tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32243271145525063332024-03-05T23:01:12.987+00:00Public Works BlogDave Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02001339406583991407noreply@blogger.comBlogger392125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-66901572633526797942020-07-03T15:10:00.000+01:002020-07-03T15:10:34.710+01:00Housing and the Pandemic<br />
Social housing is an essential service. But you’ll find little mention of its role during the pandemic outside of the world of housing professionals.<br />
Yet the benefits – the ‘social good’ - of publicly owned and run housing (i.e. council housing) and social housing (i.e. housing associations or RSLs, and housing cooperatives1) have shone through during this covid-crisis. Social landlords have played an outstanding role above and beyond in caring for the most vulnerable people, including those who are shielding with health conditions.<br />
Take North Lanarkshire Council. It has the largest council housing stock in Scotland and provides homes to over 36,000 households. At the point of lockdown, on 23 March, a third of these households were shielding. Council staff proactively phoned them all. Overnight they set up a system, working shifts from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week, to make sure that tenants were safe and well. From this they began delivering ongoing support to 6,500 people: collecting medicines, delivering groceries, distributing food parcels, walking dogs, tidying gardens. As pupils were not at school, school meals staff began cooking and delivering meals to all of the council’s sheltered housing tenants.<br />
Housing departments can meet these challenges most effectively because they can do things on the scale that’s required, combined with the ‘on the ground’ intelligence of housing officers located in communities. Because of the benefits of public ownership, during the lockdown, some councils were able to make use of resources they was saving in some areas and divert these to where they were urgently needed.<br />
Housing associations and Co-operatives have performed a similar role, building upon their wider social remit within communities. Delivering food parcels, cooked meals, packed lunches, groceries and prescriptions for tenants and members, and providing pre-paid energy cards. Some have provided additional sources of support for those experiencing domestic abuse. Others have taken action to ensure people are digitally connected, or have provided online classes.<br />
There couldn’t be a greater contrast with the private rented sector, which houses ever growing numbers of the poorest households. It is entirely ill-equipped, uncoordinated, and lacking in motive to respond to a crisis of this nature. New research by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence supports all of this. It has looked at the social, economic, health and wellbeing impact of social housing and found that:<br />
- Social housing and its lower rents appears to help explain Scotland’s better record on poverty compared with the rest of the UK;<br />
- Social housing investment helps make rural communities more resilient, by providing low cost homes for younger people, so they can remain in the area, helping sustain vital public services and employment.<br />
- Well designed social housing investment can contribute to reducing the fundamental causes of health inequalities. An estimated 53,000 more affordable homes are needed between 2021-26. We must ramp up the pressure for current levels of government funding for social house building to be continued, and for the target of 35,000 social homes for 2021 (which has suffered a set back because of the pandemic) to be achieved. There are few better ways to generate economic activity than building homes.<br />
To sum up, the Covid crisis has underscored exactly why we must shift the balance back towards social housing. It has demonstrated the social value of councils, housing associations and housing cooperatives as ‘anchor’ organisations in our communities. They are a source of social resilience in a time of public health crisis, and also the key to building our way out of the current economic crisis.Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-19835503813621906982020-04-06T16:27:00.000+01:002020-04-06T16:27:49.489+01:00Cleaners on the frontline - Coronavirus<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuxCpAbDAZVgoEzNsiv8FWdHtK_rT4rJKJWdjKJYF3xcR_lhMYtMixo7-ADOE-tUDVVDVkLkQZqZPfhUooQsA5hyphenhyphenMIkCugTU5Y97OrbiHCl8I57lkZkDc4GZOP8Obp0D0_NROgz_rDg/s1600/bigstock-Close-up-of-cleaners-moping-th-346448965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuxCpAbDAZVgoEzNsiv8FWdHtK_rT4rJKJWdjKJYF3xcR_lhMYtMixo7-ADOE-tUDVVDVkLkQZqZPfhUooQsA5hyphenhyphenMIkCugTU5Y97OrbiHCl8I57lkZkDc4GZOP8Obp0D0_NROgz_rDg/s320/bigstock-Close-up-of-cleaners-moping-th-346448965.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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They don’t usually get much thought or
attention – but there isn’t a single list of essential workers doing the
rounds that doesn’t include cleaners. Suddenly they find themselves on the
front line of the worst disease outbreak in a century.</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Their task, always vital, has taken on whole new levels of urgency
in recent weeks, often in challenging circumstances. UNISON members report a
wide variety of challenges that cleaners and domestics are dealing with,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>during the Coronavirus crisis in order that
hospitals and care facilities can continue to function. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The struggle to keep places clean has intensified. Many places are
now working flat out 24/7 – and rotas are having to be shifted to take account
of that. More shifts and less rest are being demanded. Added to that is that
the cleaners, like everyone else have families, have health conditions and can
also catch the virus – so the numbers available for work are down as people
self isolate, meaning this greater workload is being handled by fewer people. Some
authorities are engaged in an effort to recruit and get more cleaners into the
workplace – this is welcome and these efforts need to be stepped up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It’s not just the workload of course – it’s the fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A natural worry about being exposed to the
virus is hugely increased by lack of information.</span><span style="color: #1f497d; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> </span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-themecolor: text1;">Some have not been
told when they have gone into rooms of patients with suspected CV.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> While changes and developments are made clear to medical staff – its often the case
that these aren’t explained to the cleaners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In
addition to this, particularly in larger facilities, cleaners are finding
themselves deployed not in their usual areas – but anywhere they are needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This in an environment where CV patients are
being treated in many different places in the hospital. This is a particular
issue at night where they will find themselves being bleeped to go anywhere in
the building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">They worry they are going into
places which are high risk, but which they haven’t been told about.</span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We were told by one member – who, like many cleaners, has two
jobs. One of these jobs is in an environment much more concerned with treating
virus patients than the other. She prefers going into the more virus facing job
than the other because she is kept up to speed with what is happening there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Cleaners – by definition , aren’t working at home. They need to
travel to work just like other essential workers. Some, particularly outside
the bigger cities are impacted on by the lockdown. Cleaners are low-paid
workers and many are completely reliant on public transport. As bus services
have been cut back there are many instances of this, mostly female, workforce
finding that the early bus bringing them to work, or the late bus taking them
home, are no longer running. Making an already difficult situation worse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Without cleaners – none of the institutions and facilities we are
relying on to contain the virus and keep the infected alive could function.
They deserve respect, resources and reward – they are the front line. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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UNISON Scotlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950621234432176373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-29957667932542338102019-08-12T16:27:00.000+01:002019-08-12T16:27:19.493+01:00Pay in Working Class Jobs Millions of employees in lower and middle income jobs have had real pay reductions over the last ten years.<div>
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The TUC has analysed occupational hourly pay. This work shows that, while changes to the minimum wage have helped the lowest paid, millions of other workers have experienced a real pay cut since 2010. </div>
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The TUC is undertaking a series of analyses looking at class in Britain to support the trade union movement's work to advance "the general interests of the working classes.". The reports will look define class through occupation and pay. Going forward they will also look at the experience of class inside and outside or work including "issues of status and respect, control and voice. </div>
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This <a href="https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/real-pay-cut-millions-lower-and-middle-paid-workers-tuc-analysis-reveals">first report </a>focuses on pay and should support the work of trade unions to build a new deal for working people. </div>
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<b>Findings</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisFrTv_yBfMn4Un04cEm8kSNGTPnuOQDOSiu4QdHWITyGK_vE2k_dWQWSY-o3-UPjp6n-BL2hn267NTiujhzc9jpbY1X7F9ZQtm5mEdjSV5mNKPhgzgktK73dgUgUkfdvCO_gY9BhcvXI/s1600/TUC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="264" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisFrTv_yBfMn4Un04cEm8kSNGTPnuOQDOSiu4QdHWITyGK_vE2k_dWQWSY-o3-UPjp6n-BL2hn267NTiujhzc9jpbY1X7F9ZQtm5mEdjSV5mNKPhgzgktK73dgUgUkfdvCO_gY9BhcvXI/s200/TUC.JPG" width="140" /></a>While the lowest earners, that is those below £9.55 per hour (less than 75% of median pay) have seen a 5% pay increase since 2010 low to middle earners have experienced a 1% pay cut, Low to middle pay is defined as 75%-100% of median pay: £9.56 to £12.73 per hour. </div>
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In the previous decade lowest earners experienced a 10% pay rise and low to middle earners a 7% rise. The minimum wage has made a big difference to the lowest paid but the TUC report shows that without strong trade unions it has been difficult to ensure that improved pay is more widely shared among those stile earning below the median. </div>
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Those earning £26 per hour or more have seen their pay increase by 4%. </div>
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The biggest groups of those earning below the median rate now work in care and retail. Women and black and minority ethnic workers are over represented in the worst paid jobs and are underrepresented in the higher paid groups. </div>
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<b>The New Deal</b></div>
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• The rate for the job and fair pay for everyone</div>
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• New rights so that workers can be protected by a union in every workplace, and when</div>
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we use social media, so that nobody has to face their employer alone</div>
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• New rights for workers to bargain through our unions for fair pay and conditions across</div>
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industries, ending the race to the bottom</div>
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• A £10 an hour national minimum wage and an end to discrimination against young</div>
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workers</div>
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• Workers to be elected onto remuneration committees to help curb greed at the top</div>
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• Legal requirements on employers to report on and act to close race, gender and</div>
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disability pay gaps</div>
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• Support for the genuinely self-employed while calling for a ban on zero hours contracts</div>
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and false self-employment</div>
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• A right to reasonable notice of your shifts, and payment if your shifts are cancelled</div>
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• A move to a shorter working time with no loss of pay, starting with four new bank</div>
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holidays a year, and setting an ambition for a four-day week</div>
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• A right to positive flexible working from day one of your job, with employers required</div>
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to advertise all jobs on that basis</div>
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• A decent floor of rights for all workers and the return of protection from unfair</div>
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dismissal to millions of working people. </div>
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The only way to deliver on these aims is to build strong trade unions. </div>
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Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-76088219151031890112019-07-17T11:48:00.000+01:002019-07-17T11:48:57.651+01:00Delivering a Just TransitionIf we put communities and trade unions at the center of decision making then moving to a green economy can be achieved without the destruction of livelihoods and communities seen in past technological change.<br />
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A <a href="https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/IndustrialTransformationinPractice.pdf">new report by the TUC</a> based on research by the New Economics Foundation examines how we could manage a fair transition by looking three case studies of industrial change: Bilbao, Eindhoven and Iceland. The report then makes recommendations for how Britain can manage the transition to a green economy while maintaining communities and improving livelihoods.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoIVHxELpdZ5wuteRslz7UNunNIZSCictjEC-4tR9MP-2m4UTWlhsNc02QaiUirNjFWsHfP-8KKn0PR2lh1d_GDIbNQqjpjEgdazMHSxt9x9IwuRj80d9oPjkztmjMcm54_3k1xLJDPNx/s1600/TUC+front+page.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoIVHxELpdZ5wuteRslz7UNunNIZSCictjEC-4tR9MP-2m4UTWlhsNc02QaiUirNjFWsHfP-8KKn0PR2lh1d_GDIbNQqjpjEgdazMHSxt9x9IwuRj80d9oPjkztmjMcm54_3k1xLJDPNx/s320/TUC+front+page.JPG" width="225" /></a><b> Findings</b><br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Bilbao</b>: strong public participation and local autonomy over policy and finance helped lift the city after a devastating flood and "intertwined social, economic and political crises"</li>
<li><b>Eindhoven</b>: public investment and cooperation withing the business sector enabled the city to survive the loss of manufacturing jobs and become a hub for technological innovation particularity in health and social care. </li>
