'London Living Allowance'

Falthyron

Hey,

Apologies if this is the wrong section, but I was hoping someone with working experience in London could help me with a question.

Having applied for a number of jobs in London, I noticed some job descriptions detail a 'London Living Allowance', whereas others do not. All the jobs I applied for are in the heart of London, so I am wondering is this 'London Living Allowance' entirely arbitrary where some jobs offer it and others don't? Or did they simply forget to include it as a benefit in the job description. Or is it available automatically to those living and working in central London and it is a government scheme?

If anybody has experience on this or any suggestions, I would be very grateful!

Kind regards,

ABajaninCork

Native Londoner here!

The London Living Allowance used to be called 'London Weighting'. There are two bands - Inner London which is 6 miles from the King Charles I statue at Charing Cross, then Outer London which is 15-18 miles (depending on the employer) from the same spot. Back in the day, the allowance was paid to help offset the cost of travelling into London and to encourage workers to base themselves in the City/West End. Now it doesn't even cover the cost of the Oyster into London!

Generally, only Civil Service, Local Authorities and ex-state bodies like BT who pay it. You might get the odd private employer who will pay this allowance too, but this is rare.

Hope this helps!

fasttalkerchat

Some companies pay it to anyone located within the M25 motorway ring. It's to try and balance the cost of living difference.

Falthyron

Thanks for all the information guys, I really appreciate it! You seem to suggest it isn't that much, but I think every little helps so if the position I am applying for offers one all the better!

Thanks again!

ABajaninCork

Definitely, every little helps. But the LW isn't a great deal of money, and remember - it's taxable!

theteal

Falthyron wrote: »

Thanks for all the information guys, I really appreciate it! You seem to suggest it isn't that much, but I think every little helps so if the position I am applying for offers one all the better!

Thanks again!

herself is a NHS nurse in Romford, it's in the realm of £3-4k iirc, not a bad little bump if you ask me

Mrs OBumble

Moved from Work & Jobs

londonbus

Sounds like the London Living Wage:


http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/business-economy/for-business/london-living-wage

FTA69

The London Living Wage is different from the allowance. The Living Wage campaign is to do with raising the pay of those on minimum wage in London due to the fact they are below the poverty line; the allowance is an acknowledgement that every position in London needs a higher wage in order to compensate for higher rents and costs of living.