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Welcome to the website of Barnet TUC (Barnet trades council)
Next meeting: Tuesday 14 July, 7.30-9pm (executive meets from 7pm). Bull Theatre, High Barnet.
Join the lobby of Barnet council cabinet against 'Future Shape' privatisation plans: 6-9pm, Monday 6 July, Barnet House, 1255 High Road, Whetstone
Read the council's latest 'Future Shape' report here.
 Barnet's sheltered housing warden cuts: don't mourn, organise!
REPORT: Lobby of Barnet council and Cabinet meeting, Monday 8 June
Barnet Community Campaign and Barnet trade unions organised a lively lobby of the council on Monday 8 June. Around 200 sheltered housing residents and their supporters chanted and listened to speeches outside Barnet House. Then they went into the public gallery and overspill room to watch the Cabinet meeting that took the regrettable decision to cut £400,000 from the budget for the elderly. While the Cabinet agreed to retain the alarm system for all sheltered housing scheme residents, they cut the sheltered housing wardens, to replace them with a vaguely specified 'floating support' service operating out of 'hubs' around the borough, perhaps some of the existing schemes. The floating support staff (vastly fewer in number than the 52 wardens currently employed), in theory, will also serve elderly Barnet residents who do not live in sheltered housing.
Several Barnet residents spoke on the issue, through the facility to put questions to the Cabinet, and challenged the idea that sheltered housing residents are depriving other elderly residents of services: they argued for a levelling up of services for all, and expressed the view that Cabinet members still do not understand the value of the warden service, since they have ignored all invitations to come and meet residents.
At the end of the meeting David Young, resident of Kingsley Court scheme, presented the first document to the council in a legal challenge to the decision: if any resident would like to know more about the legal challenge, they could email the lawyer Yvonne Hossack who is acting for residents in a number of the schemes: hossacks@hossacks.plus.com.
Coverage of the lobby and the legal challenge: Hendon Times; BBC London news
Video interviews with residents: http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/282
To contact the campaign: wardens@barnettuc.org.uk
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REPORT: Tuesday 19 May: lobby of the Council, Hendon Town Hall
The occasion was Barnet council's annual general meeting, an invitation only event which featured the swearing in of Brian Coleman GLA as the new mayor. A delegation of residents presented a petition to Barnet's current mayor, John Marshall, calling for the council to drop its plans to cut sheltered housing wardens. Outside on the freshly laid lawn, and carefully avoiding the newly planted flower beds, around 70 sheltered housing residents, relatives and supporters protested, loud and lively, until 7pm when the council meeting began. Hendon Times report of this successful protest here; Barnet Press report and a lovely picture here.
* Read how Brighton and Hove saved their warden schemes: 'We love wardens'.
* Email your councillor - find their details here: Barnet councillors
* Read the original consultation document here: www.barnet.gov.uk/index/council-democracy/consultations/sheltered-housing-consultation.htm
* Read a report of a consultation meeting held at one of the affected schemes here: http://vickim57.blogspot.com
* Sign the petition initiated by Barnet residents - this is a nationwide issue: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/sheltered/
REPORT: Saturday 9 May, Barnet wardens march, Finchley Central to Victoria Park
150 people marched through part of Barnet council leader Mike Freer's ward - a good turnout given the short time we had to publicise the march. They came from different sheltered housing schemes and included scheme residents and their relatives and friends plus supporters from Barnet and Brent trades councils. We distributed leaflets to the public explaining what the march was about and giving the dates for the next steps in our mobilisation to save wardens in Barnet - had there been a national debate about this issue, surely none of these cuts would be going through!
The march was organised by Barnet Community Campaign, website: http://barnetcc.wordpress.com/.
Read Hendon Times coverage of the march here. Barnet and the march are also covered in Inside Housing here.
  
  
  
No to benefit cuts! No to closure of Barnet’s Welfare Rights Unit!
"At a time when we know that more and more people will be in need of help and guidance on welfare, it is nothing short of criminal to propose cuts in the Welfare Rights Unit. It is always necessary for trade unions to defend our public services, but now that the private sector has damaged our economy almost beyond repair, it falls to us to protect the safety nets that remain. You have the full support of PCS in your struggle."
Mark Serwotka, General Secretary, PCS union
The government is pushing through a welfare ‘reform’ bill which will penalise the unemployed, single mothers, and those who are not able to work because of disability. All this at a time when unemployment is soaring because of the economic crisis. Meanwhile, in Barnet, the council is proposing to close the very successful Welfare Rights Unit which advises people on their benefit entitlements and conducts appeals, often on behalf of very vulnerable people. The decision on whether to cut the unit, to make a saving of £180,000, will be taken at September's Cabinet meeting.
Oppose Royal Mail sell-off - keep the postal service public
The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) is campaigning against the government's plan to part-privatise Royal Mail. As part of this campaign, the CWU welcomes Early Day Motion 428 opposing privatisation of Royal Mail which has 122 signatures and rising. Ask your MP to sign. Details of the CWU campaign here.
APPEAL: Trade unions raising funds to pay for expert advice on Future Shape
When Future Shape was first proposed, Barnet council accepted that the council trade unions would need expert advice to help them prepare their response. The council agreed to fund work by the unions’ chosen expert: Professor Dexter Whitfield. Now the council has decided that it doesn’t like the advice that Professor Whitfield has been giving the unions, and it has decided to cut the funding.
The unions have decided to raise the money themselves to pay for Professor Whitfield’s services, and have launched a fundraising drive. In contrast to the staggering £130,000 that the council paid PricewaterhouseCoopers for work on the Future Shape report, Professor Whitfield’s services in the next period will cost just £8,025. We have already had pledges for some of that money. If you have any fundraising ideas, please get in touch — we are organising a local band night, among other events.
Anyone wishing to make a donation please email FutureShape@barnettuc.org.uk for our postal address and/or bank details. Thank you.
 Future Shape - it IS pear-shaped!The administration in London Borough of Barnet is planning wholesale changes to the way services are delivered (in short, they would like to privatise a large proportion, with the council itself reduced to a so-called 'strategic hub' looking at 'big picture' issues such as obesity and climate change - or so the rhetoric goes!). They have embarked on discussions about this, called 'Future Shape'. The council unions are briefing and consulting members at a series of meetings.
Check Barnet Unison website www.barnetunison.me.uk for details of the council unions' response to 'Future Shape'.
To read about past events click here.
Read the latest Barnet trades council newsletter here.
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