<li><b>Iceland</b>: moved through the banking crisis and subsequent economic crisis with impressive income and gender equality by maintaining a commitment to social provision and democratic accountability supported by its strong trade union movement. </li>
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<b>Critical success factors</b><br />
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<li>people feel secure and have a stake in their local areas</li>
<li>there is a strong social safety net to foster long-term opportunity in an area</li>
<li>genuine opportunities for participation in decision-making</li>
<li>proactive, positive interactions between state, unions and businesses</li>
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<b>Recommendations for the UK</b><br />
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<li>setting the development of quality jobs as the test for success of the industrial strategy</li>
<li>ensuring that plans for industrial strategy or economic development are overseen by a social partnership approach</li>
<li>allowing unions to bargain with employers to maximise employment standards across sectors</li>
<li>delivering a national entitlement to skills, to give everyone the confidence to adapt to changing demands </li>
<li>making an increase in good jobs the clear test for local industrial strategies</li>
<li>bringing together unions, employers and citizens at local level to develop a clear vision and plan for their area</li>
<li>using local employment charters to drive the development of good work across regions</li>
<li>using social value procurement to support high quality employment standards, local labour and supply chains and other community benefits. </li>
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By taking positive action to improve lives and created well paid secure jobs we can transform our economy and avoid a climate catastrophe. This will not happen without an active state working at all levels with trade unions and communities. Without this we will repeat the mistakes of past which saw communities devastated by the closure of local industries. </div>
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<br />Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-79208496720770927842019-07-03T12:16:00.001+01:002019-07-03T12:16:26.682+01:00Fair Pay is the Only Route to High Quality Early Learning and Childcare<div class="MsoNormal">
Scotland needs to avoid the mistakes made in England as we move towards increased Early Learning and Childcare hours. Without pay that reflects the skills needed to do the work and appropriate funding the expansion will not work. And we know which children will suffer most from shortages of spaces. </div>
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A <a href="https://connectpa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Steps-to-sustainability-report.pdf">new report </a>by the All Party Parliamentary Group for
Childcare and Early Education highlights a range of problems in England not
least of which is the fact that the better-off have benefit much more than
those on lower incomes. </div>
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The system sees the expansion take place outside the public
sector which has led to an expansion in wealthier areas where parent can afford
to pay to top up the funding for the “free hours”. The research indicates that
17% of providers in deprived areas “anticipate closure in the next 12 months”
compared to only 8% in affluent areas. </div>
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This means that it is increasingly difficult for those in
less affluent areas to find a place for their child even if they could afford
the top up fees and extremely difficult for those who only want the “free hours”.</div>
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The reality is that outsourcing childcare is not going to save money or build a high quality service</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlt800jjVue_1AL1tap7HwptVoF5NclN2UNWc6lpkwBoi_umeO2x0HZyteh9tsWAZxWfXG40I5ihf2-cYCIv2tz8rOFPc6LVrPfoaMJvgEEvMiq6fThufE388pOV8bbkyHZ6t40i4sQaH/s1600/Capture+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="529" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlt800jjVue_1AL1tap7HwptVoF5NclN2UNWc6lpkwBoi_umeO2x0HZyteh9tsWAZxWfXG40I5ihf2-cYCIv2tz8rOFPc6LVrPfoaMJvgEEvMiq6fThufE388pOV8bbkyHZ6t40i4sQaH/s400/Capture+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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More significantly, for us in UNISON, the report highlights the effects low pay creating difficulties retaining staff in the sector. The early years workforce is highly skilled but poorly paid. Even the
promise of the Scottish Living wage, which is well below public sector pay
rates, will not be enough to recruit and retain staff when other jobs offer the same pay but without the high levels of responsibility,
stress and ongoing professional development required. </div>
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In England the average hourly pay was £8.20 an hour: about 40% less than the average female worker. The picture will no doubt be similar here as (outwith the public sector) workers without management roles are generally paid the legal minimum wage for their age. </div>
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The Scottish government need 1000s of workers to train up in order to deliverer the promised expansion. Yet they are only promising the Scottish Living Wage to those they are trying to attract. The report shows that low pay is one of the main drivers of childcare workers leaving the sector. </div>
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25% of respondents are considering leaving the sector due to stress or mental health difficulties. Heavy workloads, administration and paperwork and the financial resources and of course pay were the top four sources of stress. </div>
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Retail jobs are the main competition for staff.The pay is similar and while not an easy job does not have the responsibilities for children's development and health and well-being that early years work includes. It's therefore no surprise that nurseries report difficulties recruiting and retaining qualified staff. Local authorities,also pay substantially better wages and will struggle less to retain staff than the low paying sectors as the expansion goes forward in Scotland. That will be small comfort to parents who cannot get a place for their children in a nursery due to lack of places. </div>
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Across the UK governments are attempting to expand childcare. It will not work without the investment to train and to pay the staff a wage that reflects their skills and responsibilities.</div>
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Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-28504145180562067222019-06-20T11:54:00.000+01:002019-06-20T11:54:54.367+01:00It’s never OK<div class="MsoNormal">
Health workers should be able to get on with their jobs free
from harassment. UNISON’s latest UK wide <a href="https://www.unison.org.uk/news/press-release/2019/06/health-staff-suffering-serious-sexual-harassment-work/">survey</a> shows that this is not the case.</div>
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Following on from the our <a href="https://unison-scotland.org/an-emergency-but-no-accident/">report </a>showing the violence that Scottish Ambulance Service staff experience at work this UK wide survey indicates that eight per
cent of respondents have suffered sexual harassment in their workplace in the
last two years.</div>
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Of those who had experiences harassment 31% said the harassment
was frequent/regular and 12% stated that it occurred daily weekly. The vast
majority (81%) were female. The types of behaviour they describe are:</div>
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<li>Remarks “banter” or “jokes” (64%)</li>
<li>Invasion of personal space (53%)</li>
<li>Unwanted or derogatory comments (49%)</li>
<li>Leering and suggestive gestures (48%)</li>
<li>Sexual assault including kissing, stroking, touching or
hugging (22%)</li>
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Respondents also describe how this affects their own behaviour leading to workers:</div>
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<li>Isolating themselves and avoiding certain
colleagues/situations</li>
<li>Wanting to leave/looking for another job</li>
<li>Poor mental health</li>
<li>Losing confidence</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadly while many talked about the harassment with other
colleagues or friends and family 28% keep quiet about it. Only 23% spoke
directly to the perpetrator. Respondents were concerned about formal reporting. Almost
half (49%) felt that “nothing would be done”. Others (37%) were concerned about
being “dismissed as oversensitive”. Almost a quarter (25%) feared retaliation
from the perpetrator and 22% feared that formal reporting could harm their
career. Of those who did report harassment only 15% felt that their
case was handled properly</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quotes from respondents include:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“One of my team ‘upskirted’ a colleague, then sent the video
recording to another member in</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>the team by ‘accident’.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“A colleague touched my groin during handovers to ‘show’
where a patient had pain. The</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>same person also touched around my side to ‘search’ for keys
that I had in my pocket.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“I work in a control centre and regularly get sexually based
comments from patients.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“While I was on placement a patient attempted to take my
tunic off, but none of the staff on</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>the ward did anything.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“I left the organisation. The nurse who made me feel
uncomfortable made things awkward</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>and I hated working on the same days as her.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“I suffered with severe anxiety, and couldn't be left alone
at work. This went on for 12</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>months even though reported it to a manager.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“As a result of my experience, I am now more wary about
treating patients that are</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>intoxicated or under the influence.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“It was an incident that spooked me. I now purposely wear a
larger uniform and feel myself</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>tense up if we're called to the area where the patient
lives.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“It makes me feel nervous and panicked every time I see that
member of staff.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Joining a trade union will ensure that individuals are
supported if they experience harassment but employers need to be proactive. The government can also drive improvement through reforms
including:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Reinstatement of section 40 of the Equality Act which
ensured staff were safeguarded against harassment by third parties (for
example, patients and their friends or relatives). Under this clause, employers
were liable if they failed to act after two incidents. However, the government
scrapped this ‘three-strikes’ rule in October</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2013 on the grounds that other laws gave staff similar
protection, a claim disputed by UNISON</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
• The creation by the NHS of a ‘gold standard’ complaints
procedure that's robust and gives workers confidence that their case will be
properly considered. Having good complaints procedures will increase the number
of staff who report an issue and will create an expectation that complaints
will be taken seriously</div>
Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-36860881224384621122019-06-05T16:27:00.001+01:002019-06-05T16:30:44.311+01:00<div class="MsoNormal">
Audit Scotland’s accountancy speak can’t hide the increasing strain in further education.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Their <a href="https://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/report/scotlands-colleges-2019">latest report</a> states that colleges are “operating within and increasingly tight financial environment”. The sector wide position is challenging but viewing it from that perspective is also masking the sever challenges in some colleges. Twelve colleges are predicting a recurring financial deficits by 2022-23.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadb1Tqal6tf2LypDAIveoF3xMOsUGzWzNlf-ZTrQlRCin1uySdJ8-y3YXPcKPW0itRG-nJ5hQ5W-6vHdgp3ZjWw2jZ_mMVTu69ma4zavRSqKlIR4SYPQSMShWq65F_WFG5ujsjiqJ-fZU/s1600/colleges.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="737" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadb1Tqal6tf2LypDAIveoF3xMOsUGzWzNlf-ZTrQlRCin1uySdJ8-y3YXPcKPW0itRG-nJ5hQ5W-6vHdgp3ZjWw2jZ_mMVTu69ma4zavRSqKlIR4SYPQSMShWq65F_WFG5ujsjiqJ-fZU/s320/colleges.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While the government can claim to have given colleges some extra cash, this was funding to cover the additional costs of harmonising pay and conditions across the sector following the recent reorganisation of the sector. This does not cover cost of living increases for staff or the extra employer pension costs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are also shortages in the capital budget compared to the estimated maintenance costs and the proportion of non-government income generated by colleges is reducing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sector continues to change with increasing student numbers. Colleges are changing focus with more learning being provided for over 25s and less for those aged 16-24. The proportion of learning delivered to those from deprived areas has begun to fall after several years on increasing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While there is considerable variation across colleges for attainment and retention and those going on to so-called positive destinations. Average rates have been relatively static. The attainment rate of 66% for full-time students is still well below the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) target of 75% by 20-21. There is still an attainment gap for students from the most deprived backgrounds and those with disabilities or who are care experienced.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Audit Scotland is calling on colleges to “underlying financial position with the SFC prior to publishing their accounts and improve data collection round student satisfaction as well as publishing that data. They also call on the government to agree a medium term capital investment strategy for ten sector and review college targets in the light of current trends.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most importantly they call on government and colleges to work together to deliver performance improvement and therefore meet agreed targets. </div>
Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-16846786544788899802019-05-09T15:32:00.000+01:002019-05-09T15:32:01.302+01:00Improving Line Management A good line manager improves workers lives and the effectiveness of the organisation they work for.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCfByNftmHAd8OCgY93AgRPLtL7wvgZgQ2HyLo48-QfLKRa8wJO6dXW_r7nZIpqio5SlcpwrIn0MMdpK3kyLZ4BfNQcbHYHBbq-fhlwGIjdxarML-IkK4CQ3db6VtH-ZGGFAciAm3vWRR/s1600/TUC2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCfByNftmHAd8OCgY93AgRPLtL7wvgZgQ2HyLo48-QfLKRa8wJO6dXW_r7nZIpqio5SlcpwrIn0MMdpK3kyLZ4BfNQcbHYHBbq-fhlwGIjdxarML-IkK4CQ3db6VtH-ZGGFAciAm3vWRR/s200/TUC2.JPG" width="144" /></a></div>
