Solidarity – Barnet UNISON

School Meals Workers — UNISON Needs to Hear From You

8th June 2026 admin Anti - Racism, Austerity, Consultation, Insourcing, Local, London Living Wage, News, Schools, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

June 2026

If you work for ISS Catering in a Barnet school, please read this.

The council’s contract with ISS is coming to an end in March 2027. That does not necessarily mean your job ends — it may mean a change of employer, or it may mean staying with ISS under a new arrangement — but there will be changes, and UNISON needs to be on top of this from the start to protect your rights.

I have already been into meetings with Barnet Council management about what this means for catering staff and I will be going back in. I am pushing hard on the things that matter most — your pay, your London Living Wage, your pension, and making sure any transfer is handled properly and fairly. I am also making the case directly to the council and to elected councillors that bringing this service back in-house — so that you become council employees again — is the right thing to do. That fight is ongoing.

But I need to hear from you.

Our membership records are not always up to date, and things may have changed since many of you moved from the council to ISS back in 2016. I cannot represent you properly without knowing your current situation.

Please get in touch and let me know:

What job you are currently doing and which school you are based at
Whether your terms and conditions have changed since you moved to ISS — for example your pay, your hours, your holiday entitlement
Whether you are still in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or whether your pension arrangements have changed
Whether your contact details or home address have changed
Whether you have any concerns or issues you want me to know about

Everything you tell me is treated in confidence. It comes to me directly and stays with me — I am not passing anything to ISS or to the council.

I know many of you will have questions I cannot fully answer yet. Things are still being worked out and I would rather be honest with you than give you information that turns out to be wrong. What I can tell you is that UNISON is in the room, I am attending every meeting, and your rights under TUPE mean your core terms and conditions are legally protected through any transfer.

Even if you have no concerns right now, please still get in touch with your current role and contact details. Every reply strengthens our position.

Contact Barnet UNISON directly: 📧 contactus@barnetunison.org.uk 📞 020 8359 2088

Not yet a UNISON member?

If a colleague has shared this with you and you are not yet in UNISON, now is exactly the right time to join. You can sign up at unison.org.uk/join or contact John directly and he will help you join over the phone.

End.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | June 2026 BARNET UNISON’S EQUAL PAY FIGHT: WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY

8th June 2026 admin Anti - Racism, Austerity, Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Cost of Living Crisis, Equal Pay, Housing, Local, National, Schools, Solidarity, TBG Flex, UNISON Campaign, Your Choice Barnet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | June 2026

BARNET UNISON’S EQUAL PAY FIGHT: WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY

Hundreds of Barnet women workers are owed years of back pay. UNISON is fighting for every one of them and the bill for Barnet Council is growing every single day.

On 29 May 2026, Barnet UNISON took its equal pay claim to the Employment Tribunal. UNISON’s solicitors made the case for hundreds of women workers — school staff, care workers, early years workers, administrators and support staff — who have for years been paid less than their male counterparts in the council’s waste and recycling service.

Here is what we know. Male workers in the waste and recycling service are paid for a full working day but are allowed to go home when their rounds are done, sometimes by mid-morning. Women doing work of equal value have no such benefit. They work every contracted hour every day. That is not fair. That is unequal and illegal. And UNISON is determined to put it right.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE TRIBUNAL

Our barrister succeeded in getting UNISON’s case heard, despite attempts by Barnet Council to block our submissions. Worryingly, the GMB union supported the Council’s position on this matter. UNISON was fighting for women workers in that courtroom, making the case to get our members’ voices heard.

The judge has set a preliminary hearing for 9 September 2026 to consider UNISON’s application to have the procedural block on our claim removed.

That hearing is the next critical moment. We will be ready.

Separately, the tribunal confirmed that UNISON’s claims against The Barnet Group and Barnet Education and Learning Skills — the council’s own companies, employing many of our members — are not subject to any block and are being progressed. Those claims move forward now.

