U-TURN: Council backs down on Living Wage plan

County Hall's cabinet were due to discuss the plans on Thursday but leader Coun Geoff Driver announced at the start of the meeting they would not be going forward.

A report had suggested the local authority pay the lower National Living Wage (NLW), the minimum it can pay over-25s, as a cost-saving measure.

It would have hit lowest-paid workers including cleaners, school dinner ladies, lollipop men and women and carers.

A statement issued by Coun Driver said: "Staffing accounts for more than 70 per cent of our budget so we have to consider these issues, alongside everything else, as we work to tackle the county council's unprecedented financial challenge.

"We are trying to ensure that we continue to offer fair terms and conditions to our staff whilst addressing that financial challenge so that we can continue to deliver vital front-line services for the people of Lancashire.

"Having considered the proposals brought to us today, Cabinet concluded that it would not be right to make changes which would affect our lowest-paid members of staff, so we will continue to pay the Foundation Living Wage, but we have agreed to consult on general terms and conditions, such as unpaid leave and sick pay ."