Thanks to excellent work of cartoonist Tim Sanders UNISON can now provide comic strip of the video showing Barnet resident Mr Cam Paign scoring full marks on his chosen subject One Barnet with no passes.
Do you fancy a go?
To view comic strip click here
Newly Created Local Authority Trading Company hits Financial Difficulties
The Your Choice (Ltd) LATC (colleagues in the services formally provided in Adults Services) has just revealed to the unions it is projecting a deficit for the close of the financial year of £700,000. This is over 3 times the projected deficit forecast in the Business Case. UNISON always queried the evidence for the Business Case for setting up the LATC and so this news is, whilst not surprising, is still extremely disappointing. In other words it would have been good to report UNISON’s basis for scepticism was unfounded.
There will be consultations involving our members and the unions. UNISON will want to meet with as many member groups as possible. Talk to your reps about setting up meetings.
As a result of the talks UNISON sought clarification from the senior manager responsible for Your Choice (Ltd) with regards the savings reported in the business case which went to Council committee in January 2012
The Business case reported the following:
“6.33 Savings
6.34 There is a requirement within the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for Adults Social Care to make a £200,000 saving in 2012/13 in respect of the Local Authority Trading Company. The analysis above shows that the Local Authority Trading Company will not generate this saving until 2013/14, so Adults Social Care will fund this cost for 2012/13, but will also make a greater surplus from 2014/15 onwards.”
UNISON is asking is asking if the £700,000 predicted shortfall solely refers to the LATC losses with additional £200,000 savings expected from adults social services as required under the Medium Terms Financial Strategy
UNISON members living in Barnet are taking up concerns about One Barnet with their local councillors.
In September there are a number events taking place at councillor surgeries.
You can view the details of surgeries here
Two simple things you can do
1. You can lobby your local councillor on line by clicking on the link here and just follow the instructions
2. Sign this petition here
For those staff not being outsourced Barnet Council has plans for you. Next Thursday the Remuneration Committee is meeting to discuss implementation of another One Barnet policy you can view the reports here
Not content with sending the majority of the workforce to the private sector and the redundancies which have inevitably followed they are now seeking to impose a grading scheme which we believe in a reduction in pay. Since 2009 pay has fallen by 13% and is now more than 10% below where it was in 1996
The headlines are the coming away from national pay bargaining, No automatic increments and changing the scheme which grades council posts.
Judging from previous failure of the Council to genuinely engage in meaningful consultation with the workforce & trade unions on One Barnet we are asking members to attend a branch meeting on Tuesday 25 September 12 pm in Conference Room 1 Food & Refreshments will be provided
The council are seeking to reach a collective agreement with UNISON on theser proposals it is important that our members provide feedback on what your key demands are.
Barnet Council have decreed that social workers (Adults & Children’s) will have to pay the increased social work accreditation (£78) to the new quango called Health Professions Council (HPC). When social workers registration began the branch negotiated a deal whereby the Council paid the registration fees. The branch position is to oppose and demand the Council continue to honour its contractual commitment to reimburse staff their registration fees.
The branch needs has organised a meeting on Wednesday 12 September from 12 –1pmin training room 6 Building 2, NLBP for ALL social workers across Children’s and Adults to gauge the views of our members. We will then conduct an inline ballot of their views before reporting back to the Council
Dear Councillors
Please find enclosed Briefing Number 2 (to view click here)
The briefing concerns a proposal in Cornwall Council for the creation of a Joint Venture for services similar those in the One Barnet NSCSO bundle.
Events have overtaken the production of this Briefing so for transparency I have included the latest news items which reveal that the Cabinet are going ahead.
Links to articles on Cornwall outsourcing
1. Part-privatisation of Cornish council services ‘will not be reversed’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-19489594
2. This breathtaking arrogance will be paid for at next year’s elections
3. Cabinet ignores vote by council
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Cabinet-ignores-vote-council/story-16836691-detail/story.html
4. Cabinet decision ‘not in the best interests of the people’
I hope you will take time to read our briefings, furthermore if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best wishes
John Burgess
Branch Secretary.
Barnet UNISON
0208 359 2088
Barnet UNISON “Watch it & Share it”
Defend Our Pensions
Dear Councillor
Please find enclosed the first in a series of briefings to all councillors in regard to the One Barnet programme. ( to view briefing click here )
· Over the past four years UNISON has produced over 35 detailed reports
· UNISON has consistently sought a meeting to discuss an alternative to the One Barnet programme
· UNISON has attempted to provide a briefing on our concerns to all councillors in May and June this year
· UNISON offered a meeting with the Chief Executive and the Leader back in March 2012
· UNISON is still seeking a meeting with the Leader and members of the Cabinet Committee
· UNISON does not seek any preconditions for this discussion other than the Council genuinely enters into this dialogue with an open mind.
In my experience most councillors with whom I have spoken many will say they know very little about the One Barnet projects and many admit not having read the reports we have published. This is worrying in light of the fact that the Council is radically changing to a Commissioning Council where it no longer provides services.
Already we have seen council staff working for the following services transfer out of the council
· Legal Services,
· Parking Services,
· Adult Social Care,
· Housing services
Later this year decisions will be approved at Cabinet Committee to outsource two big One Barnet projects (NSCSO & DRS) worth up to £1Billion pounds which will tie the Council into *10 year contracts.
In November this year a decision will be made on the service delivery model for the One Barnet Street Scene project. Judging by the direction of travel of all other One Barnet projects it is likely that the outsourced model will be the one selected.
Even though these decisions are going to be made by Cabinet Committee the financial and electoral impact will affect all councillors not just for the short term but beyond the Council elections in 2014 and 2018
I hope you will take time to read our briefings, furthermore if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.
*= ‘Health Warning: There is no such thing as a flexible contract.’
Best wishes
John Burgess
Branch Secretary.
Barnet UNISON
0208 359 2088
Barnet UNISON “Watch it & Share it”
Defend Our Pensions