OUR CLAIM IS STRONG AND GROWING

Barnet UNISON’s case is not built on speculation. It is built on evidence — evidence that has been gathered carefully, systematically, and with the support of experienced legal specialists in equal pay law.

Here is what we know about the situation at Barnet:

Waste and recycling workers are regularly finishing their rounds hours before their contracted day ends and going home, paid in full.

Women working in schools, care, early years, social services and admin must complete every contracted hour. There is no equivalent benefit for them.
The council knows this practice exists. Rather than negotiating an end to this practice as other Councils have done, they are refusing to sit and meet with UNISON.
Other councils — including Southampton, Birmingham and Glasgow — have already settled equal pay claims on the same basis, paying out millions of pounds to women workers.
The longer Barnet Council refuses to come to the table, the bigger the bill becomes. Every single month of delay adds to the compensation owed.

“This claim is about basic fairness. Women working for Barnet Council and its companies have been short-changed for years while the council looked the other way. We have the evidence, we have the legal backing, and we have the determination to see this through. Barnet Council cannot run from this. The question is not whether they will have to pay — it is how much.”

Helen Davies, Branch Chair, Barnet UNISON and UNISON London Regional SGE Representative

A WORD ABOUT THE GMB

At the 29 May hearing, the GMB union joined with Barnet Council in resisting UNISON’s submissions.

UNISON is not interested in inter-union politics. We are interested in equality and fairness for our members. We have reached out to GMB to approach the legal process collectively. We want to work with them. But we will not let another union block our members’ access to justice.

UNISON will continue to fight for every member who has signed up to this claim, and we will fight for the right of every eligible worker to join it.

EVERY MONTH OF DELAY COSTS BARNET COUNCIL MORE

Barnet Council’s legal strategy appears to be delay procedural hearings; blocking applications; running down the clock. What they do not seem to understand, or perhaps do not care about, is that delay does not reduce their liability; it increases it.

Equal pay back pay accrues from the date a claim is lodged. UNISON’s claims were lodged in November and December 2025. That clock is running. Every month the council refuses to negotiate, every month they hide behind procedural manoeuvres, the total compensation bill grows. By the time this case reaches settlement or judgment, Barnet Council will be paying for every single month they delayed.

That cost is ultimately borne by Barnet taxpayers. UNISON is not responsible for that. The council is.

THIS IS YOUR CLAIM. YOUR TIME IS NOW.

UNISON has lodged claims on behalf of our members. But the strength of this campaign depends on numbers and numbers depend on you.

Every eligible UNISON member who completes a case form adds to the pressure on Barnet Council to stop stalling and sit down at the negotiating table. A large, organised, well-evidenced claim is harder to ignore and harder to fight than a small one. Barnet Council is already watching these numbers. Help us make them impossible to ignore.

Here is what you must understand about timing: your back pay runs from the date you join the claim, not from the date UNISON first raised the issue. Every month you wait is a month of potential compensation you may never recover. Do not assume someone else has done it for you. Do not assume you will be included automatically.

COMPLETE YOUR CASE FORM TODAY

Contact Barnet UNISON at contactus@barnetunison.org.uk to get your case form. Fill it in. Return it. Do it now.

If you are a UNISON member working for the London Borough of Barnet, The Barnet Group or Barnet Education and Learning Skills, and you believe you may have been affected by unequal pay, you may be eligible to join this claim. Speak to your UNISON rep or contact the branch directly.

UNISON STANDS FULLY BEHIND YOU

UNISON knows what the cost-of-living crisis means for our members. We see it every day. Workers who give everything to their jobs — caring for children, supporting families, keeping this borough running — are struggling to pay their bills, heat their homes and put food on the table. Many of Barnet UNISON’s members are among the lowest paid workers in the borough. They cannot afford to wait years for justice that should have been delivered years ago.

