£50 million of cuts in North Somerset

This letter was published in today's Weston Mercury:

I am writing on behalf of North Somerset UNISON, which represents workers at North Somerset Council regarding the £50 million of cuts which the council intend to make up until March 2015. The residents of North Somerset should be very worried by proposals put forward by the council which will see massive cuts to services to the elderly, people with disabilities, children and young people. In Adult Social Services the cuts include a £1 million cut to care for people with learning disabilities, another £1 million cut to care for the elderly and disabled, a £1.2 million cut to the council’s budget for care home provision, and a £4 million cut which the council propose to make as they attempt to help more elderly and disabled people to live independently so they can save more money on care home placements. The council will also cut its support to services for domestic abuse, anti-social behaviour and drugs and alcohol. In total Adult Social Services are proposing to make cuts of £14 million, which amounts to about a quarter of their budget. If anyone thinks that it is possible to cut such large amounts of money without it impacting on services then they are not living in the real world.

In Children’s and Young People’s Services the council is proposing to concentrate its resources on the 300 families in North Somerset who will be assessed as needing the most support – other families will barely get a look in. As a result there will be no early intervention and preventative work done with other families, which will simply store up problems for the future, add to the crisis in children’s services and cost the council more money in the long term. Our youth service will cease to exist with an almost £1 million cut, which will see 60 youth workers lose their jobs, and will also close down youth clubs, unless town and parish councils are willing to take them on. The council also intends to spend £2 million less on placements for looked after children. In total Children and Young People’s Services are being asked to make cuts of £12 million, which amounts to one third of their budget.

In both Adult and Children’s services there is a proposed reduction in the number of already over worked social workers. North Somerset Council, like many other local authorities, finds it difficult to recruit and retain experienced social workers. This situation is likely to worsen as reduced staff numbers will increase workloads for those that remain. In addition the council intends to make a £1 million cut to services provided by the voluntary sector to adults, children and young people. The council is also proposing to make cuts to staff and services in housing, highways, planning and grounds maintenance. And it looks likely that many of our rural libraries will close unless members of the community are prepared to volunteer to run them. In all 280 full time jobs will go, but because many council jobs are part-time this is likely to affect between 400 and 500 people. In effect the council will lose a quarter of its workforce, and this at a time when Weston super Mare has seen the 14th biggest rise in unemployment in the country.

It is now time for the people of North Somerset to stand up and join the trade unions to defend public services, because if we don’t fight these cuts then the outlook for every single one of us is bleak. The welfare state which was created to provide support and protection to our most vulnerable citizens and look after every one of us from cradle to grave will have been dismantled by 2015, if not sooner. There will be no safety net if you or a member of your family becomes sick or disabled, or loses their job. Your children’s education will suffer. If they want to go to university they will face huge debts, and there will be no decent jobs for them anyway. There will be no one to protect our most vulnerable children and young people. There will be no youth clubs to keep children off the streets. There will be no libraries or leisure facilities for you to spend your free time in. When you and your family get older you will find yourselves being forced to work longer than you’re physically able, when you do get to collect your pension you will be living well below the poverty line, and there will be no one to care for you in your old age. The people of North Somerset must act now before it’s too late. I urge you to write, phone or go to see your councillor. You can also request to speak at the Special Budget Council meeting on 15th November at 6 pm. We will be lobbying the meeting from 5.30 pm outside the town hall, along with members of the campaign to save Portishead Youth Club, and we urge the residents of North Somerset to join us.

30th November - day of action to protect pensions and public services

UNISON MEMBERS VOTE YES FOR INDUSTRIAL ACTION OVER PENSIONS

Over 75% of members who cast a vote in the ballot voted YES for industrial action on 30th November.

The branch is now preparing for the day of action and we are asking members to take part in picketing, even if only for an hour, and / or attend one of the marches and rallies planned in the South West. We will need pickets in the morning and late afternoon at:

Somerset House, Castlewood and Weston General Hospital.

Please contact the branch office if you are interested in helping out. It is really important that our members are visible on the day of action, so pleaswe make every effort to help out.

The branch will have a hardship fund for members who take action and face particular financial hardship through loss of pay through taking part in the strike. Please download our hardship fund application form. These will be considered in early December and payments made before Christmas.


BRISTOL MARCH AND RALLY TO PROTECT PENSIONS AND PUBLIC SERVICES

Assemble College Green from 11 am where there will be speakers. Then march to Castle Park, arriving between 12 and 12.30 pm where there will be more speakers and music.

TAUNTON MARCH & RALLY

Assemble at the Old Cattle Market at 12 noon, march to Somerset County Council Offices for rally at 1.30 pm

It's not too late to join UNISON and take part in our action to protect pensions and public services - please contact the branch.

