Following Chris Watts’ letter last week underlining the failure of the Coalition to ensure wages remain in line with inflation, I contacted my Wiltshire councillor to ask about Wiltshire Council’s policy on paying the living wage.

Specifically I asked whether Wiltshire Council had a policy for paying the living wage not only to its directly employed staff but also ensuring that companies providing services to and on behalf of the council paid the living wage.

I received a prompt reply. My enquiry was passed to someone else at the council and I was sent a link to the council’s staffing policy with the comment: “We don’t subscribe to the living wage as such because there is a knock-on effect particularly with school staff who are on the same pay system as our own staff. This would take money out of the schools’ budgets.”

The message I am hearing from this is that Wiltshire Council is content that it is the lowest paid staff who are bearing most of the burden for cuts to the council budgets.

How is it that other councils, such as Birmingham and Oxford, value their staff highly enough to make sure they are paid a living wage but Wiltshire apparently does not?

There is evidence that the living wage not only helps people struggling to make enough money to provide for their families but can reduce costs for employers, bringing a more stable workforce and consequent lower outlay in recruitment and training.

There is also a knock-on effect for the economy as a whole as these workers will have more to spend in local shops and reduced reliance on welfare benefits.

So come on Wiltshire, show some respect for the people we rely on to provide the services we need.

Christine Jenkins, Greenfield Road, Devizes.