These are the findings of the <a href="https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/Improving%20line%20management.pdf">latest TUC research</a> into line management and the impact of good and bad practice on workers and productivity. Line managers have a huge influence on our working lives and so are vital to any discussions about good work. So it is interesting to hear from workers about their line managers. <br />
<br />
The report finds that line managers' strengths lie in trusting people to get on with their jobs and setting out clear expectations. Where they appear to struggle are things like helping boost workers moral, ensuring workers know their rights and actively making workers feel supported.<br />
<br />
The report is particularly interesting when read alongside <a href="http://www.unison-scotland.org/campaigns/public-works/damage/">UNISON's Damage reports</a> where workers consistently tell us that where things are good in their workplace it is about the support they get in the workplace to help cope with cuts and when morale is low poor management makes things worse.<br />
<br />
The report is in four sections<br />
<ul>
<li>why line management matters</li>
<li>workers views on line management</li>
<li>why line management isn't as good as it could be in the UK </li>
<li>recommendations for improvement </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
The report also shows the lack of diversity in management: 58% of managers are male compared to 51% of all employees. Only down 2% since the 1960s. It's not just sex: white men aged 30 to 59 make up 29% of employees but 43% of managers.<br />
<br />
Answers to the survey indicate that a third of workers don't feel comfortable approaching their line manager about work issues and one in ten definitely wouldn't. Only about one fifth of workers think "my line manager wants what's best for me". There is also a section on the lack of training provided for line managers to develop their management skills, which perhaps explains the earlier findings.<br />
<br />
In order to move to a more worker focused culture, which will improve workers lives and organisational performance the TUC is calling for:<br />
<br />
Better enforcement of workers' rights<br />
better access to training for all staff<br />
access fro trade unions to workplaces<br />
fair performance management procedures<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-47693890569304346592019-03-01T11:34:00.000+00:002019-03-01T11:34:13.236+00:00Private Sector Wastes Public Money Shock<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s BOGOF on failed privatisations today with 2 reports
highlighting the costly waste involved in outsourcing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpdgBog2e7fEUmLUK6WuSJKg346IOb5gv_D1_Co-p-BivwImCahPMg5cvb6ndKZdCROi3WfDK-_XCLmpkZTuqEey9u1fLR6TIROhX0DVbmqPYtgTlIg6F-fjKPVbA-iqZSJd1N5rajI_R/s1600/BOGOF.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpdgBog2e7fEUmLUK6WuSJKg346IOb5gv_D1_Co-p-BivwImCahPMg5cvb6ndKZdCROi3WfDK-_XCLmpkZTuqEey9u1fLR6TIROhX0DVbmqPYtgTlIg6F-fjKPVbA-iqZSJd1N5rajI_R/s1600/BOGOF.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <a href="https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Transforming-Rehabilitation-Progress-review-Summary.pdf">National Audit Office</a> are focused on the failed
privatisation in the probation service while the <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmpubacc/1736/1736.pdf">Public Accounts Committee</a> reports on Capita’s failings in recruitment for the British Army. Sadly the
billions wasted on outsourcing and privatisation still doesn’t appear to dampen
the enthusiasm, amongst its clearly ideologically driven supporters, for
throwing public money away on these projects</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) decided that the best way to reduce
re-offending was to create 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) to manage
low to medium risk offenders. In 2015 the CRCs were then transferred to eight
(mainly) private sector contractors. As ever with these schemes there were predictions
of marvellous savings and £10.4b “net economic benefits to society“over the
seven year contacts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Four years in the contacts are ending 14 months early. The
MoJ is paying £467m more than planned in the original contracts. This will mean
costs of £2.3bn which while less than expected, (no point in throwing more money
at failure) is money spent for little if any progress on improving the service.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While there was a 2.5% reduction in the proportion of “proven
re-offenders” since 2011 there was a 22% increase in the number of proven
offences per re-offender over the same period. There was an expectation that
re-offending would reduce by 3.7% but only 6 of the 21 CRC achieved a statistically
significant reduction. The Public Accounts Committee report is equally sorry
reading. They state that </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“the British Army naively launched into a 10 year
partnership with Capita”. As is frequently the case with outsourcing Capita didn’t
really understand just how complex a task they were taking on and their
performance has been “abysmal since it started”. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The online recruitment system was four years late, and
Capita have failed to meet the recruitment target every year. There is little
evidence that the forecast savings (£267m over 10 years) will be achieved. The
costs to the army have increased from £405m to £677m and plans to meet the
savings targets involve redeploying soldiers to do the work Capita have been
paid for. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s the same old story: glittery promises of savings,
private companies thinking that the public sector is full of waste so that they
can easily introduce slick new systems and then the slow realisation that it’s
all a bit trickier than they thought followed by increased costs and failure. We
really need to stop falling for the slick sales pitches and wasting money of
these failed projects. </div>
Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-5731766099876147112019-02-06T12:35:00.000+00:002019-02-06T13:57:47.472+00:00Cut to BoneThere just isn't enough money in the local government budget to meet the needs of our citizens. Last week's budget debate focused on the big numbers and the now annual smoke and mirrors routine claiming a good deal for local government. The annual <a href="http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/councils-continue-to-perform-well-for-communities.html">benchmark report</a> shows exactly what's happening to funding for individual services. This is more of a horror story.<br />
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvaPPK5dT7oSf8M7rLKE9vAovq7PYx2PuTgh_0yJVHk_50kuAPNsebqiRepIFlG7n_CBmyXPbDrLf4tl62ZkgqHDm5ZUHG44Mpp7g54A7QqVFvs4KVjlgXh99w8hd9ekEbnbjTXpM1N4-/s1600/Capture+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="296" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvaPPK5dT7oSf8M7rLKE9vAovq7PYx2PuTgh_0yJVHk_50kuAPNsebqiRepIFlG7n_CBmyXPbDrLf4tl62ZkgqHDm5ZUHG44Mpp7g54A7QqVFvs4KVjlgXh99w8hd9ekEbnbjTXpM1N4-/s320/Capture+5.JPG" width="226" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Total revenue funding for councils has fallen by 8% in real terms across the 8 years the report focuses on. Spending on teacher numbers and social care has been relatively protected. Education and social care make up 70% of expenditure within the bench-marking framework so this means substantial cuts have had to fall on other areas. </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li> a 22% reduction in culture and leisure spending</li>
<li>a 34% reduction in planning</li>
<li>almost 15% reduction in roads spending and </li>
<li>almost 10% in environmental services spending</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Children's Services </b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
The education budget has reduced by 2.5% since 2010/11 but the number of primary school pupils and pre-school registrations has increased by 30,000. So it doesn't take a degree in accountancy to see that is a big cut in the money available for each pupil. The numbers people tell us that total spending on primary and secondary education has grown in cash terms the real spend per pupil has fallen since 2010/11. (8% for primary and 4% for secondary) It will come as no surprise that satisfaction with schools has fallen for the sixth year in a row.</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Adult Social Care </b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Total social care spending has grown by 10% since 2010/11 although spending on home and residential care for older people has fallen as a percentage of that total. </div>
<div>
Although the number of hours of home care has been relatively static spending on home care has risen by 15% since 2010/11. Much of this will be due to moving towards paying staff teh living wage. Spending on residential care has fallen by over 12% although the number of residents has only fallen by 2%. </div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Culture and Leisure Services</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
Culture and leisure services have seen substantial increases in demand alongside a 22% spending cut. Sports facilities have increased visitor numbers by 19% , libraries by 36% and museums by 29% over the period analysed. Numbers have fallen over the last year though. Perhaps a reflection on the impact of budget cuts? Spending on parks has also reduced by 5% . Public satisfaction rates have fallen for all culture and leisure services in the last 12 months. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Environmental Services</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Despite the direct importance of these services to the health and safety of citizens real spending has reduced by 10%. Waste management has been cut by 3% and street cleaning by a massive 27%. Preventive services like trading standards and environmental health have been cut by 18%. Spending on roads has fallen by 15%. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There is no doubt that local government has experienced substantial cuts to its budget and ability to deliver services to the public.UNISON's Damage reports allow you to hear directly from the staff about the impact of these cuts. They are available <a href="http://www.unison-scotland.org/campaigns/public-works/damage/">here </a></div>
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<div>
</div>
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</div>
Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-31073953771038274482019-01-25T12:43:00.001+00:002019-01-25T13:54:05.517+00:00Failing Our ChildrenThe Conversation has an <a href="https://theconversation.com/too-many-children-with-autism-are-let-down-by-schools-and-end-up-in-prison-107376">article</a> this morning about the problems faced by children with autism in schools. In Scotland the high hopes of those (including UNISON) who supported the 2000 Act around mainstreaming of pupils with additional support needs (ASN) have clearly not been realised. The needs of children with ASN are not being fully met in our schools or early years settings. <br />
<br />
While children with additional support needs now attend mainstream schools many are far from being mainstreamed into school life. The policy has not been supported with adequate funding for the learning support, healthcare needs and behavioural support that children need. There have been cuts to support staff numbers as well as specialist like educational psychologists and social workers. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBj1hA4Z2Vi33buPluwObFMql72O5RNEusVEq4cmyo_pXziIwII6YqIH4Yp7FRMFImAsEJZGg0EgXeEd_2iXYth4zLcGvee_SaEs89DWWD7GQmniguuWFo6KlBtBe2DLwuGbCpsKqHro2/s1600/Capture+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBj1hA4Z2Vi33buPluwObFMql72O5RNEusVEq4cmyo_pXziIwII6YqIH4Yp7FRMFImAsEJZGg0EgXeEd_2iXYth4zLcGvee_SaEs89DWWD7GQmniguuWFo6KlBtBe2DLwuGbCpsKqHro2/s320/Capture+2.JPG" width="228" height="320" data-original-width="200" data-original-height="281" /></a></div>There is also widespread misunderstanding about who is actually providing support for children with ASN on a day-to-day basis. Classroom assistants provide the majority of their support and those (mainly) women do not get adequate training, support or pay for the work they undertake. School nurses are not part of a school’s staff complement: pupils’ healthcare needs are taken care of by support staff. Pupils with challenging behaviour are also most often supported by school staff not teachers. Schools need appropriate funding for both the day-to-day delivery of specialist support and for training and professional development for all the staff. <br />
<br />
Unsurprisingly the lack of proper support means that there are increasing problems with challenging behaviour, including violence. Staff are very concerned about the violence they experience in schools and the lack of support they receive from employers after an incident has taken place. Many report that they are told that it is just “part of their job”. Reporting systems are inadequate and many incidents go unrecorded. Even when reported there is little if any assessment of what happened or action taken to avoid a repeat. No one should be expected to be the victim of violence as part of their job. <br />
The following are the incidents recorded by local authorities in the 2017/18 (not all authorities give separate figures for education): <br />
<b>Aberdeen City</b> – Education Services - 244 physical assaults, 188 Staff Verbal <br />
<b>Aberdeenshire </b>Education & Children’s Service 544(employee) 70 (non employee) Violent Incident<br />
<b>South Ayrshire</b> – Education –56 verbal, 77 physical, 65 verbal & physical, 9 threatening behaviour<br />
<b>Renfrewshire </b>–68 Classroom assistant, 21 nursery officer, 166 Teacher -physical/verbal<br />
<b>West Dunbartonshire</b> – 95 education physical assaults<br />
<b>West Lothian </b>- Education, Pupil support worker 709 incidents, Education, Teacher 402 incidents<br />
<b>Dumfries &Galloway</b> – 463 violent incidents<br />
<b>Clackmannanshire </b>- Teaching Staff 53/32physical 21 verbal, school Staff 78 physical /21 verbal<br />
<b>Stirling</b> – Schools & Learning - 194 physical assaults on employees<br />
<b>City of Edinburgh</b> :Early Years Officer 3 violence with injury 1 violence with no injury Early Years Practitioner 28 violence with injury 16 violence with no injury<br />
Learning Assistant 26 violence with injury 8 violence with no injury<br />
Nursery Nurse 125 violence with injury 47 violence with no injury<br />
Teacher-Nursery 2 violence with injury 2 violence with no injury <br />
Teacher-Primary78 violence with injury 43 violence with no injury<br />
Teacher-Secondary 4 violence with injury 7 violence with no injury <br />
Teacher-Special 122 violence with injury 24 violence no with injury <br />
<br />
Violence is not a minor issue. Action needs to be taken to ensure that incidents are reviewed, that staff are given adequate ongoing support including counselling and adequate time out to recover. Incidents must be properly investigated. There needs to be action in terms of appropriate staffing going forward and specific support for the child. Other children also need to be protected from unacceptable behaviour. Accepting violence in schools fails the children who exhibit violent behaviour as much as it fails everyone else involved. They need support to express themselves in a more appropriate manner. It is those pupils who have most to gain from school leaders reacting properly to violent incidents with full risk assessments and then taking action to deal with the issues identified. <br />
<br />
Schools are struggling to meet the needs of pupils because of budget cuts. On top of cuts to resources demand is rising, adding additional pressure. The number of pupils with additional support needs has doubled since 2010 but there are 1841 fewer support staff in local authorities. It is clear that cuts to support staff in schools and to “expert advice” services such as educational psychologists who could support staff and pupils directly is having an impact on the whole school not just children with identified support needs. <br />
