The UK’s local elections, coming up on the 4th of May 2023, will determine who runs swathes of the country.
It’s also a chance for local authorities to start building a more equal, better society on a local level – and an opportunity for voters to demand that from their representatives.
That’s why we’re launching our Fairness Five: five pledges that any local authority in the UK can put into place now to reduce inequality. We’re asking individual candidates, councillors, and political groups to sign them, and to commit to introducing them as policy. And we’re asking you to join our letter-writing campaign asking your local candidates to sign up – it takes just two minutes!
We’ll list every candidate, group, or local authority that signs up, and provide them with materials to promote the pledges.
Sign up now at with the form at the bottom of the page!
- Adopt the Socio-Economic Duty
- By adopting the socio-economic duty, councils would have to examine the impact of their decision making on socio-economic inequality. The duty has been enacted nationally in Scotland and Wales as well as voluntarily by many councils across England.
- Pay all directly contracted staff the real Living Wage
- Thousands of employers across the UK pay their staff the real Living Wage and are therefore ensuring that their employees receive a fair wage to help them face the cost of living crisis.
- Ensure all council contractors are required to pay staff the real Living Wage and do not have Trade Union blacklists.
- Many councils hold contracts with private businesses, ask your council to ensure that these contracts contain clauses that request businesses pay their staff the Real Living Wage and do not have Trade Union blacklists.
- Put concrete processes/projects in place to encourage, listen and respond to people at the sharp end of inequality, especially young people.
- Make sure that your council centres the voices of those with lived experience in policy making so that they develop the most equitable and effective responses to issues facing your community.
- Publish a plan to reduce the pay ratio between the CEO and the lowest-paid directly employed council worker.
- Inequality increases when there are big differences between the pay of those at the top of a company or organisation when compared to those at the bottom. By reducing this pay ratio the council will be contributing to reducing pay inequality.
Why Sign?
We know that more equal societies work better for everyone – and many of the things affected by inequality, including crime, health, education, or the strength of the local economy, are key issues in these local elections. These pledges are already reducing inequality around the country, from the socio-economic duty in Newcastle City Council to the dozens of councils committed to paying the real living wage.