ERITH and Thamesmead MP Teresa Pearce has spoken out about people "struggling" to survive on London salaries.

Mayor Boris Johnson announced yesterday (Nov 4) a 25p increase in the London Living Wage (LLW) to make it £8.80 per hour.

This is the amount employees need to earn in order to cover their basic cost of living in London.

It is an hourly rate that is independently calculated by the Greater London Authority’s (GLA’s) Living Wage Unit.

However the legal minimum wage across the country is currently only £6.31 per hour and Ms Pearce has said the LLW should be mandatory.

She said:" While this is a step in the right direction it should be mandatory for employers to pay this to their employees and not voluntary.

"It is clear that someone earning the legal minimum wage of £6.31 per hour is going to struggle to make ends meet in the capital and the LLW should be applied across the board.

"I am a strong believer that an honest day’s work should be rewarded with an honest day’s wage and working people should not be struggling just to feed and home themselves and their families."

For more information, visit: livingwage.org.uk