The owner of a Cornish holiday park has spoken out about the benefits of paying the Living Wage.
While tourism is a mainstay of the Cornish economy, it’s a notoriously low paid sector. But Patrick Langmaid, director of Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park in Padstow, believes you get what you pay for.
Langmaid is a strong supporter of the Living Wage – not to be confused with the National Living Wage and the Minimum Wage. His staff earn a minimum of £8.40 per hour, 15p an hour above the Living Wage, £1.20 above the National Living Wage and significantly above the minimum wage.
“We credit our success to our position on wages,” he commented. “We attract the best staff who are motivated and deliver excellent customer service. Staff are our magic ingredient. We pay what we can, not what we can get away with.
“Just because Cornwall is a low wage county does not excuse firms with a quality product, who sell on quality, from paying low wages. Cornwall is a strong tourism brand offering fantastic quality and great value, so it must be possible to pay decent living wages. We win awards because we pay well.”