The Big Equality Debate

There was a great turnout at the Big Equality debate in Bristol last night. Richard Wilkinson, the co-author of the Spirit Level gave a brilliant presentation on his very common sense idea, which is supported by huge amounts of data. That idea quite simply is: in societies with huge income inequality, such as the UK, there are more social problems. When societies narrow the gap between rich and poor they also see a reduction in social problems.

Professor Wilkinson showed us some truly shocking statistics, including the fact that in some private companies in the UK the chief executive's wages are 300 times that of the lowest paid staff in the company.

The audience discussed how we could take action on income inequality, and the suggestions included: clamping down on tax avoidance, making high earners in corporations accountable, by for instance having trade union reps on boards, calling for everyone to publish details of how much tax they pay, and encouraging people to feel proud that they pay tax because they're making a contribution to society, creating a rift between the small businesses that pay their taxes, and the multi nationals that avoid paying taxes, calling for legislation to restrict pay differentials, campaigning for a living wage. We as individuals could choose only to shop with companies who have small income differentials between those at the top and those at the bottom.

Half of Bristol City councillors have signed the Equality pledge. North Somerset has the widest social inequalities gap in the South West, and the seventh biggest in England. Weston-super-mare South ward is in the 3% most deprived areas in England and Central ward is in the 1% most deprived. Linked to this is a significant health inequalities gap, and a gap in overall life expectancy. Can we get North Somerset MPs and councillors to sign the Equality Pledge?

The Equality Pledge

"Compelling new evidence presented by The Equality Trust shows that more equal societies - those with a narrower gap between rich and poor - are more cohesive, healthier, suffer fewer social problems and are more environmentally sustainable. In view of these findings I am committed to making the UK a more equal society as the most effective means of building a better society. I will therefore actively support the case for policies designed to narrow the gap between rich and poor; and engage with the debate on which measures should be implemented to achieve that aim."

Can we also get North Somerset Council to set up an independent Fairness Commission?

You can get more information on the Equality Trust from their website.

Heat or Eat - what would you do?

North Somerset UNISON retired member Pat Barrett says: “This year prices are going to go up again and I’ll have to decide whether to heat or eat, so much for my gold plated pension.”

If you were in this position what would you do ?

Leave your comment at: http://www.1in25.co.uk/2011/10/heat-or-eat-what-would-you-do/

Survey on Support Services Contract for North Somerset UNISON members

It is over a year since North Somerset Council awarded a controversial contract worth over £100m to private company Agilisys to run the Council's support services. Councillors claimed that Agilisys would provide a better, more reliable service and improve customer satisfaction, all at lower cost. At the time UNISON opposed the privatisation of support services and seriously questioned the Council's claims.

Official Government guidance recommends that for contracts like this, an independent review should take place 6-12 months after the contract starts. Called a Gateway 5 Review, the aim is to confirm whether the claimed benefits are being achieved and the contract is running smoothly. In response to a request from UNISON over the summer the Council confirmed that it had no plans to carry out such a review! More recently it has announced it will commission a review.

UNISON has decided to carry out our own review and to help us we are inviting members to complete an our on-line survey. We have designed a survey for Council staff, and a separate survey for members who were transferred to Agilisys and Liberata last year.

We will be publishing the results later in the year and will raise any concerns voiced with the Council. All individual replies will be treated in the strictest confidence.

To complete the survey please follow the relevant links below. Deadline for completion is 30th November 2011.

For Council employees:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L53JK9NCouncilEmployees

For Agilisys/Liberata employees:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6377CX2AgilisysEmployees

Thank you for your help and support

North Somerset UNISON on Weston High Street - protecting jobs, services and pensions

Members of North Somerset UNISON will be on Weston High Street on Wednesday 9th November from 12 noon to 2 pm.

Come and meet us to get more information on the impact of the cuts in North Somerset, and tell us about the impact on you and your family. Find out why UNISON is balloting its members on industrial action over the attacks on our pensions.

The Big Equality Debate - Bristol - 26th October 2011

Come to The Big Equality Debate on Wednesday 26th October 2011.

The Debate will take place at Oddfellows Hall, West Park, Bristol BS8 2LT, starting at 7.00pm with light refreshments from 6.30pm.

The speakers are Professor Richard Wilkinson, co-author of the acclaimed book "The Spirit Level" and Dr. Hugh Annett, Director of Public Health, NHS Bristol. They will be addressing the question: "What are the effects of wide income inequality on our society?" They will be followed by an open forum when members of the audience can participate in The Debate.