Staff involved in transporting those with special needs in Harrow and Brent will be paid at least London Living Wage (LLW) as part of the latest services’ contract renewal.

Brent Council’s cabinet today (Monday, March 8) agreed to pay special needs transport workers, such as drivers, passenger assistants and medical specialists, a minimum of £10.86 per hour.

Services have been run jointly by Harrow and Brent Councils since 2016 – they currently support 1,144 children and 131 adults – and a new contract serving both boroughs is set to start in August.

And senior councillors in Brent acknowledged this was an opportunity to support the council’s ambition to pay all its contracted staff at least LLW.

It is estimated that the pay rises will cost Brent Council an additional £4 million over seven years – the first 12 months will be covered by reserves of around £400,000, with some of the other payments built into its medium-term financial strategy from 2022/23.

According to a report presented to the council’s cabinet, “Harrow have indicated they will be guided by Brent’s preference and will adopt a harmonised approach to payment across the whole contract”.

In a similar manner, under the shared services agreement between both authorities, Brent would cover some of the costs incurred by Harrow during the procurement process for the new contract.

Cllr Muhammed Butt (Lab, Tokyngton), leader of Brent Council, said this decision adheres to the principles outlined in the council’s most recent budget to support the move to LLW across the borough.

He said: “We made a commitment to take a look at London Living Wage and we have been keeping that promise.

“It’s imperative that becomes a focal point for us so people can support themselves and their families.”