<br />
If next week’s budget cuts local government funding as proposed things will only get worse. <br />
<br />
My earlier report Hard Lessons on the impact of cuts on school staff is available <a href="http://www.unison-scotland.org/library/20170109-Schools-Damage-Series.pdf">here </a><br />
Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-10043321888913281952019-01-15T13:05:00.000+00:002019-01-15T13:05:45.207+00:00Just Transition is central to successful climate action<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYwzeE6bqmpsmbQgL9OSJCnIid9gX5R0bQPtvVBiIMrd6XqlmNDyIKbN7fJLAyHPzec07_s1qBW15GKhd6_29_zAxE89_VJZ6xt3O04v8uSQe9ceQyOhwAnNwEQTxZN_hvoq2ZFia2Q/s1600/SLR+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="363" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYwzeE6bqmpsmbQgL9OSJCnIid9gX5R0bQPtvVBiIMrd6XqlmNDyIKbN7fJLAyHPzec07_s1qBW15GKhd6_29_zAxE89_VJZ6xt3O04v8uSQe9ceQyOhwAnNwEQTxZN_hvoq2ZFia2Q/s320/SLR+cover.JPG" width="257" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just Transition policies for climate action take centre stage in
the Scottish Parliament today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This follows key campaigning in Scotland by trade unions and environmental groups.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just Transition is also the focus in a series of articles in <a href="http://www.scottishleftreview.scot/">Scottish Left Review</a>, including
one by UNISON Scotland <a href="http://www.scottishleftreview.scot/just-transitioning-marrying-environment-protection-and-social-justice/">Depute
Convener Stephen Smellie</a> and another by <a href="http://www.scottishleftreview.scot/just-transition/">Francis Stuart, STUC
Policy Officer</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Francis writes: “Tackling climate change
while building an industrial base for low-carbon manufacturing will require
government policy, planning, direction and investment. The Scottish
Government’s Just Transition Commission, successfully advocated for by the Just
Transition Partnership, provides an opportunity to address these issues.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Its
role is to look at how Scotland achieves a carbon-neutral economy while
maximising opportunities in terms of fair work and tackling inequalities.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be
effective, it should be independent of government and should have a commitment
to look beyond the next two years, to climate change targets which run until
2050.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The Scottish National Investment Bank also
provides an opportunity to leverage in funding for the low-carbon economy,
providing patient capital for sectors and organisations which cannot access
patient, strategic capital. The Scottish Government’s plans for a publicly
owned energy company could also help transform the public policy landscape,
although it will have to be far more ambitious than the Scottish Government’s
current vision of a company focussed on retail supply. A focus on generation –
where the both the money and the decarbonisation opportunities are – will be
crucial if it is to play a role in a just transition to a low carbon economy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The debate in the Scottish Parliament sees all parties backing the application
of just transition principles in Scotland. MSPs are debating a Scottish
Government motion and amendments from the Tories, Labour and Greens. Labour’s amendment, from Claudia Beamish MSP, calls
for the Parliament to give “<span lang="EN">further consideration to the
establishment of a statutory, long-term just transition commission, which
should be well-funded, independent of government and accountable to the
Parliament, building on the work of the present non-statutory commission.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
Scottish Government announced the finalised <a href="https://www.gov.scot/publications/just-transition-commission-member-profiles/">membership</a>
of the Just Transition Commission at the weekend. It starts work later this
month and will report in two years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Among the new members announced are STUC Deputy General Secretary
Dave Moxham and Richard Hardy, Prospect National Secretary for Scotland, along
with Lang Banks, Director of WWF Scotland - all members of the Just Transition
Partnership (JTP), along with UNISON, Friends of the Earth Scotland (FoES) and other
unions including the CWU, Unite and UCU. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Separately, UNISON, along with other energy unions, has very recently called on
the UK Government to have talks on Just Transition. UNISON, Unite, GMB and
Prospect released a <a href="https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2019/01/just-transition/">template
for a just transition</a> following a conference of energy workers.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The JTP sent a <a href="http://www.unison-scotland.org/library/JTP-Briefing-for-MSPs-ahead-of-Just-Transition-Debate-Jan-2019.pdf">briefing</a>
to MSPs ahead of the debate. (See also the JTP <a href="https://foe.scot/press-release/just-transition-central-scot-parl-debate/" target="_blank">press release</a> and the SLR article by <a href="http://www.scottishleftreview.scot/partnership-for-progress/" target="_blank">Matthew Crighton, of FoES</a> on the Partnership.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The briefing says that the concept
of a just transition is central to a successful response to climate change, and
to building popular support for action to cut emissions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A
just transition must:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">●<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Put protecting
workers’ livelihoods, creating new jobs, and delivering a fairer Scotland at
the centre of the move to a low-carbon economy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">●<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Be embedded
across and supported by Government priorities and infrastructure projects
including the Climate Change Plan, the Publicly Owned Energy Company, the
Scottish National Investment Bank, future economic strategies and the work of
the enterprise agencies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">●<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Involve trade
unions, communities and environmentalists at the heart of the process<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><!--[endif]-->Be put into
statute under the Climate Change (Emissions Reductions Targets) (Scotland) Bill<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stephen Smellie’s article in Scottish Left Review argues that the transition must be
just to all affected workers, with many in the public sector dealing with the
impacts of climate change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He writes: “A
transition to a low carbon economy must happen and that transition needs to be
just to the workers. However, the Just Transition agenda is not simply related
to these workers in the energy sector whose current jobs are part of an
industry that is contributing to the problem. Other workers are in jobs that
are at risk. Agricultural and food processing workers face changes related to
climate change. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The water
industry, seafarers and other transport workers face significant challenges.
High energy using industries such as manufacturing and construction face rising
costs. The public sector workers whose budgets for services are cut to divert
money to efforts to ameliorate the effects of climate change on
infra-structure.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Other
workers have a significant part to play in the transition and making sure that
it is just: the science workers creating alternatives; the education workers
training the current energy and future workers with the skills necessary for
the future low carbon industries; and the public sector workers in
environmental protection, infra-structure and planning, designing better
communities that use less carbon.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, continuing the focus, a free Centre for Climate Justice <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/just-transition-the-journey-to-an-equitable-carbon-free-future-tickets-53906015343">conference</a>
looking at Just Transition takes place at Glasgow Caledonian University tomorrow,
Wednesday, with <a href="https://www.stopclimatechaos.scot/">Stop Climate Chaos
Scotland</a> (SCCS) chair Tom Ballantine among the speakers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">UNISON is part of SCCS. Do please email your MSPs for a stronger
climate Bill and/or arrange to meet your MSPs. Easy info on how to do both is <a href="https://www.stopclimatechaos.scot/campaign/act-for-our-future/timeline-whats-next/">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And watch this space for more developments as the
STUC steps up work around energy and climate change, including considering how
workers’ pensions might help address societal challenges including climate
change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Francis Stuart concludes in SLR, “Scotland’s
unions are clear that tackling climate change is a moral, social and economic
imperative and Scotland must play its part in reducing emissions. However,
meeting targets must ensure that workers and communities benefit and
manufacturing is not simply offshored. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“A genuinely just transition, addressing
fundamental questions of ownership, is the only way in which we will move to a
low carbon economy while building a more equal economy and society.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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UNISON Scotlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950621234432176373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-35633231763814030462019-01-10T09:39:00.000+00:002019-01-10T09:39:26.769+00:00Added ValuePublic provision of services offers excellent value for money. The<a href="http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/documents/money_advice/MAPMF/capmf-annual-report-201718.pdf"> latest report</a> into Money and Welfare Rights Advice services in Scotland shows that every pound invested in these services gets clients an extra £21-£24. These are significant gains for people who are already on very low incomes.<br />
<br />
Not only does this make a significant contribution to clients’ household incomes it also improves their physical and mental health. Increasing their income means they also have money to spend supporting local businesses. So these services benefit the wider economy as well. It is essential that local authorities have sufficient funding to ensure the continued provision of vital service like Money Advice. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qp86NzunTnopNAPVPlJfmM_y0QVZ4XYx5PpYJorguvq-2vLT0lf7qRi8XpdRRfHJBpKRAFPkrDSbQ8W1ZTe3mjMXqpfKcibrFAiqvezQ9E1B9R6TbHvGOt0aA7V4fPcNQ0i4Kgn-h_76/s1600/Money+Advice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qp86NzunTnopNAPVPlJfmM_y0QVZ4XYx5PpYJorguvq-2vLT0lf7qRi8XpdRRfHJBpKRAFPkrDSbQ8W1ZTe3mjMXqpfKcibrFAiqvezQ9E1B9R6TbHvGOt0aA7V4fPcNQ0i4Kgn-h_76/s320/Money+Advice.JPG" width="249" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Key findings</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Local authorities spent £25.76m on welfare and money advice services. This includes 32 services directly provided by authorities and 85 via external organisations. These services are delivered by 486 (FTE) local authority staff, 386(FTE) external staff and 412 (FTE) volunteers. This work not only impacts positively on the finances of service users it also improves their general health and well being. The total financial gain for service users was £624.7m<br />
<br />
<b>Who uses these vital services?</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>38% were permanently sick and disabled or suffering a short-term illness or injury</li>
<li>25% were in some form of employment while 11% were unemployed and seeking work</li>
<li>28% of service users had disposable income of less that £6,000, 55% less than £10,000 and 88% less than £20,000. Median household disposable income in the UK is £27300.40</li>
</ul>
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Money and Welfare Benefits services make a huge contribution to people’s health and well being. This is just one example of vital services which are currently at risk due to cuts to local government budgets. Local authorities need adequate funding to ensure they can deliver the services that citizens need. Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-8412697590012381282018-12-13T10:11:00.002+00:002018-12-13T10:22:18.742+00:00Inez Kirk's speech to STUC Budget Day Rally <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHysDQjXC9nfr0bq3g4yeHKF2uFKAe6NrMGWWiQiq54e2ueICJIlCKbfrHxvnM4d0GkDnQKOzBz-QY6ewdKN4oSBIkMTyrfCIjuE8SJIW0hJATppHduPpOPYy2Y95nS-8eMaUCHOt7A/s1600/IMG_0619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WI-7PbeK1kaOFuIErk7SBphgxZ-kfZ9fQH3UTGSdbMWzrsXgugaatvMoQUiBfQ2uncqAkkPa2W9nT2nIegkuBXCE2BJSXQugz8LL2VyeUCFPCbUL8xYk-PkTvqGevW9CVrdgMOsAKw/s1600/IMG_0633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WI-7PbeK1kaOFuIErk7SBphgxZ-kfZ9fQH3UTGSdbMWzrsXgugaatvMoQUiBfQ2uncqAkkPa2W9nT2nIegkuBXCE2BJSXQugz8LL2VyeUCFPCbUL8xYk-PkTvqGevW9CVrdgMOsAKw/s1600/IMG_0633.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
Inez Kirk, vice-chair of UNISON Scotland local government committee, spoke at the STUC budget day rally at the Scottish parliament. She spoke with our sister unions Unite, GMB, UCU, EIS and PCS. Ines sent a clear message to the Scottish government to start to value local government workers, particularly the low paid women workforce.<br />
<br />
Inez said: “Local government has taken the brunt of austerity. Derek McKay must redress the balance today and invest in local government so we can serve our communities.<br />
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The Scottish government must recognise the valuable contribution local government contributes to the fabric of our society.<br />
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For too long we have seen our local services cut, closed or sold off to the lowest bidder.<br />
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The cuts have been felt most acutely in local government. Nine out of ten public sector jobs lost since 2010 have been in local government.<br />
<br />
What is even more stark is the effect on women in our communities and workplaces.<br />
<br />
Three quarters of the local government workforce are women, predominately low-paid and delivering the services that vital to our society: caring for our older and more vulnerable people, providing support in our schools, ensuring the health and well being of everyone in our communities. And it is women who rely on these services.<br />
<br />
Yet we continue to see these local services underfunded, cut to the bone or sold off - meaning even lower wages and less job security for the women providing the services but also those who rely on them.<br />
<br />
Many local government workers have been forced into in-work poverty, and they rely on welfare benefits and food banks: families struggling to heat and eat in the 21 century. And that is public sector women workers.<br />
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Austerity has meant increased demand for local authority services, at same time as budgets have been slashed.<br />
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We say to our MSPs, when setting the budget: remember us. Remember the women who provide the services we all need. Remember the women who care, clean and educate. The women who do the clerical work in our councils. Remember all the local government workers who make such a valuable contribution to our communities.<br />
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It’s time for women to get decent pay and secure jobs. We need a budget that ensures the scourge of local government low-pay and in-work poverty is assigned to the past”<br />
