Nearly 27,000 workers in Somerset area due to get pay rise

Tens of thousands of people living are due a pay rise next April. An estimated 26,820 people - or 18% of the local workforce - are currently making less than the new minimum wage, due to come in next year.

Last week, the Labour government announced it would be raising the minimum wage to £12.21 for workers who are 21 or older, an increase of 77p.

A more dramatic increase will be seen for 18 to 20 year olds, who will be making at least £10 an hour (£1.40 increase), and 16 to 17 year olds, who will get £7.55 (+£1.15).

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In Bath and North East Somerset, an additional 7200 people are due a pay rise, along with 8320 people in North Somerset. Across the South West, 16% of workers in Devon are due a pay rise, as well as 16% in Dorset, 14% in Gloucestershire, 18% in Cornwall, and 9% of workers in Bristol.

In the South West as a whole, 239,700 people can expect to benefit from the minimum wage rise.

The Autumn budget - which introduced the new minimum wage - has split the opinions of Somerset MPs. Labour MP for North East Somerset and Hanham Dan Norris said: "‘Among the best achievements of the last Labour government were the introduction of a national minimum wage, and many new and rebuilt schools and healthcare facilities. Today, 14 years on, our Labour Chancellor has raised the National Living Wage, and announced billions of pounds of investment for our education and the NHS."

But Conservative MP for Bridgwater Ashley Fox called it 'a budget of broken promises', saying: "I am deeply concerned. This Budget does more than raise taxes; it strikes at the heart of our local economy.

"With the rise in employer National Insurance contributions and the reduction of the threshold from £9,100 to £5,000, small businesses and lower-income employees will face disproportionate hardship. Leading economic experts at the Institute for Fiscal Studies have voiced concerns that these measures will hit small employers hardest, likely resulting in job cuts and further strain on workers' wages."

The MP added: "Labour's Budget of broken promises will disappoint business owners and workers across the Bridgwater constituency - raising taxes, increasing borrowing, and risking economic stability."

Co-founder of accounting firm GoForma Charlie Bailey said: "The majority of occupations where salaries fall under the minimum wage are in retail, care, warehousing and transportation. These roles often have irregular hours, making it more difficult to keep a record of exactly what your hourly pay is.

"Although the 2025 minimum wage is £12.21 an hour, this is calculated based on each individual pay cheque. So if you work an average of 40 hours per week and are paid monthly then your gross earnings must be at least £1,953.60."

He added: "If you are worried about talking to your employer about being paid less than the minimum wage, then bear in mind that victimisation laws prevent an employer from treating an employee less favourably because they have challenged potentially illegal employment practices."

To calculate the number of people owed wage increases, GoForma used recent data on average weekly earnings from the Office for National Statistics.