Viva Lewes Issue 117 June 2016

COMMUNITY BITS AND BOBS
CHARITY BOX #3: CTLA
What’s CTLA stand for? Community
Transport for the Lewes Area.
Who is the service for? Anyone
who is unable to access other forms
of transport. There’s a common misconception
that this only applies to
disabled people or the elderly, but
lots of areas around Lewes don’t run
bus services, or services don’t operate at certain
times of day.
How many vehicles do you have? 18.
And how many members? Around 3,850.
Where do you take people? We operate in four
main strands: our dial-a-ride service, group hire
for other not-for-profit organisations, a limited
number of scheduled bus services, including the
Lewes Town Sunday Service which is supported
with funding from Lewes Town Council, and
Lewes Travel Club, which takes our
members on trips out. You have to
pay but it’s effectively subsidised
when you compare the cost with
other door-to-door services.
What kinds of trips out? All sorts
– short days, long days. We might
go for afternoon tea somewhere,
or to a garden centre. But the most popular trip
is the ‘mystery tour’ where the passengers don’t
know where they’re going.
How can people get involved? We’re running an
initiative called ‘Working Together’, reaching out
to local community groups, parishes and district
councils to find out how we can help meet their
transport needs. Anybody interested is welcome to
come along to our next meeting on July 1st, just
contact us for details. RC ctla.org.uk
LEWES FOR A LIVING WAGE
What is the Living Wage? First it’s important to
understand what the government ‘living wage’ is.
That’s what they’re calling the minimum wage now,
and it’s £7.20, but only if you’re over 25. Which, of
course, has led to lots of companies hiring staff who
are younger than 25 and paying them lower rates.
So how much should people be paid? The real Living
Wage – reflecting the basic cost of living in the
UK – is calculated annually for the Living Wage Foundation. Their latest figure (outside London) is
£8.25, starting at age 18.
So who are you and what do you do? We are a group of locals outraged to find four food banks in
Lewes, and over 20% of children living in poverty. We decided to persuade more companies in the town
to pledge to pay the real living wage. We think this is also good for employers – because it helps instil
loyalty and increases stability, good for the local economy – because workers will have more money to
spend around town, and good for the workers - because they will be able to afford a decent life.
How many companies have signed up? At the moment it’s around 20, and counting. We’ve put on a
couple of events that spread the word, and we’re planning more, as well as a ten-minute film we should
have ready by next Living Wage Week in November.
Great! How can you sign up? All the information you need is at leweslivingwage.blogspot.co.uk – or
phone 01273 470940. You can join the national organisation at livingwage.org.uk or Brighton (a Living
Wage city) at livingwagebrighton.co.uk. AL
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