That is why this claim matters beyond its legal significance. The back pay owed to these workers is not a windfall. It is money they earned and were denied. It is money that would make a real difference to real lives, right now, when it is needed most.

“Barnet UNISON’s equal pay claim is exactly the kind of fight that UNISON exists to lead. These are women who have worked hard, served their community, and been systematically short-changed. UNISON’s London region stands fully behind Barnet branch and every member in this claim. We will not rest until justice is delivered.”

Sara Gorton Regional Secretary UNISON Greater London Region

“Equal pay is not a negotiating position. It is a legal right. The women of Barnet have waited long enough. UNISON is unequivocally, unconditionally and completely behind Barnet UNISON’s members and their branch in this fight. Barnet Council must stop hiding behind legal delays and do the right thing: come to the table, negotiate a fair settlement, and end this inequality now.”

Andrea Egan, UNISON General Secretary

ENDS

For further information contact Barnet UNISON Branch: contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

Barnet UNISON is the UNISON branch for workers employed by the London Borough of Barnet, The Barnet Group and Barnet Education and Learning Skills.
Equal pay claims are brought under the Equality Act 2010. Back pay in Employment Tribunal equal pay claims in England and Wales runs for up to six years from the date the claim is lodged.
UNISON’s equal pay claims were lodged with the Employment Tribunal in November and December 2025.
A preliminary hearing is listed for 9 September 2026 to consider UNISON’s application to lift the procedural stay on claims against the London Borough of Barnet.
Claims against The Barnet Group and Barnet Education and Learning Skills are not subject to the stay and are being actively progressed.
Comparable equal pay settlements involving task and finish in waste and recycling services have been reached at Southampton City Council (July 2025), Birmingham City Council (2024–25) and Glasgow City Council (2022).

CAPITA CONTRACT ENDING — WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

5th June 2026 admin Austerity, Insourcing, Local, News, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

CAPITA CONTRACT ENDING — WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

I want to let you know that the Capita contract with the London Borough of Barnet is coming to an end. New providers will be taking over a range of services from 1 October 2026.

I am currently in discussions with LBB management about what this means in practice — for services, for staffing, and for you as UNISON members. I will update you as things become clearer, but I didn’t want to wait until everything was finalised before making contact.

WHAT IS TUPE AND DOES IT APPLY TO ME?

The process that will apply to most of you is called TUPE — Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment Regulations). In plain terms, this is the legal framework that is supposed to protect your job and your terms and conditions when a service changes hands. I will be involved in that process on your behalf.

But I can only do that job properly if I know who you are, what you’re doing, and what your current situation is.

I NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU DIRECTLY

Here’s the problem — our records may not be up to date. Some of you will have changed roles, moved to a different service area, or had changes to your terms and conditions since you left LBB. We may not have your current contact details.

If I’m going into bat for members in a TUPE process, I need accurate information, not outdated records.

Please email me directly at contactus@barnetunison.org.uk and let me know:

What is your current job title?
• Which service area are you working in (e.g. Customer Services, Revenues and Benefits, IT, Payroll)?
• Have your terms and conditions changed since you were with LBB — pay, leave, sick pay, anything?
• Are you still in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)?
• Have you moved address, or have your personal contact details changed?
• Do you have any concerns or issues you want to flag to me now?

Please don’t assume someone else will pick this up. I need to hear from you individually.

IF YOU ARE WORRIED — CONTACT ME NOW

If there are things already worrying you — about your job, your pension, what happens next — tell me now. This is exactly the time to raise it, not after transfer letters have landed.

I will be in touch again as things develop. In the meantime, my door is open.

