Up to 300,000 workers in the South West of England will today (Tuesday 1 April) receive a pay rise as the new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect.
Full time workers on the National Living Wage will see a real-terms pay increase of £1,400 per year, helping to provide families with better financial stability, improve living standards and kickstart growth as part of the Plan for Change.
This uplift will deliver security for working people and ease the pressure on their day-to-day finances. It also allows for further workers to potentially benefit from positive spill-over impacts including possible wage increases for those already earning more than the legal minimum.
Employment Rights Minister Justin Madders said:
“Hard work deserves to be rewarded and this Government’s Plan to Make Work Pay is making that a reality.
“We’re raising the floor for workers from Bodmin to Bristol, putting more money into their pockets and delivering the increased living standards needed to kickstart economic growth across the South West.”
The full increases from 1 April 2025 are:
National Living Wage (21+) has increased 6.7%, from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour
National Minimum Wage (18-20) has a record increase of 16.2%, from £8.60 to £10 per hour
National Minimum Wage (under 18) has increased 18%, to £7.55 per hour
Apprentice Rate has the largest increase of 18%, from £6.40 to £7.55 per hour
Accommodation Offset of £10.66 per day
This Government is unashamedly pro-worker which is why this year is the first where the Low Pay Commission, the body which recommends the wage rates, was instructed to include the cost of living and inflation in its assessment.
On top of this, the Employment Rights Bill, a key pillar in the Plan to Make Work Pay, will release an additional £600 a year to some of the lowest paid workers. This will ensure that these workers get receive an uplift to wages that delivers better quality of life.
Workers in the South West have earned this pay rise and they need to make sure they get it. Visit gov.uk/checkyourpay to check if you are eligible.
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