Contacting the Branch

If you have any questions or need any support please contact the Branch Office

 contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

Or you can call 020 8359 2088, if we are unable to answer the telephone please leave a message speaking slowly and clearly please include your name, telephone number, membership number and a brief message about the assistance you require. We will respond as soon as we can.

Alternatively you can contact UNISON Direct Call Centre by telephone 

08000 857 857 Monday – Friday 6am – Midnight, Saturday 9am – 4pm

or make an online enquiry by clicking the following link

https://www.unison.org.uk/get-help/online-enquiries/

To Join UNISON click the following link 

https://join.unison.org.uk/

The Barnet Group: Change the Conversation on Pay!

So far workers in Barnet Homes on legacy LBB contracts have received the annual uplift in pay in line with NJC.

Those paid the London Living Wage had an increase in their wages from £11.95 – £13.85 (a 5.3% increase).

At the end of Summer this year all other TBG workers saw their pay increase by 3.2%.

This all falls far short of the pay claim UNISON submitted to The Barnet Group in March this year. We wanted to see:

  • Sick pay raised to Council standard
  • Shift allowances restored to Council standard
  • Pay rates for working weekends and bank holidays restored to Council standard

…amongst other demands (see here for full list Barnet Voice – The Barnet Group – Barnet UNISON)

We did not expect everything to be welcomed or agreed in one go but expected there to be a process of negotiation. It is worth noting that restoring sick pay to Council standards for everyone would cost an estimated £40,000 only!

The Barnet Group has told us they will not negotiate this year as they are awaiting the outcome of the review of the YCB contract. They also say they have no money.

However, whilst we recognise times are tight, we believe there are possibilities for achieving some progress on our demands by looking at other areas for savings. For example:

  • Senior pay transparency: Our members note large salaries at senior levels (TBG CEO: £218,643; Council CEO: £212,685; The Barnet Group Ltd Executive Officers cost £1, 093, 000/ year – from accounts to year end 2025).
  • Agency use: £7,879,000.

We do not believe a blanket “no” is the right response in these times of extreme difficulty for our members.

Look out for our pay survey coming to you shortly. We recommend you vote YES in our survey to indicate you are serious about achieving positive change in your working conditions.

Branch Meeting Tuesday 14th October

Barnet UNISON shares the horror and despair many of our members will be feeling following news of recent racist attacks:

  • the deadly antisemitic attack in Manchester;
  • the arson attacks on the Mosque in Sussex and the Britannia Hotel housing refugees (both of which took place with people present in the buildings);
  • a Summer of Hate directed against refugees with racists feeling emboldened to attack anyone who does not fit into the tight category of being a hetero white British Christian who is not disabled. Predominantly Muslims and Black people have been targeted;
  • the largest mobilisation ever seen in the UK of the Far Right which degenerated into a series of attacks on Black people and an attempted attack on St Thomas Hospital;

None of this is inevitable. If you are appalled by these events and want this all to stop, then please do come to Barnet UNISON’s meeting on Anti Racism and Stopping the Far Right.

Next Tuesday 14th October 6.30pm

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81332224493?pwd=qRwETOrnan8CgXWEB6cLr1TibozkrI.1

 

Meeting ID: 813 3222 4493

Passcode: 645821

 

PRESS RELEASE: Barnet UNISON: Cut duplicated LATC overheads now to protect frontline services

Barnet UNISON is calling on Barnet Council’s Labour administration to act on the Interim Auditor’s Annual Report (2024/25) and remove duplicated overheads across council-owned companies (LATCs) — starting an insourcing programme that delivers recurring savings without hitting frontline services or the lowest-paid staff.


To View External Auditors report click on link below.

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Appendix-A-Interim-Auditors-Annual-Report-2024-25-London-Borough-Barnet-1.pdf


The Auditor confirms Barnet’s acute position: reliance on ~£55m Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) to balance 2025/26 and a collapse in General Fund reserves from £74m (Apr-21) to roughly £17–20m, with liquidity now a key risk.

“The Council must deliver £24m in savings in 2025/26… even then a £55m budget deficit remains for which the Council has sought EFS… General Fund reserves reduced from £74m… and are now approximately £17–20m.” (Executive Summary / Financial Sustainability).

At the same time, the Auditor finds a significant weakness in governance over council companies and joint ventures and issues Key Recommendation 3 (KR3) — an urgent call to inventory all companies/JVs, review their purpose and suitability, put proper KPIs in place, govern loans, and remove conflicts of interest.

