I will be among thousands around the country marching in London today to say that “Britain needs a pay rise”.

Trade unions and their members recognise that real wages are falling way behind the cost of living.

More than three million people nationally are living in poverty despite being in work. Over 300,000 children live in poverty yet we have never had so many millionaires.

Only a fortnight ago David Freud, the Welfare Minister, outrageously said some disabled people “are not worth the minimum wage”.

These are among the many important reasons why we will take to the streets of the capital to tell the Coalition Government that enough is enough.

In research conducted by the TUC, British workers are suffering the longest and most severe decline in real earnings since the 1850s. If the economy is improving as the Chancellor George Osborne claims, it's certainly not improving for most working people in my ward and in our city.

So many new jobs are insecure, low-paid and self-employed meaning that too many workers have not felt any of ‘the recovery’.

Our council has introduced a Living Wage for staff and kick-started one of the most successful business-led campaigns in the country. We need the government to follow suit and implement fair wages for workers the length and breadth of the country.

I would like to thank Brighton Trades Council for organising nothing less than a whole sponsored train to London and I encourage everyone to join us on the train leaving Brighton station at 8:30am on Saturday.

Phélim Mac Cafferty, Green Party Councillor for Brunswick and Adelaide