23/10/2025
Last week’s Wales Care Awards were a celebration of our incredible care workforce for people whose compassion, dedication, and resilience make a difference in the lives of those we love every single day.
We believe these remarkable individuals deserve more than applause, they deserve fair pay. That’s why we welcome the Welsh Government’s commitment to the Real Living Wage, which will rise from £12.60 to £13.45 and must be implemented by May 1st, 2026.
📌 What this means:
📋For providers: Make sure your local authority is aware of the increase and reflects it in fee rate toolkits for the next financial year. If you're not receiving the funding, challenge it—this funding is meant to be passed on. The Welsh Government should pass on appropriate funding for the RLW through the 26-27 Local Government Settlements.
📋For employees: If your employer receives the funding from the local authority, you should see your hourly wage rise to £13.45 from the next financial year.
More info 👉 https://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-real-living-wage
While this increase is welcome, we continue to advocate for wages that truly reflect the value of our care workforce and the Real Living Wage still falls short. If you're a Care Forum Wales member facing local authority challenges, please contact us.
The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate that meets the cost of living. UK Living Wage £12.60 London Living Wage £13.85 The real Living Wage remains the only UK Wage rate calculated on the real cost of living. It is voluntarily paid by over 16,000 UK businesses who have chosen to tran...
