SIR – In a damning report, published this week, an independent commission, chaired by the Archbishop of York, condemns the fact that millions of low-paid workers are trapped in an unbreakable cycle of poverty and are even turning up at food banks during their lunch breaks to feed their families.

The commission reports that the economic ‘recovery’ will make no difference to the lives of the five million lowest paid workers unless they are paid the so-called ‘Living Wage’ – £7.65 an hour/£8.80 in London. The current minimum wage rate for over 21s is £6.31 per hour.

For the first time, half the people living in poverty in the UK are now part of a household where someone has a job, yet these people suffer as their wages remain stagnant and their living costs rise steadily.

The Archbishop, Dr John Sentamu, said: “Work is no longer a route out of poverty. We need to re-establish the notion that a hard day’s work can put food on the table, a roof over our heads and provide us with the time to spend with our families. These are the values of the Living Wage”.

Wise words indeed!

David Hornsby, West View Avenue, Wrose