Understanding Local Government Finance

Over the past few months increasing numbers of councils have been facing financial problems, sadly resulting in some of our members losing their jobs. If, as a union, we are going to better challenge councils when they say they have financial problems branches need to have a better understanding of how local government is funded, […]

Local Government – An ‘Employer of Choice?’

Conference notes that local government employees are uniquely and increasingly ‘squeezed’ between the priorities of central and local government, the complex funding mechanism for local government and efficiency savings. Conference believes that the public is entitled to the highest quality services and efficient use of public money. However, there is a limit to the ‘efficiencies’ […]

Challenging Racism in the Workplace

Conference notes the continuing and pervasive nature of racism experienced by Black members in local government workplaces across Britain. Conference further notes the abundant evidence that has been generated as a result of monitoring under the Race Relations Amendment Act (2000) to show that Black people continue to be under-represented in the workplace, and that […]

Local Government Finance

Conference notes: 1)The impact of the credit crunch and recession on local authority finance 2)The additional demands being placed on local authorities and the resulting workload pressures on staff 3)The ‘political expediency’ of freezing council tax levels, sometimes contributing to budget cuts and job losses in subsequent years 4)The decision of the Government in the […]

Local Government Equality Framework (LGEF)

Conference notes the Local Government Equality Framework (LGEF) replaced the Equality Standard in April 2009. It aims to enable local authorities to meet the public sector equality duties set out in the new Single Equalities Bill – which merges all the complex and single Equality Acts into one new Bill. In October 2008 the Local […]

Women, Local Government and the Recession

Conference notes and welcomes the government’s budget commitment to increased public spending. However, it is essential that the proposed “efficiency savings” also contained in the budget do not equate to job cuts or cuts in services at this time of recession. There is growing evidence that this recession will have a significant and unprecedented impact […]

Using Human Rights Approaches to Local Government Employment Equality

Conference welcomes the impact of the Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998 in helping to protect our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members in local government from discrimination, bullying and harassment in their places of work. The HRA, which applies to public sector bodies or those carrying out public sector functions, incorporates into UK law […]

Delivering local government services without prejudice

Conference notes that whilst an employment tribunal ruling does not set legal precedent, widespread publicity for the judgement in the case of Ms Ladele v London Borough of Islington (2203694/2007 July 2008) added to the false impression that local government workers can claim their religion or belief as a reason for discriminating against lesbian, gay, […]