This is a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please provide documentary evidence that all home care providers commissioned by the council pay care workers no less than the National Living Wage (NLW) applicable at the time the work is performed, and appropriately reimburse work-related travel costs.
This should include evidence relating to:
Direct contact time with service users
Travel time between care visits
Gaps of less than 60 minutes between care visits Mileage or other travel-related expenses incurred between visits
For the avoidance of doubt, this request is not asking for policy statements or intentions, but for actual evidence of compliance, including (but not limited to):
• Contractual clauses specifying pay for the above categories of time • Auditing or monitoring reports • Payroll or compliance checks (redacted as necessary) • Enforcement actions, breach notifications, or improvement plans • Any documents relied upon by the council to confirm that providers meet these requirements in practice • Any other documentation used to assure or verify compliance
If the council does not hold evidence for any of the above elements, please confirm this and outline what mechanisms (if any) are used to assure that commissioned providers comply with minimum pay requirements in practice.