LESS than a third of Oxford's colleges are accredited living wage employers, despite more businesses and institutions being urged to help their workers get by in the country's 'least affordable' city.

Eleven of the university's 38 colleges have signed up to the national Living Wage Foundation scheme, which demonstrates they pay all their employers at least the Living Wage – currently £8.45 per hour.

The Oxford Times can reveal Christ Church, Hertford, Mansfield, Merton, Oriel, Queen's, Somerville, St Cross, St Hilda's, University and Wadham colleges are the only certified living wage employers.

It comes after Oxfordshire County Council said it wanted to pay the living wage but 'could not afford to'.

Oxford University itself said it has been paying all its staff the living wage since April 2015.

Last week the Living Wage Foundation announced an increase from £8.45 to £8.75 will take effect in April 2018, and Oxford City Council revealed more than 40 employers in the city have been accredited.

The council said it was urging more firms to sign up, given that Oxford is the least affordable city in the UK.

House prices here are more than 16 times average earnings and private tenants spend 56 per cent of their income on rent.

Council leader, Bob Price, urged the colleges to pay the living wage to all employees and said those that already do should seek accreditation.

He said: "They may not think the accreditation is important but it shows a moral commitment to continue to pay staff the living wage in the longer term.

"It would also give more weight to the scheme, the more businesses and institutions that can join will encourage others."

"We have been very pleased with the businesses involved so far and Oxford came out quite well in a recent survey of workers – but we want to push it even further."

The city council has it own Oxford Living Wage, which will increase to £9.69 per hour next year, for its staff and employees of contractors paid more than £100,000 by the council.

Corpus Christi College, which does not pay the wage, said: "College fellows, as trustees, review the remuneration of all staff taking into consideration hourly pay rates and a range of other significant benefits and conditions of service such as holiday and meals entitlement, enhanced sickness and maternity arrangements, and security of tenure.

"It is our belief that a comprehensive approach to the evaluation of remuneration provides an inherently fairer and more reliable measure of the high esteem in which we hold our staff."

Green Templeton College said 20 people doing 'casual bar work' were paid less than the living wage but all others were paid more.

Brasenose College said it was 'sympathetic' to the aims of the foundation and all its staff except some students working for the college were paid the living wage.

A number of colleges told The Oxford Times all their employees were paid the living wage but they have not sought accreditation – Magdalen, Harris Manchester, St Hugh's, Jesus, Pembroke, Nuffield, St Antony's, Linacre, Balliol, St Peter's, St Anne's, Worcester and Wolfson.

Kellogg College said it is part of Oxford University and therefore is accredited given its staff are directly employed by the university.

The remaining nine colleges failed to respond.

The owner of The Ultimate Picture Palace cinema in Cowley Road – an accredited living wage employer – Becky Hallsmith, said it would be immoral for her not to pay the national living wage.

She said: "Without my wonderfully enthusiastic and hard-working team there would be no business, and although we operate on extremely tight margins I feel strongly that it would be immoral not to ensure our business plan allows for them to be paid a fair wage."

Kim Coles, financial director at another of Oxford's accredited employers, Lush UK, called on others to look at their business models and 'strive to join us'.

Oxfordshire County Council, employing more than 4,000 people, said it did not have a living wage policy and implementing one could cost 'between £2m and £20m'.

Deputy leader Judith Heathcoat said: "There is a backdrop to all of this which is the increase of demand on services.

"I know from my moral perspective I need to ensure that we have a balanced budget and that that money will ensure we have services.

"We are paying social workers £14.67 an hour. We are definitely ensuring our staff are looked after."