What duplication looks like in Barnet (from the Auditor’s report)

Running LATCs/JVs alongside the Council means two of everything:

  • Governance/Boards & Secretariat: separate boards/NEDs and basic company information not held centrally until mid-2025; gaps remain, including loans in excess of £400m not fully captured in central records.
  • Parallel assurance: Barnet Group runs its own Internal Audit while the Council also runs Internal Audit — two layers for the same council-funded services.
  • Procurement/contract pipelines: the Auditor identifies a significant weakness and issues KR4; multiple pipelines and inconsistent oversight undermine value for money.
  • Corporate enablers repeated across entities: HR/workforce, Finance/Treasury, Legal/Governance, Risk & Internal Control, IT/Oracle/process, Performance/Compliance, Complaints, Data Protection & FOI, Communications, Insurance, PMO/Strategy — with the report evidencing parallel effort and gaps that add coordination cost.

These overheads are avoidable in an in-house model and represent savings that don’t require closing services.

Our members are worried — there is a better way

Barnet UNISON members, including those working in LATCs, are fearful of job losses and cuts to resident services. The Auditor’s report shows a route to structural, recurring savings that should be prioritised ahead of frontline cuts:

  • Implement KR3: publish the complete list of companies/JVs; test each for continued suitability; set measurable KPIs; govern loans; document and remove conflicts.
  • Deliver KR4: create a single, effective Procurement Board; introduce live reporting of performance, variations, waivers, risks and KPIs to CMT and those charged with governance.
  • Consolidate duplicated corporate services back into the Council and insource targeted services to end board fees, duplicate audits and parallel management structures.

UNISON Barnet spokesperson:
“Councillors have inherited the damage of a decade of austerity. We recognise the scale of the challenge — but the first savings must come from removing duplicated LATC overheads, not cutting services like mental health support or Income Maximisation. Acting on the Auditor’s KR3 and KR4 gives us recurring savings, clearer accountability, and a credible route out of EFS without punishing residents or the lowest-paid.”

What savings look like (practical examples)

  • Board/NED and secretariat costs reduced as LATCs are rationalised and brought in-house.
  • Parallel audit/assurance: stop paying for two audit/control frameworks over the same services; align Barnet Group assurance with corporate Internal Audit.
  • Procurement churn: with KR4’s central oversight, end re-tender churn and unmanaged waivers, and realise larger, strategic savings (the Council estimates ~£14m from re-tendering in 2024/25 — showing the headroom when procurement is tightened).

Every pound saved from duplication is a pound that can protect frontline services and stabilise teams, rather than funding parallel bureaucracies.

Call to action

Barnet UNISON asks Labour councillors to:

  1. Adopt KR3 within 12 weeks — publish the company/JV inventory; set criteria to identify insourcing candidates; document and resolve conflicts.
  2. Implement KR4 now — establish the Procurement Board with real-time KPI/waiver reporting to CMT and GARMS.
  3. Create a single corporate support model — bring duplicated HR, Finance/Treasury, Legal/Governance, Risk, Internal Audit, IT/Oracle, Comms, DP/FOI, Insurance and PMO/Performance back into one accountable centre.
  4. Ring-fence savings from de-duplication to avoid frontline cuts and support services residents rely on.

UNISON Barnet spokesperson:
“We’re ready to work with councillors and officers — urgently — to map duplication, size the savings and sequence insourcing so services are stabilised, not disrupted. This is the fair, credible way to balance the books.”


Notes to editors

  • Document referenced: London Borough of Barnet — Interim Auditor’s Annual Report, Year ending 31 March 2025 (04 Sept 2025). Key extracts cited above: EFS/reserves (Financial Sustainability) ; governance of companies & KR3 (Governance) ; procurement weakness & KR4 (Improving Economy, Efficiency & Effectiveness) ; duplicated corporate functions & incomplete company information/loans >£400m (Governance) ; estimated ~£14m procurement savings from 2024/25 re-tendering (EEE) .
  • UNISON position: Our January 2025 submission called for a shared services/duplication review before any cuts to the lowest-paid — the Auditor’s KR3 reinforces this approach. (Link available on Barnet UNISON site.)

End.

 

 

Holiday Pay Update – UNISON Awaits Council Response

Barnet UNISON has formally requested a meeting with Barnet Council to begin negotiations over back pay for staff who were underpaid holiday pay on overtime.

