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A Real Living Wage to Challenge Poverty in Cornwall

Laura Barnes is a cis white female with brown hair. She is smiling at the camera
Laura Barnes
19 October 2023
Inside the church facing rows of people in chairs. At the front, people hold up posters saying Challenge Poverty Week

Challenge Poverty Week gets a good reception

This week is Challenge Poverty Week. Charity groups led a cross sector event to encourage Cornwall leaders to work together as the first Real Living Wage county

Newquay, Cornwall (October 13, 2023)— A group of cross sector organisations joined forces to launch the campaign to have Cornwall designated as the first county in the UK to be officially recognised as a Living Wage Place.

It’s Challenge Poverty Week (16-22 October) in England and Wales. This is an annual event which encourages policy makers and leaders from organisations just like Cornwall Council to go out and visit the organisations working to support our communities.

Figures from November 2022, Citizens UK suggest that 13% of all workers in Cornwall are not paid the real living wage (about 25,000 workers). If 25% of those not paid the real living wage were uplifted to receiving the Real Living Wage then Citizens UK say this would mean a GVA uplift of £11.2 million pounds (based on one year Nov 22 to Nov 2023).  There is therefore an individual and business economy benefit to this campaign.

From June to July 2022 Truro Food Bank fed 616 people; in the same period this year they fed 832 people. 464 of these people said their income did not allow them to afford the essentials.

To garner support for this initiative, the organising committee held an event at St Michael’s Church in Newquay on Friday 13 October.

Event details

  • 90 people attended, including Prospective Parliamentary Candidates
  • MPs were invited and unable to attend
  • This is part of the annual Challenge Poverty Week
  • Friday 13 October, 2023, St Michael’s Church 9:30am to start at 10:00am – 2:00pm.
  • Challenge Poverty Week report from 2022 can be accessed here: CIPF Challenge Poverty Week Report
  • Event photos are here

Challenge Poverty Week 2023 poster

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  • Challenge Poverty Week poster

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