The afternoon session began with the welcome back
The main item of business to begin with is the Local Service Champions and the vital role they all play.
Refuse workers, trading standards officers, environmental health inspectors, youth workers, librarians, school cleaners, care assistants – and many more – deliver vital local services. They are the glue that hold our communities together. UNISON’s Local Champions campaign celebrates and defends local government workers for the everyday heroes they are.
Local government workers go above and beyond the call of duty to keep the country going, yet their efforts are often overlooked. They support us at every stage of our lives. We depend upon them to provide critical public services, that adapt to our ever-changing needs and to hold our communities together.
After months of searching, UNISON are thrilled to share the Local Service Champions Award winners, you can watch their videos below…
WINNER – Jade Carter-Williams – Jade works as an Environmental Health Officer at Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea council.
Runner Up – Martine Horner – Martine’s role as an Asylum, Refugee and Migrant Community Integration Senior Practioner involves supporting children and families who are new arrivals into South Tyneside
Runner Up – Jo Foster-Murdoch – Jo is a Community Librarian and she has done a huge amount of work to develop a wide range of activities, events and projects across Norfolk Libraries
To read more about each of the the champions click below.
We now receive a speech from Lisa Nandy MP, Shadow Secretary for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
you can find out more about Lisa here…
We Now Receive the Next section of the Annual Report by Mike Short – Education and Children’s Services (section 4) – you can read this in the link below…
During this there is special mention of the current strike action happening at Ash Field Academy by Leicester City Branch. We send solidarity and support to their fight.
We now return to debate the motions in this section and the first one is Motion 2 – The PREVENT duty on colleges was carried
You can read more about the motions here…
We now move to the discussion of Composite A – Pay in Further Education. this motion was carried
You can read more about the composite motions here…
Motion 13 – Using School Forums as an Organising Tool – This Motion Was Carried
Motion 1 – Bring Back Sector-Wide Bargaining in FE(Further Education) Colleges in England – This Motion was carried
Composite B – Early Years Funding and Private Day Nurseries – this was carried. reference was made to the following closure without warning of Orchard Day Nursery and you can read about this here…
Motion 8 – Schools Funding & Finance Training – this was carried
Motion 12 – Taking the Organising Lead in Further Education – this motion was carried
Motion 4 Organising in Multi Academy Trusts and Ending Fragmentation – This Motion was carried
Due to conference business being completed for this section of the annual report we now return to any non discussed motions from this morning. This begins with Motion 32 – Menopause Awareness and Support in Local Government – This Motion discussion was adjourned until tomorrows session as amended 32.1.
You can find more support on the below link.
Any business not discussed will roll on to Monday mornings session.
This Concludes Day 1 of The Local Government Conference 2023 we hope you found it useful. look out for tomorrows update soon.