By the time you see a bandwagon heading towards you, it’s too late.

The only option seems to be to lay low and hope the damage is not too serious.

That is the feeling among many business owners in Brighton and Hove as they watch the juggernaut that is the Living Wage campaign head their way.

With the president of the Chamber of Commerce and the leader of the council sharing the wheel, it feels like an unstoppable force.

But it isn’t.

To be sure the arguments in favour of the Living Wage have merit.

Campaigners aim to encourage local employers to pay at least £7.45 per hour.

They argue that businesses will thrive if their staff are motivated and happy, and that means paying them enough to live on comfortably.

Who could argue with that?

Well, it should be pointed out that wages are a cost, not a benefit, to firms.

If paying higher wages automatically produces a return on investment, why stop at £7.45? Why not £17 or £70?

Small firms who feel pressurised into signing up will have to compete with council workers’ packages funded by the taxpayer. Many will feel this is unsustainable.

We shouldn’t rule out the idea of the Living Wage.

But neither should we regard it as a done deal.