A SWINDON web design company has been accredited as a Living Wage employer.

O’Brien Media has committed to paying everyone working at the company a minimum hourly wage of £9 in the UK – or £10.55 in its London office.

Both rates are significantly higher than the government's minimum for over-25s, which currently stands at £8.21 per hour.

The company’s creative director Chris Grant said “While we are still a very small business we felt it was important to become a Living Wage employer to ensure that our dedicated team are paid a fair wage for their hard work and dedication to our clients.

“As we grow, being a Living Wage employer will help us to hire and keep talented team members and help us maintain the high standards that our clients require of us.

“We don’t believe in completing projects with minimum effort so why would we pay our staff the bare minimum wage?”

In the south west, more than a fifth (around 463,000) of all jobs pay less than the real Living Wage but O’Brien Media bosses were determined not to do that.

The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the cost of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a salary they can live on, not just the government minimum.

Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered pay rises to more than 160,000 people and put in excess of £800 million more into the pockets of low paid workers.

Director of the Living Wage Foundation Katherine Chapman said: “We’re delighted that O’Brien Media has joined the movement of over 5,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.

“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as IKEA, Heathrow Airport, Barclays, Chelsea and Everton Football Clubs and many more.

“These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like O’Brien Media, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”