I've long thought that the way we devise salaries is skewed, and I doubt that I'm alone in my thinking. The careers many young people aspire to, such as being a professional football player or pundit, TV presenter/star, performer of some sort, or (dare I say it) influencer, pay far too well. Those lucky enough to have roles they've coveted, earn so much that they can enjoy a great lifestyle and retire while still young, whereas those carrying out more valuable, but far less glamourous work, have to toil long hours to achieve a moderate lifestyle - and, in some cases, simply to survive. I'd hazard a guess that if someone advertised any of those 'coveted' careers for a salary of, say £30K/yr, people would be queuing around the block for an interview. Those who could afford to, may well even offer their services free of charge. My view is that the likes of nurses, carers, teachers etc., and - yes - those working at the sharp end of our industry, deserve to earn far more than they currently do. I only wish there was a sensible and acceptable way to even things up.

Our national living (minimum) wage increased again last week, by 50 pence to £12.71/hr for those aged 21 and over, by 85p to £10.85/hr for 18 - 20yr olds, and by 45p to £8.00/hr for both 16-17yr olds and apprentices. Since its introduction in 1999, the idea's been to gradually increase it to two-thirds of median hourly pay so that all working people can earn enough to be able to live comfortably. On the face of it, all's going well, as the adult rate's grown faster than median hourly pay - and its real value's said to have increased by more than 75% since 2009.

However, there is a downside. As well as minimum wage rises, businesses are having to deal with increases in business rates, national insurance and statutory sick pay, whilst facing rapidly rising costs elsewhere just like the rest of us. Indeed, there's been a marked 'tightening of belts' with less money being spent on non-essentials. Businesses rely on our spending, so how are they going to manage to comply with the law? Many don't have anything left in the pot and I fear things are going to become far worse, with staff being laid off. As an example, friends of mine have owned a pub for many years. The rising cost of living means that there are fewer punters and those who do still visit, drink and eat far less whilst there than they used to. Staff were let go. The cleaner retired and as they couldn't afford to replace her, one of them is now doing the cleaning. They’ve just decided to close for good. I'm sure decisions like this are being made all over but I'm unsure what we can do to reverse the rot.