With so much going on in the world at the moment, an important announcement by the Labour Party failed to get the publicity it otherwise would have had.

Labour has pledged to raise the minimum wage from its current level of £6.50 to £8 an hour.

While this may seem like a small increase it adds up to hundreds of pounds every month.

With bills going up and up, this increase will be invaluable for our residents.

For many people working in Harrow wages are simply too low to live off at the moment.

This increase will benefit all of us. So many residents have to rely on tax credits and housing benefits just to make ends meet by the end of the month.

By increasing wages, people will no longer have to rely on benefits just to pay their rent, and fewer people on benefits saves the taxpayer money and gets the deficit down.

More than that, this increase to the minimum wage means people can get a proper wage for the work they do.

Councillor Antonio Weiss

Lab/Marlborough ward Harrow Borough Council