You can contact me at: Email: contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

In solidarity,

John
Branch Secretary, Barnet UNISON

CLIVE LEWIS MP BACKS BARNET’S CLEANERS IN FIGHT AGAINST NORFOLK-OWNED CONTRACTOR

4th June 2026 admin Anti - Racism, Austerity, Insourcing, Local, London Living Wage, News, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

Norwich South MP writes to Norfolk County Council demanding action over Norse Group’s 12-day pay lag

Barnet UNISON has welcomed the intervention of Clive Lewis MP, Member of Parliament for Norwich South, who has written to Norfolk County Council demanding it use its ownership powers to force Norse Group to pay its lowest-paid workers on time.

Read letter to Leader of Norfolk Council RE Norse Group Clive Lewis MP

https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/26-06-04-Letter-to-Leader-of-Norfolk-Council-RE-Norse-Group-Clive-Lewis-MP.pdf

Norse Group — the largest Local Authority Trading Company in the country, wholly owned by Norfolk County Council — operates the cleaning contract for the London Borough of Barnet. The company imposes a pay arrangement that forces cleaners to wait 12 days after completing every four-week working period before receiving their wages. Norse’s own pay schedule confirms the 12-day gap applies to every single pay period throughout the year without exception.

These are London Living Wage workers in one of the most expensive cities in the world. At any given moment, Norse holds approximately six weeks’ worth of earned wages belonging to its lowest-paid staff.

Clive Lewis MP wrote to the Leader of Norfolk County Council stating:

“The lowest-paid workers on the contract are subsidising Norse’s payroll operation with 12 days of their earned wages per period. That is not an ethical business model, and it is not consistent with the values that a publicly owned company ought to embody.”

His letter directly challenges Norse’s claim that the arrangement is required for HMRC compliance, calling it a commercial and administrative choice rather than a legal requirement, and rejects the company’s suggestion that workers should take credit union loans to bridge the gap as “an indictment of the arrangement.”

Helen Davies, Branch Chair of Barnet UNISON & UNISON SGE rep for London Region, said:

“We are grateful to Clive Lewis for acting quickly and decisively. He has gone straight to the heart of the matter — Norse is owned by Norfolk County Council, and the Council cannot wash its hands of responsibility for how this company treats its workers. Norfolk created Norse, Norfolk owns Norse, and Norfolk receives an annual dividend from Norse. The workers making that dividend possible deserve to be paid on time.

“We now call on Norfolk County Council to respond without delay and direct Norse to change this arrangement — not just for our members in Barnet, but for all 1,725 Norse employees across the country subject to the same pay lag.”

Barnet UNISON has also written to all 31 Barnet Labour Councillors, the four Barnet Labour MPs, and Green Councillor Charli Thompson calling for urgent intervention and a commitment to bring the cleaning contract back in-house when it expires in 2027.

The Barnet UNISON petition calling on Norse to pay workers on time and for the cleaning service to be insourced in 2027 remains open.

✅ Sign the petition: https://www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/pay-barnet-s-cleaners-on-time-and-bring-cleaning-back-in-house?source=rawlink&utm_source=rawlink&share=67ca7052-c387-43a8-bd8f-201c05771705

ENDS

For media enquiries contact: Barnet UNISON contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

BARNET’S CLEANERS FORCED TO WAIT 12 DAYS FOR WAGES THEY HAVE ALREADY EARNED

20th May 2026 admin Austerity, Insourcing, News, Solidarity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

BARNET’S CLEANERS FORCED TO WAIT 12 DAYS FOR WAGES THEY HAVE ALREADY EARNED

Barnet UNISON demands action from councillors and MPs as Norse Group — a Local Authority Trading Company owned by Norfolk County Council

Barnet UNISON, representing workers across the London Borough of Barnet, is calling on Labour councillors and MPs to urgently intervene after Norse Group imposed a pay arrangement that forces cleaners to wait 12 days after completing four weeks of work before receiving their wages.

Norse Group, owned by Norfolk County Council, was awarded the contract to clean Barnet Council’s buildings. The company’s own 2025/2026 pay schedule — obtained by Barnet UNISON — confirms, without a single exception across all 17 pay periods, a uniform 12-day gap between the end of every working period and every payday. By the time a cleaner is paid, they are already nearly a fortnight into their next four-week working period.