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UNISON Scotlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950621234432176373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-76222760977432333422018-11-30T14:57:00.001+00:002018-11-30T14:57:30.091+00:00Please do not be quiet! The campaign to Save Scottish Borders School Libraries. <b><br />
Thanks to Greig Kelbie for this "guest" blog </b><br />
<br />
UNISON Scottish Borders Public Services branch is the midst of running a campaign against the local authority’s pilot scheme underway at Galashiels, Peebles and Kelso High Schools, which has seen pupils, volunteers and self-service scanning machines working in lieu of librarians.<br />
<br />
<br />
Scottish Borders Council argues that the libraries pilot scheme is a result of budget cuts imposed on the council, that libraries will not be staff-free zones, and that the project is a result of pupil consultation. Several librarians lost their jobs last year, with less senior staff taking over from them. Neither the staff, UNISON or members of the public have seen any evidence of pupil consultation findings. <br />
<br />
UNISON, professional bodies representing Scotland’s librarians, politicians, parents groups and education officials have all lined up to criticise the scheme. Despite this, the council has stayed the course and self-service checkouts have begun to appear in school libraries as part of a pilot project, which may lead to a roll out across all of the region’s schools, pending a full review of the pilot scheduled for April 2019. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHXsMF2668LxcszW-abSq8tN2p_K8I4JBfNPo6cCai7YFGRrU11rslauZj7yxZx3BbyXm34UxIM6pSQ_pOyujeQLmF0pKWP8B8E-D-vqpF388MHE_Lrr1HNGWnfK5EA8a72AGdfReN_WY/s1600/1+Borders+Postcard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHXsMF2668LxcszW-abSq8tN2p_K8I4JBfNPo6cCai7YFGRrU11rslauZj7yxZx3BbyXm34UxIM6pSQ_pOyujeQLmF0pKWP8B8E-D-vqpF388MHE_Lrr1HNGWnfK5EA8a72AGdfReN_WY/s320/1+Borders+Postcard.png" width="320" height="226" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1132" /></a></div><br />
We turned up the heat on our campaign. UNISON visited each of the region’s high schools and canvassed parents, pupils and members of the community on their opinions on the scheme. We did this over 19th – 25th November, which was planned to be aligned with Book Week Scotland, the theme of which was Rebel. UNISON Scottish used this opportunity will be ‘rebel’ by campaigning throughout this week across the schools to raise awareness of the detrimental impact this staffing loss could have on our children. We were asking pupils, parents and staff to sign campaign postcards, letters to local councillors, engage with our online materials such as the petition. <br />
<br />
We were overwhelmed by the support of hundreds of members of the Scottish Borders communities who refused to be quiet and backed our campaign. From the hundreds of people we spoke to, there were three reoccurring clear issues that were continually brought up: concerns over support for children with additional support needs, the inability for children to receive support and guidance during independent study, and several testimonials which claim the pilot libraries have become disruptive and chaotic without a member of staff there to staff the library.<br />
<br />
A recently produced Scottish Government strategy report for school libraries (‘The National Strategy for School Libraries’) states that ‘school libraries are a hub of activity, with library staff supporting a range of creative approaches to learning, addressing issues related to health and wellbeing, and facilitating connections between pupils across the school community. It is clear to us, that the Council is failing to adhere to this strategy. <br />
<br />
<br />
What is also clear to us, is that not one single person supports the council’s pilot. More than 400 pupils, parents and concerned members of the community have written messages on our campaign postcards about the importance of librarians and almost 1000 people have signed our online petition demanding that the pilot should be dropped.<br />
Where are we now...<br />
<br />
On Thursday 29th November, the branch lobbied the full council meeting. We created a booklet “The Views of the People”, which contains a message to Councillors and full of some of the best testimonials from our postcard signings. We attempted to deliver our postcards to Tory Council Leader, Shona Haslam. Unfortunately, the Council Leader avoided the UNISON delegation. However, we had them delivered straight to her office. We will now be formally be writing to the Council Leader to ask for a meeting to discuss further. <br />
<br />
UNISON has launched an online <a href="https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-scottish-borders-school-libraries?fbclid=IwAR3Yyxis8V3IHetP-SdQE2SueIvknZHP3vAuwYY3jTABYHb-tw-HzgKPopM">petition</a>: please sign and share.<br />
<br />
If you live in teh areas you can contact to your local councillor <a href="http://www.unisonscotborders.org.uk/2018/11/16/school-library-campaign-letter-to-your-local-councillor/?fbclid=IwAR3tD1ZV9s9oPMOywv-DxGxKtmgJF1PXV2l_yiHqTbRxtssG_xhXJ40Nsrs&fbclid=IwAR0Gs5isdAX9JcRPWBb1a-k_sA8fN9CkBD7gRsC51SLkiyAB3pmDWW84uc0">here</a><br />
<br />
The fight continues.<br />
Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-44290322238924342602018-11-15T12:22:00.000+00:002018-11-15T12:22:02.126+00:00How Councils Get Their MoneyCan’t tell your NDR from your GRG? Then help is at hand. In plenty of time for this year’s budget, on December 12th, the Scottish parliament’s information team have produced a <a href="https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefings/Report/2018/11/9/Local-Government-finance--the-Funding-Formula-and-local-taxation-income">guide to local government finance</a>. It will help non-finance professionals understand how much money local authorities have to spend, the various sources of that money and how it is distributed across authorities. <br />
<br />
First things first: NDR is Non Domestic Rates, frequently referred to as business rates and GRG is General Resource Grant. This is the money that the Scottish government allocates to local authorities. GRG is the bulk of local authority budgets. <br />
<br />
The guide covers revenue spending: the money that pays for the day-to-day running of services. The funding provided for capital (building things) and any money borrowed are not included in the guide.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnIg1AGhRof-E4ZmdSZz65S-FqxK57IJt7W_Ra1NCKQb_m_s-B8U8IjAO3pr6Z_E3yBReX-qAPB2Yw6L7OcAQiS0rLFqhMgVNStO-jFffZp4IkTSyoCfOQYysGmqr02rQCcufAbzyYHvsr/s1600/LG+finance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnIg1AGhRof-E4ZmdSZz65S-FqxK57IJt7W_Ra1NCKQb_m_s-B8U8IjAO3pr6Z_E3yBReX-qAPB2Yw6L7OcAQiS0rLFqhMgVNStO-jFffZp4IkTSyoCfOQYysGmqr02rQCcufAbzyYHvsr/s320/LG+finance.JPG" width="320" height="264" data-original-width="783" data-original-height="646" /></a></div><br />
The guide covers both the money from Scottish government and via local taxes and charges. This includes non domestic rates and council tax. So you can read about how the GRG is arrived at. Which is via "discussions" with COSLA followed by calculation of individual council allocations using “Estimated Service Expenditure" and "Total Estimated Expenditure". On top of those calculations there are “funding floors”. Working out estimated service expenditure involved Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) which is a “needs based” calculation. Needs based means that is should take account of the relative needs of the populations of each local authority including for example relative poverty rates. Handily there is also more detail on what "Estimated Service Expenditure" etc mean. <br />
<br />
Lack of well written papers on the complexities on local government finance make it harder for people to participate in discussions and campaign against cuts to local government budgets. Even a quick read of the two page executive summary will help those trying to make sense of the debate round cuts and service funding. Taking the time to read the full paper would be time well spent. Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-10370907075090011172018-10-08T10:00:00.001+01:002018-10-08T10:12:44.310+01:00IPCC Report: Political will essential to deliver on 1.5C Paris targetToday’s stark report on the devastating impacts of climate change should make us all sit up and commit to urgent action.<br />
<br />
Politicians need to do the right thing and we must make them, including ensuring a fair and just transition to a zero carbon future.<br />
<br />
The <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45775309" target="_blank">warning</a> from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes it very clear that without urgent and unprecedented changes to energy, transport and land use, the world risks catastrophic temperature rise.<br />
<br />
The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report" target="_blank">Guardian report</a> said today: “The world’s leading climate scientists have warned there is only a dozen years for global warming to be kept to a maximum of 1.5C, beyond which even half a degree will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people.”<br />
<br />
The good news is that the scientists – including the head of Scotland’s new Just Transition Commission - believe it is affordable and feasible to keep to the 1.5C Paris Agreement target, but they point to the need for political will to make sure that policies are put in place in time.<br />
<br />
Top priority in Scotland must be to strengthen the climate change Bill currently going through the Scottish Parliament to a target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest, with 77% by 2030.<br />
<br />
It’s good that the Scottish Government will now seek new advice on meeting 1.5C from the UK Committee on Climate Change (CCC), but it’s clear from the IPCC report and the recent <a href="http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/news/2018/09/24/new-report-calls-decisive-and-urgent-action-climate-change-scottish-government" target="_blank">CCC report</a> on Scottish progress that we must have a step change in cutting emissions, particularly in transport and agriculture.<br />
<br />
UNISON wants to see massive <a href="http://www.unison-scotland.org/transport-bill-rural-economy-connectivity-committee-response/" target="_blank">investment in public transport</a>, including renationalisation of rail and reregulation of buses, as part of the move to greener transport - and much greater <a href="http://www.unison-scotland.org/publicly-owned-energy-company-response-to-call-for-views/" target="_blank">public ownership of energy</a>, including municipal energy.<br />
<br />
We are campaigning with the<a href="http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/" target="_blank"> Stop Climate Chaos Scotland </a>coalition and the Just Transition Partnership (JTP) to strengthen the <a href="http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/108483.aspx" target="_blank">Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill</a>.<br />
<br />
As well as stronger targets, we want Scotland’s new Just Transition Commission to be <a href="http://www.unison-scotland.org/just-transition-partnership-msp-briefings/" target="_blank">set in statute</a> in the Bill and to report to Parliament on progress.<br />
<br />
The JTP <a href="http://www.stuc.org.uk/news/1362/justtransitionchair" target="_blank">welcomed</a> Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham’s appointment last month of Professor Jim Skea as <a href="https://news.gov.scot/news/leading-the-way-to-a-low-carbon-future" target="_blank">Chair of the Commission</a>.<br />
<br />
Dave Moxham, Deputy General Secretary of the STUC and co-chair of the Just Transition Partnership, stressed that Scotland’s trade unions see tackling climate change as a moral, social and economic imperative. However, in meeting emissions reduction targets, we must ensure a just transition for the workforce and communities which currently extract or depend on the use of fossil fuels.<br />
<br />
Just transition includes both measures to support retraining and new jobs for those in affected industries, with support for workers and communities, and measures to produce new, green and decent jobs and livelihoods as well as healthy communities. It aims to address environmental, social and economic issues together.<br />
<br />
There are clear economic opportunities if we are ahead of the game in building a greener future, but we must ensure no-one is left behind and so climate plans must be integrated with an industrial strategy.<br />
<br />
Professor Skea, is co-chair of the working group behind today’s IPCC report. His comments today are reported in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report" target="_blank">Guardian</a>:<br />
<br />
“We have presented governments with pretty hard choices. We have pointed out the enormous benefits of keeping to 1.5C, and also the unprecedented shift in energy systems and transport that would be needed to achieve that.<br />
<br />
“We show it can be done within laws of physics and chemistry. Then the final tick box is political will. We cannot answer that. Only our audience can – and that is the governments that receive it.”<br />
<br />
That’s where we all come in. There are no jobs on a dead planet.<br />
<br />
Let’s make sure Scotland’s politicians continue the unanimous commitment in 2009 of support for world leading legislation. We need them now to agree stronger targets and decisive policy action to protect the planet for future generations, with public sector action crucial in leading the way.<br />
<br />
.<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
UNISON Scotlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950621234432176373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-56852304101015460332018-08-13T11:39:00.000+01:002018-08-16T11:01:56.021+01:00Welcome climate change & #JustTransition commitments from Scottish Labour<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Good news
for hopes of ramping up the ambition in Scotland's new Climate Bill. Scottish
Labour has today backed a net zero target by 2050 at the latest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is what
the </span><a href="http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stop Climate Chaos Scotland</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> coalition has been pushing for. The Scottish
Government is only committed to a 90% emissions reduction target by 2050, so
Labour is going the extra 10%. And the party is backing a 77% 2030 target.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scottish
Labour's new policy, announced by Claudia Beamish MSP, Shadow <span style="color: black;">Cabinet
Secretary for Climate Change, Environment and Land Reform, also includes the
<a href="http://www.unison-scotland.org/2018/07/04/just-transition-partnership-msp-briefings/" target="_blank">Just Transition Partnership’s call</a> for the new Just Transition Commission to be
in the Bill, set up on a statutory long-term basis.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="color: black;">The JTP’s co-chair, Dave Moxham, Deputy General Secretary
of the <a href="http://www.stuc.org.uk/" target="_blank">STUC</a>, welcomed the Just Transition commitment, said that unions see tackling climate change as a moral imperative, and stressed the importance of a statutory Just Transition Commission.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="color: black;">UNISON
is a member of the JTP and of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland. If you haven't already, please support the <a href="https://act.foe.scot/SCCS-climate-change-act" target="_blank">SCCS E-Action</a>, calling on MSPs to improve the Bill so we can end Scotland's contribution to climate change within a generation.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here are the press
