Fuel Costs and Mileage Rates

Defend Our Schools

Social Care

Conference condemns the continuing drive towards further privatisation and fragmentation of social care services but welcomes genuine initiatives to improve standards of care to service users. In this respect the use of personal care budgets as a source of greater independence and control for service users merits investigation. However, Conference views with concern that this […]

Academies

This Local Government Service Group reaffirms its opposition to the Government’s academies programme. We note with concern the Government’s plan to increase the number of academies to 400. We believe that this expansion will lead to the increased privatisation marketisation of education and encourage the development of the two tier workforce. The government is putting […]

The Equality Duties

Conference recognises that the Public Sector Equality Duties are a real opportunity for progress on equality in local government and welcomes the recent UNISON guidance on using the equality duties and the development of UNISON’s own equality scheme. The EOC (now EHRC) Guidance code lists key employment issues that should be considered by public authorities […]

Pay for Local Government Workers Covered by the National Joint Council (NJC)

Conference condemns the Government proposed 3 year 2% public sector pay ceiling. With inflation at more than 4% for the past year this is effectively a pay cut and at the same time pay rises in the private sector are running at 3.5% – 4%. Conference also condemns the blatant hypocrisy demonstrated by a majority […]

Local Government Reorganisation

High quality public services can be delivered through two-tier or unitary local government structures where supported by adequate resources, a fairly paid and properly developed workforce, and a healthy respect and enthusiasm for democratic accountability to the local community. Proposals to create new unitary authorities should therefore be rigorously assessed to evaluate the level and […]

The Two Tier Workforce and Review of Best Value

Conference notes the statutory guidance on ‘Safe, Strong and Prosperous Communities’ which replaces existing guidance from 2003 on ‘Best Value’. The sections which deal with workforce issues – including the ‘Best Value Code of Practice on Workforce Matters’ on the two tier workforce – are also withdrawn and replaced. The Best Value Code followed the […]

Shared Services

Conference notes: 1.that current government policies envisage a major expansion of collaboration and shared services to both ‘join-up’ delivery and to meet the requirements of harsh efficiency savings, affecting all parts of the UK and this especially impacts on members in local government.. 2.that Government policy is pushing an agenda of shared services as part […]

Local Strategic Partnerships

Conference notes that services delivered under the auspices of “Local Strategic Partnerships” (LSP’s) will have an increasingly significant impact on UNISON members in many Service Groups; but it will impact in particular, and sooner, on members in Local Government because of the leading role local authorities have in LSP’s and the planned shift in funding. […]

Comprehensive Spending Review and Local Government Funding

Conference welcomes the increased flexibility that has been given to local authorities to focus their spending on local needs. The conversion of many ring-fenced grants in both England (through Area Based Grants) and Scotland (as agreed in the Scottish Local Government Concordat) to general funding is welcome. The burden of assessment of council services is […]

Local Area Agreement and the Race Equality Duty

Conference notes the significance attached to Local Area Agreements (LAAs), new ‘partnership’ structures, and the significant role that they are playing in the delivery of public services by bringing together public, private, private and voluntary sectors. Conference believes that this has an impact on Local Government UNISON members working in these sectors. Conference is concerned […]

The ‘Public Sector Worker’

Conference notes that the Local Government Employers have introduced the idea of the ‘Public Sector Worker’ in recent discussion documents. They have suggested that there should be core pay and conditions, providing for equity and protection for employees moving between sectors and in to shared service arrangements. The idea is also being discussed with the […]

Organising apprentices

This Conference notes the Prime Minister’s announcement on 28 January 2008 that he wants to see one in five young people on apprenticeships within 10 years, in a push to win the global “skills race”. He also announced that as a first step the number of places on offer for 16 to 18-year-olds would be […]

Local Government Efficiency Reviews and Disabled People

Disabled members are reporting a detrimental impact on their working conditions as a result of action arising from efficiency reviews; there is little evidence of employers meeting their legal responsibilities to undertake Disability Equality Impact Assessments when shared services or outsourcing are being contemplated. Branches should be aware of the wealth of arguments within the […]