Brecon Town Council has been accredited as a real living wage employer as it has committed to paying all of its staff a minimum hourly wage of £8.75.

The town council celebrated the new wage agreement on Tuesday when it unveiled a plaque from the Living Wage Foundation to mark the accreditation.

The real living wage is significantly higher than the government’s minimum wage for over-25s, which currently stands at £7.83 which is 92p less than the real living wage.

Wales has one of the highest proportions, 24%, of non-living wage jobs in the UK with around 268,000 jobs paying less than the real living wage.

Town councillor and chair of the staff and employment committee Matthew Dorrance said: “Brecon Town Council is proud to have achieved accreditation as a Living Wage employer.

“We are committed to ensuring our staff and contractors are paid at least the cost of living for the work they undertake.

“Our commitment is good for the local economy and shows our drive and passion for delivering social justice.”

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 wage they can live on, not just the government minimum.

Since 2011 the living wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 150,000 people and put over £600m extra into the pockets of low paid workers.