North Acton Square becomes the UK’s first Living Wage Zone

North Acton Square has become the United Kingdom’s first Living Wage Zone. Every business operating around the square is accredited as a Living Wage Employer and has committed to paying staff at least the rate calculated from the real cost of living.

The zone was launched at an event on the square on 17 September. In an announcement published the following day, Ealing Council said the commitment extends beyond people employed directly by each business. Accreditation is intended to cover everyone working on the site, including people supplied by third-party contractors, as well as employees of future tenants.

The Living Wage is voluntary and separate from the statutory minimum wage. The Living Wage Foundation lists the London rate announced for 2025–26 as £14.80 an hour, compared with £13.45 elsewhere in the UK. It says the next rates will be announced in October 2026. Accredited employers must implement a newly announced rate within six months.

The designation also marks a new stage in the development of the site itself. North Acton Square occupies what was previously a petrol station. Over the past year, the land has been transformed into a public square with six retail units. It is also used for markets, live music and screenings of films and sporting events. Republic Community Projects is behind the development.

For workers, the central change is a shared pay standard across the whole square. For customers and local residents, the accreditation provides a visible indication that businesses trading there have made the same commitment. The designation does not impose a statutory wage requirement across the wider North Acton area; it applies to the businesses forming the accredited zone at the square.

The project is part of a broader programme in the borough. Ealing became a Living Wage Place in 2024. The council says more than 150 accredited employers now operate across Ealing’s seven towns, employing more than 16,000 people. Other employers interested in accreditation can contact the council’s investment team at invest@ealing.gov.uk or use the enquiry form linked from the council announcement.

North Acton Square is the first concentrated example of this approach in the country: not simply one accredited organisation, but a location where every present and future operator is expected to follow the same principle. It will provide a local test of whether a voluntary pay standard can become part of the identity of an entire retail and community space.