We first raised this issue in July 2025, when we informed members that the law has been clear since 2014 (Bear Scotland v Fulton) — holiday pay must include regular overtime. Despite this, Barnet Council only started making correct payments from April 2025.

UNISON’s position remains that staff have been underpaid for years, and we are seeking a collective compensation payment for all affected workers.

Payroll and HR services were run by Capita when the legal duty first arose, and we believe Barnet Council should seek to recoup any costs from Capita, not deny staff what they are owed.

Management has told us they are “considering legal issues” and will arrange a meeting, but UNISON has been waiting since July for this response. Our members deserve answers, not delays.

If you regularly work overtime, this issue affects you.
👉 Email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk for updates and to make sure you are part of the campaign.

Holiday Pay Delayed is Holiday Pay Denied.
Barnet UNISON will continue to fight until staff are paid what they are owed.

End.

For immediate release Equal Pay Storm Builds in Barnet – Hundreds Join the Claim

Union says Barnet must follow other councils who’ve settled multimillion-pound Equal Pay cases

Barnet UNISON has confirmed that hundreds of council and school staff have already signed up to join its growing Equal Pay claim, as pressure mounts on the Council to follow the lead of other local authorities who have recently reached multi-million-pound settlements.

The branch reports an overwhelming response from members, with workers across the borough requesting UNISON visits to their schools, offices, and depots to sign up and protect their legal rights.

Recent settlements at Southampton City Council (£49.2 million) and Sheffield City Council (£36 million) have inspired Barnet staff to demand action on long-standing pay inequalities.

Branch Secretary of Barnet UNISON, said:
“The message from our members could not be clearer – if Southampton and Sheffield can settle, then so can Barnet.
Hundreds of mainly low-paid women have already joined this claim because they want fairness, respect, and justice. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, they shouldn’t have to fight to be paid equally for work of equal value.”

UNISON has announced weekly Equal Pay Surgeries every Tuesday in October at the Colindale UNISON Office, where members can get advice and complete their Equal Pay case forms.

The branch is calling on Barnet Council to work with the unions to reach a fair settlement and avoid a protracted legal battle.

UNISON added:
“Barnet workers have waited long enough. Our members are organised, determined, and ready to see this Equal Pay claim resolved.”

Notes to editors:

  • The Southampton settlement (July 2025) involved 800 staff and was valued at £49.2 million.
  • The Sheffield settlement (September 2025) involved 3,600 staff in 260 roles and was valued at £36 million.
  • Barnet UNISON represents staff employed by Barnet Council, The Barnet Group (TBG), and Barnet Education & Learning Service (BELS).

📅 Equal Pay Surgeries: Every Tuesday in October
📍 UNISON Office, Colindale
📧 contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

ENDS

UNISON Raises Alarm Over Plan to Record Workers and Residents All Day

Barnet UNISON has raised serious concerns about a new requirement for parking enforcement staff to wear body-worn cameras that are switched on for the entire duration of their shifts.

The change, reportedly requested by senior officers at Barnet Council and being implemented by private contractor APCOA, marks a significant departure from the current practice — where body cameras are only activated when a Penalty Charge Notice is issued.

John Burgess, Branch Secretary of Barnet UNISON, said:

“We are deeply concerned about the impact this could have on our members’ right to privacy at work — as well as on the rights of Barnet residents, including children and vulnerable people, who may be filmed without their knowledge or consent.

We believe this change is excessive and disproportionate, and we’ve asked for an urgent explanation from both APCOA and Barnet Council. We are still waiting for a response.”

UNISON recognises that body-worn cameras can play a role in supporting staff safety in certain situations. However, blanket surveillance throughout an entire shift risks creating a culture of mistrust and surveillance, without evidence that it improves outcomes.

The union has now launched a consultation with its members on the contract to seek their views on the change.

“We want to hear directly from the staff affected. We’ve launched a confidential survey asking if they support having the camera on all day — and if they’d be prepared to take further action if this policy is forced through without proper consultation,” said Burgess.

UNISON has called on both APCOA and Barnet Council to pause implementation of the policy until full consultation has taken place and the privacy and data protection implications have been properly addressed.

  

Notes to editors:

  • UNISON is the recognised trade union for parking enforcement officers in Barnet.
  • TUPE consultation is legally required when contracts are transferred between employers.
  • The proposed change in camera usage was raised less than four weeks before the planned contract handover on 1 November 2025.

