Labour Ealing Council has accused the Tories of "bungling hypocrisy" after a councillor criticised it of paying apprentices less than the London Living Wage.

At a meeting last month, vice-chair of the Scrutiny Committee, Conservative Cllr Alex Stafford, raised the issue of apprentices not being paid the London Living Wage of £9.10.

Apprentices in their first year are paid £4.75 per hour in their first six months, £5 per hour from six months to a year and then £6.70 per hour in their second and final year.

This is more than the government's suggested National Minimum Wage rate of £3.30 per hour for apprentices in their first year, and meets the suggested rate of £6.70 in the second year.

'Apprentices are the lifeblood of the council'

But Cllr Stafford said: "The council boasts that it is a (London) Living Wage Employer, however it hypocritically does not pay all of its employees equally.

"Apprentices are not only key workers but they are the future and lifeblood of the council.

"We need to be encouraging the best to apply and lead by best example.

"If the council claims to be a (London) Living Wage Employer then it should be consistent rather than giving lipservice to equality."

The council said it has employed 225 apprentices since it launched its scheme in 2007 and added none of them are aged above 25 - the age at which the National and London Living Wage becomes applicable.

Apprentices, of whom the council currently employ 37, are expected to work 30 hours a week balanced with training and other council projects.

'Bungling hypocrisy'

Council leader Cllr Julian Bell, who was leader when the council committed to being a London Living Wage employer in 2013, hit back at Cllr Stafford by arguing the council pays more than what his party reccommends.

Cllr Bell added: "This is bungling opportunistic hypocrisy from the local Tories.

"The Tory government recommends apprentices are paid a miserly £3.30 per hour whereas Labour Ealing Council pay more than double this rate at £6.70 per hour.

"Before Cllr Stafford's cynical intervention we as a Labour Council were reviewing whether we can pay apprentices the Living Wage as a result of it being raised in a recent peer review and scrutiny committee.

"Watch this space but expect nothing from the Tories who pay apprentices £3.30 per hour."

'We recommend it as best practice'

The Living Wage foundation says on its website that employers are not required to pay volunteers, apprentices and interns the London Living Wage.

But it has encouraged employers to do so if they can "afford to do so".

The website reads: "The accreditation does not require employers to pay the Living Wage to volunteers, apprentices and interns.

"Although we recommend it as best practice for employers who can afford to do so.

"Many accredited employers have chosen to extend the requirement to apprentices and interns."