These are London Living Wage workers in one of the most expensive cities in the world. At any given moment, Norse is holding approximately six weeks’ worth of earned wages that belong to our members.

Helen Davies, Branch Chair of Barnet UNISON, said:

“These cleaners get up before dawn to clean the Council’s own buildings. They work four weeks. Then they have to wait another 12 days for money that is rightfully theirs. In the meantime, they cannot pay their rent, their travel costs, their energy bills. They are being forced into overdrafts and debt to cover basic living costs while Norse sits on their wages.

“Norse told us this is about payroll compliance. That is not credible. The reality is that these workers — the lowest paid in public services — are being made to finance Norse’s payroll processing. Their solution was to offer our members a loan. We rejected that with contempt. You should not have to take a loan to access wages you have already earned.

“This is happening under a contract commissioned by Barnet Council. Labour councillors and Labour MPs have the power to act. After last week’s elections and the Prime Minister’s own words about fighting for working people who have been let down, we expect them to use it.”

The detriment to workers is concrete and serious:

Workers on the London Living Wage cannot meet rent, bills, and travel costs on the dates they fall due because 12 days of earned wages are withheld
Workers on Universal Credit face assessment period distortions caused by the irregular pay timing, causing fluctuating UC awards they depend upon
Workers are pushed into overdraft and high-cost credit to cover living costs in the gap between earning and receiving their wages
Norse’s proposal that new starters take credit union loans was firmly rejected by UNISON — workers should not go into debt to access money they have earned

Norse’s justification does not stand up. The company has argued that its payroll arrangement is required for compliance with HMRC’s National Minimum Wage framework. Barnet UNISON rejects this entirely. The NMW classification of “time work” determines how minimum wage compliance is calculated — it says nothing about how many days after a period ends an employer may delay payment. Thousands of hourly-paid workers across the public and private sectors are paid within five days of a period’s end. A 12-day lag is a commercial choice, not a legal requirement.

Barnet UNISON is calling for:

Labour councillors and MPs to write formally to Norse Group demanding the pay lag be reduced to a maximum of five working days from period end
Barnet Council to review whether the Norse contract complies with its obligations under the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
A commitment from Barnet’s Labour administration that when the Norse contract expires in 2027, the cleaning service will be brought back in-house, with workers employed directly by the Council on proper terms and conditions
Public support from Labour councillors and MPs for the Barnet UNISON petition, which is being formally launched this week

Background:

Norse Group is the largest Local Authority Trading Company in the country, generating profit for its shareholder, Norfolk County Council, through service contracts with other councils. Barnet UNISON has held two formal meetings with Norse management. On both occasions the company refused to change the pay arrangement. Barnet UNISON has also written previously to the Leader of Barnet Council and to all Labour councillors, without the response this situation demands.

The Prime Minister, in his speech to Labour members on 11 May 2026, acknowledged that “for working people, tired of a status quo that has failed them, change cannot come quickly enough.” For Barnet’s cleaners, change means being paid promptly for work they have done. That is not an unreasonable demand.

ENDS

For media enquiries contact: contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

Notes to Editors:

Norse Group is a Local Authority Trading Company wholly owned by Norfolk County Council, operating across the country through contracts with local authorities
The Norse Group 2025/2026 pay schedule, obtained by Barnet UNISON, shows a consistent 12-day gap between period end and payday across all 17 pay periods in the schedule
The current Norse cleaning contract with the London Borough of Barnet is due to expire in 2027
Barnet UNISON represents over 3,000 members working across Barnet Council, schools, FE colleges, depots, care services, and contracted services
The London Living Wage is set annually by the Living Wage Foundation and is higher than the statutory National Living Wage

Barnet UNISON condemns “back door privatisation” of Passenger Escort service and escalates dispute to meeting with Chief Executive

20th May 2026 admin Austerity, Insourcing, Local, News, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Barnet UNISON condemns “back door privatisation” of Passenger Escort service and escalates dispute to meeting with Chief Executive

Barnet UNISON has escalated its concerns about the future of Passenger Escorts at Barnet Council after formally registering a failure to agree with management.

