Living Wage Employer. This commitment already sees everyone working at the Palace receive a minimum hourly wage of £9.90 – a decision that was taken in 2018 - but the team are delighted to now be recognised as a fully accredited employer.

Based in the South West, a region where almost a fifth of all jobs (18.1%) pay less than the real Living Wage – The Bishop's Palace has committed to pay the real Living Wage and to deliver a fair day's pay for a hard day's work.

As Chief Executive, Jan Wallwork Clarke says: "We are proud and committed to be a Living Wage Employer. We believe in supporting our local economy and respecting our employees' contribution to the success of The Bishop's Palace as their employer. As a charitable trust we generate all of our own income so see our people as one of our greatest assets and one in which we are happy to invest."

The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 300,000 people and put over £1.6 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.

Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: "We're delighted that The Bishop's Palace and Gardens has joined the movement of almost 9,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on."