Employer case studies and success stories

Leisure Solutions Community Trust (LSCT) supports health, wellbeing and community across Oxford. As an Oxford Living Wage employer, it shows a strong commitment to its workforce while helping to address recruitment and retention challenges in one of the UK’s most expensive cities. 

LSCT operates three leisure centres in the city: Leys Pools & Leisure Centre, Barton Leisure Centre and Ferry Leisure Centre, offering swimming pools, gyms, studios, exercise classes, sports halls and 3G football pitches, and family-friendly activities in the Active Zone. 

LSCT also runs Hinksey Lido and the Oxford Ice Rink, home to the Oxford City Stars Hockey team. Together, these facilities support residents of all ages, placing community wellbeing at the heart of the trust’s work. 

LSCT adopted the Oxford Living Wage in recognition of the rising cost of living faced by employees working in Oxford. As Rob Jennings, Contract Manager for LSCT explains:  

“We recognise the cost of living in Oxford and support our employees whilst committing to OLW.”   

Paying the Oxford Living Wage aligns closely with LSCT’s values and the way it operates its centres, ensuring its role as a community organisation extends to how it supports its workforce. 

“To inspire all individuals to engage in activity and to be at the heart of the community to improve health and wellbeing in the community.” 

 LSCT highlights the particular pressures faced by people living and working in Oxford, where housing and everyday costs can be especially challenging. This context underpinned the decision to embed the Oxford Living Wage across the organisation. 

“As the cost of living impacts us all we think it’s important to recognise the rising costs and support our employees to ensure an adequate lifestyle can be maintained whilst living and working in Oxford.”   

Paying the Oxford Living Wage has had clear operational benefits for LSCT. The trust has applied the wage consistently across its workforce, helping to create a fair and supportive employment offer while addressing resourcing challenges. 

“We have supported employees to ensure OLW applies to all employees as a minimum. This helps ease resource challenges and aligns our recruitment and staff satisfaction.”   

In a competitive labour market, LSCT reports that the Oxford Living Wage has made a positive difference to both recruitment and retention. 

“We are in support of OLW which helps negate recruitment challenges and aids staff retention, morale and general productivity of our workforce.”