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WHAT IS A LIVING WAGE?
The Living Wage is the minimum hourly rate someone has to earn to afford everyday basics like housing, food, childcare, etc. It is based on an example of a typical couple working full time with two children in paid childcare. It assumes the couple have one pre-school child and another in primary school. Importantly it also assumes they get all the benefits and tax credits they are eligible for, including 80% of their childcare costs. Outside of London the current rate is £7.20. There is no perfect way to calculate a minimum but the Living Wage is enough to protect 90% of working age households. Outside of London the Living Wage is calculated by the Centre for Social Policy at Loughbourgh University. The Centre has developed a methodology to set and up rate a Living Wage outside London, based on its Minimum Income Standard Research.
The research is based on in-depth focus group discussions across the UK with people from different sections of society to discuss and agree what is needed for an adequate standard of living. They agreed the standard below which families should not fall below. Researchers then calculated how much this standard of living cost on average in the UK, using chain store prices. The headline figure was then adjusted to reflect the variations in housing costs around the UK. You can read more about how the Living Wage is calculated at www.minimumincomestandard.org
WHY SHOULD BANGOR UNIVERSITY INTRODUCE A LIVING WAGE?
If you work full time in our University or Student Union you ought not to be poor.
Low paid Staff often have to work long hours or work several jobs to make ends meet. This means they have to choose between living in poverty and spending less time with their families.
Research suggests that to provide the basics for a family of 2 children, someone working 40 hours a week would need to earn £8.30 an hour in London and £7.20 an hour elsewhere.
To earn enough to support their family at the National Minimum Wage someone would need to work 56 hours a week in London and 48 hours a week outside of London.
The University can pay a living wage if it chooses to. It is a question of priorities and whether it believes that paying its staff a decent wage is important. It would also cost the university very little; our research through FOI requests suggest it would cost £2406 for directly employed staff, and contractors would be cost neutral, if the university made the Living Wage a condition before awarding its contracts.
One in five children currently grows up in poverty despite living in a family where their parent or parents work. This is nearly two million children, roughly double the number of children living in poverty in in-work families in 1979.
Paying the Living Wage will reduce poverty, household debt, stress and illness and improve family life for university staff.
It also means greater productivity and improved quality of service from more motivated staff. It is also more efficient for the university with staff staying in their jobs for longer, saving on the recruitment and training costs.
Paying the Living Wage is the right thing to do. Everyone should be able to afford what it costs to live and to bring up a family.
2. Demand for Adequate Electricity 
As a resident paying for housing on Bangor Military Subase, we are within our rights to demand adequate electricity to our homes. Since July 2010, we have been denied our right!
If you're one of the many that are tired of losing your electricity, not getting enough voltage, and losing appliances due to this problem, please sign so that we can get this problem resolved.
We should not have to pay multiple deductibles for the same event lasting many months. Along with this long term problem, it is also necessary to mention that even if your appliances have not burned out, the longer this problem continues the more damage it is doing to all of your household electrical appliances and it will shorten all of their life span.
We as a community want to support each other and get this problem addressed and receive the reimbursement for our damages.
3. Keep Our Ulster Sports Museum
The Ulster Sports Museum is temporarily on show at Eddie Irvine Sports until 21st April this year. The Museum is an interactive, informative exhibition where people of all ages can learn about Northern Irelands' sporting heritage and its' future starts.
We want to become the permanent house of the museum. By signing this petition you show your support and help to keep the Museum here forever.
4. Bring Back Christopher Columbus!
For years A.L. Bozzelli's immaculate sculpture of this continent's discover Christopher Columbus has graced the entrance to the Administrative office of Bangor Area Highschool, but only weeks ago it had its home moved to DeFranco Elementary School.
Many students loved and cherished the statue and are distraught over their loss.
Not only did it perfectly accompany the corner of the room it was placed in, many students saw it as being the essence of life as a Bangor Area High School student.
At its new home it will no longer be able to fulfill this duty, nor will many students even be able to see it, every student past 6th grade for instance.
5. Petition for a new stadium at Nantporth, Bangor, Wales
Gwynedd Council will shortly be considering a planning application for an all-seater stadium with capacity for 3000 spectators to be built at the Nantporth site, Holyhead Road, Bangor (pictured).
This is a great opportunity not just for the City of Bangor, but for the whole of North West Wales.
We are asking you to join us in calling for Gwynedd Council to approve this application.