North Acton Square has become the UK’s first Living Wage Zone, with every business on the site now accredited as a Living Wage employer.
The designation means all businesses on the Ealing square pay their staff at least the London Living Wage — the voluntary rate calculated to reflect the real cost of living in the capital, rather than the lower statutory minimum.
The square has been transformed over the past year from a former petrol station into a public space with six retail units and a summer programme of markets, live music, and film and sports screenings. The announcement, reported by Around Ealing, Ealing Council’s official news site, follows a launch event attended by council leader Peter Mason.
Johnny Brewin, director of The Republic Community Projects, the organisation behind the square, said: “We are very proud that North Acton Square is the UK’s first Living Wage Zone. The square was created as an affordable place for small businesses, makers, and community organisations, so it feels entirely appropriate that it should also champion fair pay.”
He added: “So many people in the area work hard but do not always receive the recognition or security they deserve. I hope the zone will make fair pay visible, and will begin conversations between businesses, workers, and the wider community about the kind of local economy we want to create.”
Small-scale regeneration schemes are reshaping high streets across the capital — in Canning Town, the fourth phase of the Hallsville Quarter recently completed, delivering 375 student rooms.
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said the first Living Wage Zone in the country being established in the borough “highlights the positive impact that fair pay can have on communities”, adding that North Acton Square showed how fair pay could be integrated into regeneration and business growth.
Lydia Ephraim, senior project manager at the Living Wage Foundation, said the Zone accreditation went further than standard employer accreditation, with a commitment that everyone working on the site — directly or through third parties — would be paid at least the London Living Wage now and in the future.
Ealing became a Living Wage Place in 2024. Across the borough’s seven towns, more than 150 accredited employers now employ over 16,000 workers, all paid at least the London Living Wage.
The accreditation adds to a run of community-led milestones in west London this year, including Chiswick residents’ recent High Court victory quashing tower plans at the Hogarth roundabout.
Businesses wanting accreditation can contact Ealing Council via invest@ealing.gov.uk or through an online form.
