Jenny Jones, Green Party Member of the London Assembly, has secured a commitment from the Olympic Delivery Authority to work to make poverty pay history as a key legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In a London Assembly session today, she pressed David Higgins, Chief Executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, to look into London Living Wage certification for the ODA. Jones also pressed Higgins to work with Olympics organisers LOCOG and the Olympic Park Legacy Company to build the London Living Wage into procurement for the games and legacy plans.
In securing his commitment, Jenny Jones said:
"David and his team at the ODA have done great work to reduce poverty pay on the Olympics construction site. Putting certification at the heart of the remaining construction and the Olympics events will lift hundreds of families out of working poverty."
"I’m pleased that that we’re taking a big step towards making poverty pay history in east London by making the London Living Wage a key social legacy of the Olympics. The Mayor’s best economists say we need at least £7.60 an hour to stay out of poverty. It’s time we made sure people actually earn this much."