releases from the STUC and SCCS, including the full comments from Dave Moxham, and a welcome from SCCS. The Labour press release is copied below.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="color: black;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Press Release: STUC
RESPONDS TO SCOTTISH LABOUR CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY</span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Welcoming Scottish
Labour’s commitment to put a Just Transition at the heart of their plans to
tackle climate change, Dave Moxham, Deputy General Secretary of the Scottish
Trades Union Congress (STUC) and co-chair of the Just Transition Partnership,
said:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Scotland’s trade
unions are clear that tackling climate change is a moral imperative and
Scotland must play its part in reducing emissions. However, targets must
not be met at the expense of the workforce and communities which currently
extract or depend on the use of fossil fuels. That is why a Just Transition for
workers and communities is so important.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“A statutory Just
Transition Commission, involving workers with real frontline experience in the
development of a proper industrial strategy, offers the opportunity to reduce
emissions while creating new, good quality jobs and benefiting communities
across Scotland.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">NOTES</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Just Transition
Partnership was formed by Friends of the Earth Scotland and the STUC in 2016.
Membership includes Unite Scotland, UNISON Scotland, UCU Scotland, CWU
Scotland, PCS Scotland and WWF Scotland.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Press Release sent on behalf
of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland </span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SCOTTISH LABOUR ANNOUNCES
BACKING OF NET ZERO EMISSIONS TARGET – SCCS comment</span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Responding to the announcement today (Monday) of Scottish Labour’s<span style="color: black;"> long-term Climate Change Bill policy, which sets a target
for Scotland to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the
latest, </span>Gina Hanrahan of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland said:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“It’s great to see Scottish Labour back calls for the upcoming
Climate Change Bill to include a target to end Scotland’s contribution to
climate change by 2050 at the latest and increased action over the
next decade. It’s now up to all parties in the Scottish Parliament to come
together, as they did in 2009, to ensure we continue to be amongst the world
leading nations in tackling climate change. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Labour’s commitment to a Just Transition Commission in the Bill is also
to be welcomed. Such a commission would ensure that the transition to a
zero-carbon economy supports workers and communities, and creates new, green
jobs.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“No country on earth will be left untouched by the worsening
consequences of a failure to move fast. While we’ve enjoyed a period of record
warm weather; the extremes of heat experienced around the world this year
and over recent years can mean increased mortality, drought, fire, hunger
and crop failure. We have all the solutions we need now to get us on the right
pathway. Good policies to tackle climate change can help us avoid the worst
impacts, but also bring new jobs, cleaner air, and reduced burdens on our NHS.
MSPs of all parties need to act together so Scotland can play its part and
enjoy all those benefits.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ends</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">NEWS FROM SCOTTISH LABOUR</span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">NEWS: SCOTTISH LABOUR LAUNCHES
CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY WITH CLEAR TARGETS TO REACH NET ZERO EMISSIONS BY 2050</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scottish Labour will today today (Monday, August 13th)
announced its long-term Climate Change Bill policy, which sets a target for
Scotland to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This plan is in contrast with the Scottish Government, who
propose reducing emissions by 90% by 2050.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Labour proposes a pathway to zero emissions with interim
targets of a 56% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, and 77% by
2030, supported by a Just Transition Commission. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Launching the policy at the BRE Innovation Park at
Ravenscraig, Claudia Beamish MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change,
Environment and Land Reform will say that it is an “immensely
important instrument for Scotland’s future and our standing in the global
community.” </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The BRE Innovation Park, situated on the site of the former
Ravenscraig Steel works, showcases bold inclusive future opportunities with its
full-scale demonstration buildings displaying innovative design, materials and
technologies for low carbon living. BRE engages with New College Lanarkshire,
highlighting how vital the development of initial and transferable skills will
be as we progress towards net zero emissions. </span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scottish Labour will continue to engage with trade unions,
businesses, local government, and the third sector to develop the plans for
long-term climate action and the ‘Just Transition’ for workers. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Claudia Beamish MSP, Scottish
Labour Spokesperson for Climate Change, said: </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“This summer has been another of record high temperatures,
prolonged heatwaves, and extreme weather. It is our duty to step up for
global climate justice, and Scottish Labour’s climate policy addresses these
obligations, while giving Scotland time to adapt in a just way for the
workforce and communities. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“This policy recognises the huge inequality in Scotland’s
current and historic greenhouse gas emissions, compared to other parts of the
world. The most catastrophic effects of climate change are impacting on
the lives and environments of those who did the least to cause it, and this
policy recognises greater ambition is needed for those at the front line of
facing the effects of climate change. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Inter-generational justice is also central to this
policy. We cannot push the job of tackling climate change onto the
shoulders of the young. We need interim targets of 56% by 2020, and 77%
by 2030, to ensure we start to act now. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Based on Scotland’s historical emissions since the
Industrial Revolution, and per capita wealth, Scottish Labour has concluded we
must hit net zero emissions by 2050, at the latest. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“The SNP Government’s draft Bill is far too timid, and
ignored the 99% of consultation respondents who called for steeper targets.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Scottish Labour has always led actions for fair economic
transformation and social justice. Ambitious targets mean a clear signal to
markets; giving confidence to businesses, investors, and communities. Action
must now be spread fairly across all sectors and wider society.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Scottish Labour will always be the party of the workers,
and a statutory, long-term ‘Just Transition Commission’ must be in the Climate
Change Bill to safeguard our communities and jobs against injustice. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“For the sake of those on the frontline of climate change
around the world, for our beautiful planet, and for our children: no more
complacency – now for real ambition.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">BRE Housing and Energy Director
Lori McElroy added:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"When making decisions about targets for emissions and
energy efficiency, we should start from the premise of making the best use of
scarce resources and impacts on people. Over a quarter of Scotland’s
households are still living in fuel poverty – that's 650,000 homes – this is
where our efforts need to be focused.</span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Research suggests that the improvement of existing homes
could support up to 6,500 jobs throughout Scotland over the next ten years,
giving a much-needed boost to the Scottish economy. BRE is working
closely with New College Lanarkshire to support skills and training in this
area.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Poorly heated, damp and cold homes can pose
significant health risks for people. In the winter of 2016/17, an
additional 2,720 people died during the winter months in Scotland, compared
with the average for the rest of the year. The World Health Organisation
has in the past estimated that 30% of such deaths are attributable to cold
homes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“The BRE Innovation Park@Ravenscraig exists to test
solutions to our ageing building stock – showcasing new ways of thinking about
constructing new and retrofitting existing buildings, allowing innovative
approaches to be tested in a safe environment. Our research shows that better,
warmer, safer homes not only promote better quality of life for people but
could also save the NHS in Scotland around £60m per year.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ENDS</span></span></div>
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<br />UNISON Scotlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950621234432176373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-3509209553987128202018-08-01T14:18:00.000+01:002018-08-01T14:18:23.235+01:00Tories two faced on austerityI<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">n this year’s Spring Statement, the Chancellor had an opportunity to address the devastating impact of eight years of austerity on public services. However, he rejected calls to announce the end of austerity. In Scotland, Ruth Davidson hailed the budget as a ‘win’ for her MPs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some argue that the Conservatives' historic strength has been their adaptability. Depending on circumstance, they have been Europhile and Eurosceptic, statist and laissez-faire, isolationist and interventionist. The challenge in Scotland, is trying to convince us they support better public services while saying nothing about austerity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJqMBuzN-5cXEdXGBkLE8OU6AhFE4ShH81DDikVvXRXqW4rEgDRFHvFWU0ZCpw6prgPtceUq9S6E5_HJ4WGmx2OS4GEsQxv-2PlgTYdaHaa0xBclkUKQ34GwrhJh_NKzpgH9LFhkwVGDn/s1600/austerity+economics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="999" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJqMBuzN-5cXEdXGBkLE8OU6AhFE4ShH81DDikVvXRXqW4rEgDRFHvFWU0ZCpw6prgPtceUq9S6E5_HJ4WGmx2OS4GEsQxv-2PlgTYdaHaa0xBclkUKQ34GwrhJh_NKzpgH9LFhkwVGDn/s320/austerity+economics.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My local Tory MSP’s newsletter is full of his campaigns to get the Scottish Government and the local council to improve various local services. More should be spent on this, that or another public service. Absolutely right, but you won’t find a similar plea for the Chancellor to end austerity, the underlying cause of all these spending cuts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Scottish Conservatives at a national level are not exempt from this double-speak. I have gone back through their press releases over the past six months.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are numerous calls for more spending on NHS Scotland. Spending on mental health services, particularly services for children, is apparently inadequate. So is spending on GP services, A&E departments, doctor training, smoking cessation, care of veterans, ambulances, drug and alcohol services, cancer services and various drug treatments. Not to mention complaining about bed cuts in several hospitals. Thanking our members for their efforts during the 70th anniversary celebrations is all well and good, but ending austerity funding would be even better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Local government is also underfunded according to the Scottish Conservatives. It is, but austerity isn’t going to pay for their £100m ‘pothole fund’, or stop councils having to dig into their reserves, as the Tories have helpfully highlighted! It is also somewhat less than credible to argue for a cut in business rates and complain about Council tax increases – all of which would add to council cuts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In education, they have complained about falling teacher numbers, cuts in FE colleges, while also asking for extra spending on textbooks. They want to ensure that foundation apprenticeships are a part of every single Scottish school’s offer by 2020. They have also highlighted underfunding of the early years expansion, which although true, will not be solved under the austerity policies of their party.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are regular press releases claiming the Scottish Government is ‘soft on crime’, calling for longer sentences without any understanding that prison spending is way above the European average and a huge wasteful burden on public spending. They attack community alternatives to prison that actually work and are more cost effective. They complain about police numbers falling and the fire service budget, but not about austerity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, the Scottish Government now has the powers to address austerity. However, the Scottish Conservatives haven’t urged them to do so, instead they have opposed tax increases for the better off. If parliament had voted for their tax policies, funding for public services would be cut by £335m. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I understand the de-toxification strategy and many of the press releases highlight legitimate concerns about public services. However, you cannot avoid the reality that services are stretched largely because of austerity. An unwillingness to say anything about that is simply hypocritical. Facing two ways might make a nice local leaflet, but it does nothing for political credibility.</span>Dave Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02001339406583991407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-13990068657663635232018-07-06T16:50:00.000+01:002018-07-06T16:50:10.747+01:00The case for a radical Transport Bill<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-0b1f79a8-7035-3928-4bcb-622d9617d6c0" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Transport Bill is an opportunity to take a radical look at integrated transport in Scotland. Sadly, the Bill as introduced falls somewhat short of this aim.</span></span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Scottish Government has introduced a </span><a href="http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/CurrentCommittees/108853.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Transport Bill</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> to the Scottish Parliament. The main provisions are summarise in the UNISON Scotland </span><a href="http://www.unison-scotland.org/2018/07/04/transport-scotland-bill/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">briefing</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tackling the appalling air quality in our cities should be a government priority, given it could be contributing to around 15,000 early deaths in Scotland every year. The Bill puts the regulatory structure in place to introduce low emission zones. This is welcome, but the key challenge is to put in place real action to cut emissions. We don't need more plans about plans.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other provisions on integrated ticketing, ending (some) double parking and another go at regulating road works are worthy measures, but they are unlikely to make a significant difference. