North Acton Square has been designated a Living Wage Zone, with all businesses at the site committed to paying staff at least the London Living Wage.
According to Ealing Council, the square, next to North Acton Underground station, is the first Living Wage Zone in the UK.
The current London Living Wage is £14.80 an hour for 2025–26, compared with the Government’s statutory National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over. The new 2026–27 London Living Wage rate is due to be announced next month.
Unlike the statutory minimum wage, the London Living Wage is voluntary and is calculated according to the cost of living.
The six businesses operating from container units at the square include a coffee shop, barber’s and street-food burger outlet, with each accredited as a Living Wage employer.
The Zone accreditation also means everyone working at the site, including people employed by third-party contractors, must be paid at least the London Living Wage now and in the future.
Lydia Ephraim, senior project manager at the Living Wage Foundation, said the accreditation comes with a commitment that “everyone working on the site” will receive at least the London Living Wage.
North Acton Square, which is located on the site of a former petrol station, also hosts markets, live music and film and sports screenings.
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.”
Ealing became a Living Wage Place in 2024. The council says there are now more than 150 accredited employers across the borough, employing more than 16,000 workers who receive at least the London Living Wage.
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, Ealing 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.”