 

End.

Barnet UNISON Statement on Staff Parking Charges

Barnet UNISON Statement on Staff Parking Charges

Barnet UNISON is very disappointed with the council’s decision to reintroduce parking charges for staff from 1 October.

We know that many of our members rely on their car to carry out their jobs – especially those visiting schools, residents and multiple sites in the borough. Introducing additional charges at a time when staff are already struggling with the cost of living crisis will only add to the financial pressure on our workforce.

While the council has acknowledged that the majority of staff who responded to the consultation opposed these proposals, they have nonetheless decided to press ahead. This raises serious questions about how much weight was given to staff feedback during the process.

We are particularly concerned about:

  • The impact of these charges on lower-paid staff.
  • The fairness of expecting staff to cover the costs of council lease arrangements while no subsidy is provided for other forms of travel.
  • The practical consequences for staff whose roles require frequent travel during the working day.
  • The effect these additional costs will have on morale, recruitment and retention.

Barnet UNISON will continue to make these concerns known directly to the Chief Executive and the Leader of the Council. To strengthen our case, we need to hear from you.

👉 Please email us your views on this decision to contactus@barnetunison.org.uk . Let us know what it will mean for you personally – whether in terms of your ability to carry out your role, your finances, or your wellbeing. We will ensure that members’ experiences are shared with senior management and elected councillors.

Your feedback is crucial. The more voices we have, the stronger we can be in challenging the impact of these charges on staff.

In solidarity,
Barnet UNISON

Barnet UNISON urges Council to pause welfare cut — Labour councillors and Barnet’s four Labour MPs asked to intervene

Barnet UNISON has today written to all Labour councillors and the four Labour MPs for Barnet constituencies, calling on them to stop a proposed cut to the Council’s Welfare Team during the height of the cost-of-living crisis.

The Council has opened a 30-day consultation (9 September–8 October 2025) to delete one full-time (36 hours) Income Maximisation Officer (Grade G) — a low-paid, high-impact frontline role that helps residents access benefits and emergency support, manage debt, and keep up with Council Tax.

Barnet UNISON Branch Secretary John Burgess said:

“This is a small saving with a huge human cost. Cutting frontline welfare capacity in the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades means longer waits, fewer successful benefit claims and more arrears. We’re asking councillors and MPs to back a pause and protect residents.”

What UNISON is asking for

  1. Pause the restructure and any redundancy selection until after autumn national announcements on crisis-support funding/administration, so Barnet can align staffing to the confirmed model.
  2. Fix the Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) — complete and accurate data on staff and service users, with concrete mitigations, before any decision.
  3. Transparency and fairness in any selection process: publish the scoring matrix; ensure fair treatment for part-time staff; allow union observation.
  4. A workload & service-risk assessment (phones, casework, outreach) showing how residents’ needs will be met if capacity is cut.
  5. Redeployment first: priority placement and retraining into suitable roles; freeze external recruitment to relevant posts until at-risk staff are placed.
  6. Alternatives to redundancy: temporary bridging (including available admin funding), voluntary hours reductions, and reductions in agency/consultancy spend to preserve this low-cost post.

Why this matters

Income Maximisation Officers:

  • support residents to secure welfare entitlements, Discretionary Housing Payments, Council Tax Support/Discretionary Relief, Resident Support Fund, and related help;
  • provide debt and budgeting advice, complete complex forms, and carry out home visits for vulnerable residents;
  • help residents manage and pay Council Tax, preventing arrears and homelessness and reducing knock-on costs across services.

Management has acknowledged that additional posts were made permanent despite insecure funding in 2023. Proceeding now would reduce outreach to “ad-hoc” only and risks deleting experienced capacity just as national crisis-support arrangements are being redesigned.

John Burgess added:

“Our ask is simple: pause, fix the EqIA, and work with us on non-redundancy options. Protecting one Grade G post protects thousands of Barnet residents from falling through the cracks.”


Notes to Editors

  • Consultation window: 9 September–8 October 2025.
  • Proposal: delete 1.0 FTE (36 hours) Income Maximisation Officer (Grade G) in the Welfare Team.
  • Decision route: Chief Officer delegated powers following consultation.
  • Service impact: reduced capacity for benefits access, emergency support, Council Tax help, and outreach to the most deprived neighbourhoods.
  • UNISON has formally raised concerns that the EqIA is incomplete/inaccurate and lacks practical mitigations.