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A key issue in the Bill will be the regulation and delivery of bus services. The Bill extends the powers of local authorities to run buses and develop bus partnership plans. The aim is to allow councils to act more flexibility to improve services, either by working with bus companies or by stepping in and running services themselves. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Local buses are the most frequently used mode of public transport in Scotland. With 393 million passengers on local bus services, more journeys are made by local bus than by rail. However, there has been a dramatic fall in the number of journeys, down from 487 million in 2007. There has been a 10% reduction in past five years, which is double the reduction in Great Britain as a whole. Part of the reason has to be that bus travel is 65% more expensive in 2018 than in 2008, at a time when real household incomes have been falling. There has also been a 16% reduction in the number of buses in operation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So something is going seriously wrong in Scotland.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While bus passengers are losing out the companies are not. They have just raised prices to cope with the decline in services and in any case 43% of bus company revenue comes directly from local or central government through grants and concessionary travel reimbursement. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bus companies argue that they offer competition. However, the Competition Commission’s 2011 report into local bus services said, “head to head competition between bus operators is uncommon", because of “customer conduct”. The worst, most irrational thing these difficult customers did was to ignore the choice of operators the free market had to offer, opting instead “to board the first bus to their destination that arrives at their bus stop" - there's a shock!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the Bill talks about the role of local authorities, the companies view it as an opportunity. That's because the Bill will allow private operators to cherry pick the profitable routes, leaving councils to pick up the bill for the rest. Ironically, the Scottish Government is following the English Tory policy in the Bus Services Act last year.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In contrast, the public want government to go in the opposite direction. A recent </span><a href="https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/12982/majority-scots-back-public-ownership-bus-services-new-poll-finds" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">poll</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> shows clear public support for buses to be run by public operators - only 15% of Scots believe they should be run by private companies. Interestingly, almost half of Tory voters support public ownership.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, we don't need local partnerships, we need local public ownership. Publicly owned Lothian Buses is the best operator in Scotland, even getting the middle classes onto the bus. Levels of customer satisfaction for Lothian Buses are the highest in the industry and the publicly owned company recently returned £5.5 million to the public purse. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is one of the models we could adopt in Scotland, together with other non-profit initiatives like co-operatives. As the Co-operative Party's 'People's Bus' </span><a href="https://party.coop/publication/peoples-buses-campaign-pack/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">campaign</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> shows, across the UK, co-operative, social enterprise and other forms of not-for-profit bus operators are proving that it’s possible to run bus services that are affordable and responsive to the needs of local people. Most recently in David Cameron's constituency of Whitney.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If we are really serious about cutting vehicle emissions, how about free transit? This is an idea being piloted in </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/14/german-cities-to-trial-free-public-transport-to-cut-pollution" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Germany</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> by “the end of this year at the latest”. Five cities across western Germany are involved, including former capital Bonn and industrial cities Essen and Mannheim. It won't be easy, but has some links to a new industrial strategy given the demand it would create for electric or hydrogen buses.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is difficult to accurately cost free local transit because a key element would be funding increased demand. Based on current funding and demand, it could be somewhere between £200m and £300m per annum and that doesn't take account of the savings from not having to pay for dividends and expensive borrowing. Not an impossible ask by any means and we should account for the preventative spending benefits from the emission reductions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scotland needs a more integrated public transport system that results in a meaningful shift away from car use. Re-regulating buses and more public and community ownership would be helpful in doing this. In addition, we need green travel plans at work, with incentives for lower energy transport, cycling, car-share, public transport, walking and the use of lower emissions vehicles.</span></span></div>
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<br /></b><br />Dave Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02001339406583991407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-60777507806248968022018-06-30T17:10:00.001+01:002018-06-30T17:10:39.862+01:00Happy Birthday to our NHS<div class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Birthday to our National Health Service, one of Labour’s finest achievements in government. A brilliant socialist concept that shows the benefits of collective action to tackle the challenges facing our society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">There are a range of celebrations in the coming week to mark the 70<sup>th </sup>anniversary of the NHS. I was pleased to be speaking at one of those today in Glasgow, organised with the new Scottish Labour Westminster candidate for Glasgow North, Pam Duncan-Clancy. One of a great group of UNISON women who will be contesting the next UK general election in Scotland. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Some people, including NHS staff, can be a bit cynical about NHS anniversary celebrations. While they welcome the praise and celebrate the NHS they have dedicated their careers to, they wish politicians would also be thinking of those warm words when they are allocating budgets and funding their pay and conditions. A bit like Firefighters after Grenfell - warm words from the Prime Minister after she had slashed the fire budgets in the name of austerity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">None the less we should welcome these celebrations and I argued today that NHS 70 offers two broad opportunities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Firstly, to remind everyone of the importance of the NHS - something we can take for granted. For most of us it has literally been there from the cradle to the grave. In a column in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/29/how-do-i-know-becoming-american-notice-nhs" target="_blank">Guardian</a> this week – Emma Brockes coming back from the USA, compared the two approaches. She said:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"For all its faults and in spite of terrible under-investment, the very fact of the welfare state when seen from the US is nothing short of a miracle. I used to take it for granted, but that has gone. We are not supposed to think of the world in terms of us and them, yet it is impossible, moving between the two countries, not to see the welfare state, the NHS, and the philosophy that underpins them, as the greatest bulwarks between society in the UK and life as it is lived in the US. I know which side I’m on."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Most people in Scotland don't get to experience that comparison. However, on the train the other day I listened to two young women discussing an American medical drama - The Resident. This drama highlights the shocking profit driven approaches of a big US hospital. They concluded 'thank god we have the NHS'.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well apologies to those of a religious persuasion, but the NHS isn't an act of God. It was campaigned for by organisations like the Socialist Health Association and delivered by a visionary health minister in a radical Labour Government. And it has been Labour government’s that have funded it better than any others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We only have to look at the shambles of marketisation in NHS England to see how easy it is to drift into privatisation. So, we should also thank the Labour health ministers Susan Deacon and Malcolm Chisholm who took Scotland in a different <a href="http://shascotland.blogspot.com/2014/04/how-scotland-rejected-nhs-marketisation.html" target="_blank">direction</a> in the early years of devolution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Secondly, while we should celebrate achievements - should take the opportunity to recognise the challenges and look forward. These are set out in the SHA Scotland <a href="http://www.shascotland.org/uploads/3/9/5/5/39556225/18.06.18_sha_doc.pdf" target="_blank">paper</a> launched today, and Professor David Conway outlined these at today’s event. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It is important to emphasise that while the NHS does a lot of preventative work it is largely about patching and mending us when we get ill. So, preventing ill health requires action outwith the NHS.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">With the exception of Asthma, you are more likely to suffer every other illness the lower your income group. That points to the fundamental challenge facing health of the nation - inequality. The research in the <a href="https://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">book</a> the <i>Spirit Level </i>showed us how unequal societies are also unhealthy societies. Interestingly, it also showed that even the relatively affluent members of society also do worse in unequal societies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">And the NHS points the way towards the collective action we need to take to seriously tackle inequality. The NHS commands widespread support because we all use it. Even the rich understand that while they can buy a luxury room in a private hospital, it will be an NHS paramedic or the staff in an A&E dept who will save their lives in an emergency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In Glasgow in the 19th century the council delivered many of the great projects that did so much to improve health in the city. It wasn't just hospitals. It was clean water from Loch Katrine and many other public health measures that made the difference. You can imagine one of those rich merchants saying to another on the council, why should I pay for these things. The answer was that disease knows no boundaries, even the rich couldn't inoculate themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's that collective approach, yes socialism, that should drive our thinking as we move forward. In housing, social care, the economy and the broader welfare state. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I may not make the 100th anniversary of the NHS, but if I do, I hope that we will have addressed the 21<sup>st </sup>century challenges, which will reduce the demand on the NHS. By creating a more equal society that will honour the socialist giants, like Nye Bevan, on whose shoulders we stand.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Dave Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02001339406583991407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-33890903648086791222018-06-27T16:32:00.000+01:002018-06-27T16:32:06.918+01:00Pensions reform isn't easy, but scale matters<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scotland’s largest pension scheme is <a href="http://www.unison-scotland.org/2018/06/19/briefing-99-scottish-local-government-pension-scheme-review/" target="_blank">considering</a> major changes in the way it’s £42bn worth of assets are administered.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Scottish Local Government Pension Scheme (SLGPS) Advisory Board is asking employers and trade unions to compare the current structure against three options that, by degrees, consolidate the functions of the scheme’s 11 constituent funds by collaboration, pooling and merger. Today’s launch seminar in Edinburgh heard from speakers outlining the options and experts who advised the Board on the available options.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is an international movement towards greater scale in pension management that makes the status quo very difficult to sustain. This was <a href="http://lgpsab.scot/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/SAB-Report_Annex-4_Iain-Clachen-research_530KB.pdf" target="_blank">set out </a>very clearly by Iain Clacher, from the University of Leeds at today’s seminar. With greater scale in pensions come economies of scale, which reduce costs, increase efficiencies, and this ultimately secures the pension benefits of members. Every basis point (0.01%) shaved off costs equates to £3.5m.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">UNISON's own research reinforces the benefits of scale. While UNISON would normally champion the cause of localism, there are very few local factors in pension management that make local control the determining factor. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Given the case for scale the status quo does not look like a viable option. Some scale could be achieved through collaboration. This has been tried by Lothian and Falkirk, but it offers only modest gains in scale while retaining complex governance arrangements. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The English model of pooling assets provides scale, although the funds retain their responsibilities for administering the scheme. Governance is a problem with this model and UNISON colleagues in England and Wales have significant concerns. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The most radical option would result in a full merger of funds, which would have the advantages of scale. However, governance would need to be centralised either on a joint board or NDPB model. There would also be significant implementation challenges. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is not a straightforward or easy decision. However, pension funds are consolidating across the world for good reasons. When I meet fellow union pension negotiators across the world, they are astonished that we voluntarily retain such small funds.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scale gives greater investment clout, tackles fee transparency, enables in-house expertise to invest in new areas like infrastructure, and reduces duplication and cost. It’s not a decision that we can afford to duck.</span></span></div>
Dave Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02001339406583991407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-26017433319824992432018-06-21T13:57:00.000+01:002018-06-21T13:57:32.261+01:00A Quality Service Needs to Pay Quality WagesThe provision of a free at the point of use public childcare service has been a demand of the trade union movement for over a hundred years. Investment in the provision of quality childcare is therefore very welcome. But the service model must be one that closes rather than widens the attainment gap. There is a very real risk that done the wrong way we could make inequality worse rather than better. There is growing evidence that this has been the case following the move to 30 “free” hours per week in England . UNISON’s full response to the consultation is available<a href="http://www.unison-scotland.org/2018/06/20/early-learning-and-childcare-service-model-for-2020/"> here.</a><br />
