MORE employers in Warrington are offering a 'real' living wage than before, new figures show.

The statistics suggest that more and more employers in the town have signed up for the voluntary living wage scheme over the past year.

At the beginning of July this year, there were 28 employers in Warrington that were accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, up from seven in 2017.

This is a 400 per cent increase in five years.

A 'real' living wage is calculated by the Living Wage Foundation and is attached to the cost of living, meaning it is higher than the national minimum wage.

Across the UK, the 'real' wage is set at £9.90 per hour - in London, it is £11.05, which reflects the capital's higher costs.

In comparison, the minimum wage set by the government for over-23s is £9.50 per hour and £9.18 for over-21s.

Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said paying a 'real' living wage was not just "the right thing to do for struggling workers and families, but it’s also good for businesses, with employers benefitting from greater staff morale and productivity, and reduced staff absenteeism and turnover."

Across the North West, there are now 985 'real' wage employers, which is up from 273 in 2017.

A spokesperson for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "We know the pressures people are facing with rising costs, which is why we have continually taken action to help households by phasing in £37 billion worth of support.

"In the long-term, we are committed to building a high skilled, high wage economy that delivers on our ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work."