 

Holiday Pay and Overtime – UNISON requests meeting over pay.

Barnet UNISON has now formally requested a negotiation meeting with Barnet Council to resolve the issue of staff being underpaid holiday pay on overtime.

The Basis of the Claim

Since 2014, case law (Bear Scotland v Fulton) has made clear that holiday pay must reflect normal remuneration, including regular overtime. This was confirmed again in Flowers v East of England Ambulance Trust (2019) and written into law through the Employment Rights (Amendment, Revocation and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2023, which came fully into effect in April 2025.

Barnet Council only started paying holiday pay that included overtime from April 2025. That means staff who regularly worked overtime before then were underpaid for years.

How Far Back Does This Go?

Although legal claims in the Employment Tribunal are time-limited, the right itself has existed since 2014. UNISON’s position is that this must be recognised in negotiations. Staff have lost out for over a decade — and justice demands a fair settlement.

Capita’s Role

From October 2013, payroll and HR services were outsourced to Capita. It was their responsibility to ensure payroll complied with the law following the Bear Scotland judgment in 2014. Barnet Council, as the employer, must put this right for staff — and if Capita failed in its duties, the Council should recoup the costs from them, not deny staff their pay.

Our Demands

  • A collective compensation payment for staff who regularly worked overtime but did not receive correct holiday pay before April 2025.
  • Full transparency: a list of all job roles across Barnet Council where staff have worked regular overtime.
  • Future guarantees that holiday pay will always include overtime, in line with the law.

Next Steps for Staff

If you are an LBB employee and have regularly worked overtime, this affects you.

Please email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk for more information and to ensure you are included in our campaign.

Together we can make Barnet Council pay staff what they are owed.

In solidarity,

Barnet UNISON.

End.

PRESS RELEASE: Barnet UNISON: We Will Not Be Silenced by Facility Time Cuts

On 1 August 2025, Barnet Council went ahead with a 33% cut to Barnet UNISON’s facility time.

This is an attack on our ability to support, defend, and organise our members. It is a political choice that takes us back to Tory-era cuts, at precisely the moment when staff are under the most pressure.

What the cut means for members

Facility time is what allows us to:

  • Represent members being bullied, harassed or disrespected at work
  • Defend those facing disciplinary investigations and dismissal
  • Support members who are not being paid properly
  • Take on cases of discrimination and racism
  • Challenge unsafe workloads, stress and health & safety risks

With a 33% cut, our ability to respond will be slowed down. Members may wait longer for casework support. Some of the key meetings and consultations we should be present in will be harder to attend.

But let’s be crystal clear: this cut will not gag Barnet UNISON. We will continue to speak out and fight back against the appalling issues our members face every single day.

The wider context

This cut comes when:

The Council has just come through a financial crisis so severe it applied for Exceptional Financial Support (EFS).

Consultants such as PeopleToo are embedded in the Council, planning further restructures and potential redundancies.

UNISON has confirmed a major Equal Pay case, which we are pursuing to protect the rights and pay of our lowest-paid workers.

Our branch is leading campaigns to defend frontline services, stop unsafe workloads, resist outsourcing, and protect the rights of disabled staff.

In other words, the demand on UNISON is growing—yet the Council has chosen to reduce the time we have to represent staff.

Our response

We are not naïve. We know the impact of this cut will be felt in longer waits, heavier workloads for our reps, and an increase in pressure. But this branch has been here before. We survived outsourcing, mass redundancies, austerity, and Tory attacks—and we are still here, still fighting.

  • This cut will not break us.
  • This cut will not silence us.
  • This cut will not stop Barnet UNISON organising.

A call for solidarity

We are calling on:

  • Our members: Stand with your branch. Show your support. Step up as reps or contacts in your teams. Together, we are stronger.
  • The wider trade union movement: Send messages of solidarity and amplify our campaign. Cuts to facility time anywhere are an attack on union rights everywhere.
  • Labour councillors, MPs, and activists: Show that Labour values mean standing with unions, not undermining them.

📩 Send solidarity to: contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

We’ve been here before – and we always have your backs

Barnet UNISON has faced attacks before, and every time we have come through stronger—because we never forget why we are here.

  • We are here to protect our members.
  • We are here to organise in every workplace.
  • We are here to speak truth to power.

No cut, no Council, no employer will ever take that away from us.

We will always have the backs of our members.

In solidarity,

Barnet UNISON

 

 

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