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To be fully effective the proposed expansion of “free hours” in ELC will also require investment in a range of public services not just nurseries. The services also need to work together. This is why it important that all education services including early years are embedded in local authorities where links to social work, libraries, youth work, leisure and cultural services as well as social work, welfare rights, educational psychologists and housing can be best coordinated. <br />
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The government consistently state that they are focused on the provision of a quality service. The quality of an ELC services is entirely based on the quality of the staff. Stating that the Living Wage is the minimum pay for the sector contradicts that ambition. It should be shocking that that around 80 per cent of practitioners and 50 per cent of supervisors in partner settings are paid less than the Living Wage . So while the commitment will bring a welcome pay rise for many it is much less than is being paid in the public sector. <br />
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UNISON believes that the government has substantial underestimated the number of extra staff needed to meet their ambition but even accepting their figures it will be very difficult to attract sufficient people at that rate of pay. Why would anyone undertake the training (in-work or at college) needed to become an early years practitioner with all the responsibilities, the demands of maintaining professional registration and required ongoing professional development to earn the same rate of pay you could cleaning or in a supermarket?<br />
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In the short term the better rates of pay and pensions in the local authorities mean that authorities will be able to fill their current vacancies by attracting qualified staff from other sectors and lower paying authorities. The average earnings for practitioners across the sectors are <br />
• public £28,000<br />
• private £15,000<br />
• voluntary £16,000<br />
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A practitioner moving from the private to the public sector is looking at an average wage rise of £13,000 per year plus a final salary pension. A recent report from the National Day Nurseries Association (Scotland ) states that private nurseries currently lose 3 staff per year to the public sector. Lower payers are going to struggle to keep and recruit staff during such a massive expansion According to the Skills Development Scotland report the current vacancy rate is 19% and 35% report problems filling vacancies. This will only get worse without proper pay. Low pay puts the whole expansion at risk.<br />
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The evidence is clear that an anti-poverty early learning and childcare service (ELC) needs to follow a supply side model rather than the “funding follows the child” “provider neutral” model laid out by the Scottish government. <br />
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As the Joseph Rowntree Foundation state <br />
“international evidence and the best examples of high quality provision in the UK suggest that the most effective approach to funding pre-school childcare is supply side funding, where investment is made directly in services. This approach provides the means to offer universal access to services and effectively shape quality, affordability and flexibility. .....demand side subsidies do not offer the same means to achieve integration and deliver improvements in services. The case for supply-funded childcare is simple. It is the most effective means of delivering reliable access to affordable, flexible and high quality childcare regardless of parents’ ability to pay” <br />
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We really want this expansion to work. This could be a life changing investment in public services. There's still time for the Scottish government listen and make the right choices. <br />
Kay Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07399335501234260289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-39908464298585922542018-06-20T14:23:00.000+01:002018-06-20T14:23:03.540+01:00Time for coordinated workforce planning<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Workforce planning in Scottish local government is largely a local and ad-hoc approach, which is simply inadequate for the challenges created by austerity and will not cope with future demand. It is time to develop a more coordinated approach.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Today, I was giving <a href="http://www.unison-scotland.org/2018/05/30/workforce-planning-in-local-government/" target="_blank">evidence</a> to the Scottish Parliament's Local Government Committee inquiry into workforce planning. <span style="text-align: justify;">Workforce planning is the process that organisations use to make sure that they have the right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time. </span></span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span> <span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">With nine out of ten austerity job losses in Scotland in councils, the impact of job cuts on the workforce has been huge. This is highlighted in UNISON Scotland's damage series of reports in which staff describe the daily stress and plate spinning, which is how they do their best to keep services going.</span></span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Added to this we have an ageing workforce, with </span><span style="text-align: justify;">around 40% of the public sector workforce in Scotland likely to retire within ten years. That has huge consequences for service delivery, particularly in local government.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> We already have experienced staff retiring, leaving junior staff, often without the necessary skills or knowledge, to muddle through.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">In this context you would have hoped that workforce planning would be high on the agenda. In practice workforce planning in Scottish local government is generally very limited, at best local and largely ad-hoc. There is some national discussion with specific professions, or when a recruitment crisis highlights specific difficulties, such as planning. There is little strategic engagement with workforce representatives across the sector.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A current example of short-term thinking is the planned <a href="http://drpetermatthews.blogspot.com/2018/06/is-public-administration-and-public.html" target="_blank">closure</a> of the Master of Public Administration programme at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. This would leave Scotland with one MPA programme. I was in Wales recently and was impressed by their approach, while in Scotland we appear to be relying on others. Where is the next generation of public service leaders going to come from if we close down quality teaching and research programmes?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">There are some local plans as well as guidance from CIPD, Audit Scotland and the Improvement Service. However, there is little national coordination, with silo working the most common approach. There have been some early attempts at a national approach in the care sector. Even here with a looming crisis, we are only at the early stages of a challenging process, given the fragmented nature of the service. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Effective workforce planning requires access to good workforce data. Our experience of collating data shows that councils often struggle to produce even the most basic workforce data. In some councils the data is only held at departmental level and because every council has a different structure, it is very difficult to put together a national picture.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A new approach to workforce planning is required across the public sector, including local government. Service integration means that this can no longer be undertaken in silos. Here are six steps we could take:</span></div>
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Dave Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02001339406583991407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3224327114552506333.post-52088583185242268962018-06-14T16:42:00.003+01:002018-06-14T16:42:49.470+01:00Democracy Matters - The Local Governance Review<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Modern Scotland needs a major devolution of power, placing responsibilities and resources with citizens and communities. This means strengthening democracy through the ballot box and by giving people an active role in decision making.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oVflvq2WhRJX9EcgvuipO6Of3aooi71ihFls6e7arjsHYFXsp_fFCwUGsOHDqmeKKVnFlq8jnI1efoPhp8Wi5PAervIViTDV_QbpNwguLTf7HHOdAbRnvoxVBBBzeAtX6r-oDjnT5icR/s1600/democracy+matters.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oVflvq2WhRJX9EcgvuipO6Of3aooi71ihFls6e7arjsHYFXsp_fFCwUGsOHDqmeKKVnFlq8jnI1efoPhp8Wi5PAervIViTDV_QbpNwguLTf7HHOdAbRnvoxVBBBzeAtX6r-oDjnT5icR/s1600/democracy+matters.png" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">In December 2017, the Scottish Government and COSLA jointly launched a Local Governance Review, which aims to make sure local communities have more say about how public services in their area are run. Last month, the Scottish Government <a href="https://beta.gov.scot/publications/democracy-matters-community-ideas-future/" target="_blank">published</a> a suite of materials to support a highly inclusive conversation about community decision-making.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The Review brings a wide range of Scotland's public services into scope, not simply limited to local government. The first stage consultation will run until November and will focus on local engagement - how local decisions could be made more effectively. The second stage, which will have a degree of overlap, will look at how decisions are made at council level or regionally. This will bring into focus the complex structure of public service delivery in Scotland. Legislation is pencilled in for 2020 to implement any changes, although where there is local consensus change could be fast tracked under existing powers.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The commissioning partners have agreed some guiding principles and a process, but they do not, at present, share a common direction of travel for reform. The Scottish Government has been centralising services, either on a regional or national basis, together will strengthened powers of direction from the centre. Albeit with a narrative around local voice. COSLA on the other hand wants to see devolution extend further than the Scottish Parliament, down to councils and communities. Brexit is another opportunity to extend devolution locally.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The starting point for any review of local governance are the Christie Commission principles, which almost everyone remains committed to, even if the application has been a patchy in practice. The ink was barely dry on the report before services were centralised, but it sets out the case for local engagement very clearly.</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">There is also a growing civil society movement that makes the case for local decision making and rejects a 'one size fits all' approach to local governance. The 'Our Democracy' <a href="https://ourdemocracy.scot/" target="_blank">initiative</a> has been holding a range of local meetings to develop some ideas and they are bringing this together at a national conference this month.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">There are no shortage of ideas developed by think tanks with a good track record of supporting local governance. The IPPR, Carnegie Trust, Fabian Society, LGIU and others, have all made solid contributions to this debate. Service design could be done with citizens and front line staff adopting ideas from Systems Thinking, The Enabling State, Participatory Budgeting and Co-operative councils.There are some common themes, illustrated by practical case studies, in these reports. In short, local is best.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">COSLA's Local Democracy Commission has a good <a href="https://www.localdemocracy.info/" target="_blank">analysis</a> of why over centralisation doesn't work. They also floated some quite radical ideas around the structure of public services, pointing to the already highly centralised structure of local government in Scotland. We have fewer councils and councillors than any European country. There may well be a case for regionalisation of some services, but the building lock of local democracy should be smaller, not ever larger councils.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQdOKb38m1nKyhoVJsQpcjXHWi0Z1vX7atPdkSG2ctOfPz_Rm8VrbXw0HPZVCXLgitWOAj60yhpE_FItFpst72qF7cWV4NmKYBRCQrDuEMpWrRsu5XcxEtVuVpT-xYYA9X4v67pQ2zebo/s1600/reform+principles.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="322" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQdOKb38m1nKyhoVJsQpcjXHWi0Z1vX7atPdkSG2ctOfPz_Rm8VrbXw0HPZVCXLgitWOAj60yhpE_FItFpst72qF7cWV4NmKYBRCQrDuEMpWrRsu5XcxEtVuVpT-xYYA9X4v67pQ2zebo/s400/reform+principles.png" width="201" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Unsurprisingly, I would also point to my own contribution to the debate in my 2017 Reid Foundation <a href="http://reidfoundation.org/2017/01/public-service-reform-policy-paper-launched/public-service-reform-by-davewatson/" target="_blank">paper</a> 'Public Service Reform in Scotland'. I argue that public services should be built from the bottom up based on nine principles that reform proposals should be tested against. Democratic accountability, subsidiarity, transparency, equality, effectiveness, fair work, integration, outcomes and a public sector ethos. I have recently developed some of these ideas in a new Reid Foundation <a href="http://reidfoundation.org/2018/05/new-policy-paper-municipal-socialism-for-modern-scotland-local-public-enterprise-for-the-common-good/" target="_blank">paper</a> on municipal socialism.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The latest Scottish Social Attitudes Survey confirms that there is support for greater engagement. Work done with UNISON members confirms this, although there is also some cynicism that this might be just another government consultation, or a means of papering over the cracks caused by austerity. People will only give up their valuable time for engagement if they believe it will make a difference.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The voice of staff in service design was highlighted by the Christie Commission. There has been limited progress in achieving this, although staff governance initiatives in NHS Scotland and elsewhere is a step forward. I was at a meeting in Edinburgh today when the Cabinet Secretary and the President of COSLA both confirmed that staff voice was 'crucial' to the review. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">So, the review is an opportunity to contribute to the debate. It couldn't be simpler to post an idea or respond to the simple open questions in the <a href="https://beta.gov.scot/policies/improving-public-services/local-governance-review/" target="_blank">consultation</a> paper.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">As Richard Daggers put it in his 1997 book, <em>"The virtuous citizen must be free, but not simply free to go his or her own way. Instead the citizen is free when he or she participates in the government of his or her community".</em> We should take the opportunity of this review to make this a reality.</span></span></div>
Dave Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02001339406583991407noreply@blogger.com0