At King’s College London, we are proud to be a Living Wage Employer. But our commitment goes beyond accreditation. It is rooted in a simple principle: that people need to live with dignity, participate in their communities and build secure lives in our city.
This matters now, particularly when the cost of living continues to put pressure on Londoners.
Researchers at King’s Policy Institute worked with Southwark Council and the Living Wage Foundation on the Living the London Living Wage study, which followed 15 Southwark residents over the course of a month to explore how different levels of pay shaped their everyday lives.
Those earning below the London Living Wage often budgeted with extreme precision, leaving little room for an unexpected bill or expense. But the impact of low pay affected more than household finances. Participants described stress and anxiety, difficulty planning for the future and being unable to afford travel, socialising and other activities that connect them to their communities. Those earning the Living Wage experienced greater stability and flexibility, although financial pressures remained, particularly for families with children.
These findings matter because they put people’s lived experiences at the centre of the case for the London Living Wage. That same principle has shaped our wider work in London. Through our partnership with Citizens UK, King’s students and staff have worked alongside members of Empoderando Familias, a group of Latin American parents supported by King’s, as well as English for Action and other partners, to campaign for employers to pay the London Living Wage.
Through community organising, creative campaigning and direct negotiations with employers, this coalition helped secure Living Wage accreditation for the National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, BFI and Tate Modern. For a full-time employee, moving from the statutory minimum wage to the real Living Wage represented an estimated pay rise of up to £4,700 a year.
There is a compelling case for employers too. King’s research found that Living Wage employers were widely viewed by participants as fair, ethical and compassionate. The findings also point to benefits, including improved recruitment and retention, reduced absenteeism and stronger relationships between employers and their workforce.
For King’s, that combination of evidence and collective action is important.
As a university rooted in London, we can bring together research, our relationships with communities and our partnerships across the city. We can use evidence to better understand the consequences of low pay, work with communities to ensure that lived experience shapes the response and bring people and organisations together to turn that understanding into practical change and impact.