“Barking and Dagenham Council has become the first local authority in the United Kingdom to guarantee all its lowest paid employees will be get a minimum wage of £9 an hour or £16,425 Per Annum.
“The Council’s Cabinet agreed on Tuesday, 12 February, that all permanent Council staff and agency staff working on Council assignments, be paid the equivalent of £9 per hour, 45 pence above the London Living Wage (LLW), back dated to 1 January 2013.
“Announcing the decision, Council Leader, Cllr Liam Smith also called on other local authorities to follow his Council’s lead.” Read the full council release.
Sean Gallagher 
In the SOTU last night Obama pleased for a $9/hr minimum. Of course the Repubs are all over the media today screaming bloody murder. If he got it I would be making 50 cents over the min wage – not exactly a career high, but the best I’ve done in almost 20 years.