The union says the Council has been cutting directly employed Passenger Assistant posts and using external provision instead, without proper transparency or meaningful consultation with UNISON.

Management have confirmed that vacancies were not being refilled and that part of the service requirement was being met through externally commissioned Passenger Assistants. Barnet UNISON says this amounts to back door privatisation of a vital frontline service supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

The union has now referred the matter to the Joint Negotiation and Consultation Group, where it will be raised with the Chief Executive.

A Barnet UNISON spokesperson said:

“We have had enough outsourcing in Barnet. We are opposed to back door privatisation and we do not accept low-paid women being made to carry the burden of yet more austerity and hardship.

This is happening in the middle of the worst cost of living crisis in a lifetime, in one of the most expensive cities in the world. It is wrong.

Passenger Escorts do difficult, responsible and essential work supporting children with special needs. They deserve decent pay, decent terms and conditions, access to a pension, proper training, proper management support and the security of direct employment by the Council.

Barnet UNISON has formally escalated this matter to a meeting with the Chief Executive because council jobs should stay council jobs. We will not stand by while low-paid frontline services are hollowed out by stealth.”

Barnet UNISON is calling on Barnet Council to:

provide a full and accurate breakdown of the current Passenger Assistant workforce across the service, including how many are directly employed by LBB, how many are agency, and how many are employed by contractors or commissioned providers
stop any further erosion of directly employed Passenger Assistant posts
begin recruiting Passenger Escorts directly to Barnet Council posts rather than relying on agency or external arrangements
return Passenger Escorts to direct management under the Passenger Transport Service
ensure Passenger Escorts have decent pay, decent terms and conditions, pension access, proper training and proper support to carry out this essential role

Barnet UNISON says the issue is not just about staffing numbers. It is about fairness, accountability and the future of public services in Barnet.

Ends

For media enquiries contact: contactus@barnetunison.org.uk

Barnet UNISON response: working people must come first

13th May 2026 admin National, News, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

UNISON General Secretary Andrea Egan has issued a clear message: working people cannot be treated as an afterthought.

For Barnet UNISON members, this speaks directly to what we are seeing every day in our workplaces. Our members are dealing with the cost-of-living crisis, rising rents, food bills, debt, stress, unsafe staffing levels and services under pressure. Too many workers delivering public services are still low paid, outsourced, denied decent pensions and left on inferior terms and conditions.

That has to change.

Andrea’s message is important because it says clearly that politics must return to its basic purpose: improving the lives of working people. That means proper pay restoration for public service workers. It means investment in councils, schools, care, housing, cleaning, transport, social work and all the services our communities rely on. It means ending the failed model of outsourcing, where public money is siphoned away from services while workers are left on poorer pay, poorer pensions and poorer conditions.

In Barnet, we know exactly what outsourcing has meant. It has meant low-paid workers being pushed to the margins. It has meant cleaners, care workers, housing workers, parking workers, security staff, catering workers and others being treated differently from directly employed staff, even though they are delivering public services for our community.

Barnet UNISON’s position is simple: public services should be delivered by properly paid, properly supported, directly employed public service workers.

We welcome Andrea Egan’s call for radical change because our members cannot wait. The cost-of-living crisis is not an abstract political debate. It is the daily reality of workers choosing between bills, food, travel and supporting their families. It is the stress members bring into work every day. It is the reason we are campaigning on pay, pensions, equal pay, holiday pay, insourcing and better terms and conditions.

Barnet UNISON will continue to organise, campaign and speak up for our members. We will not be silent when low-paid workers are struggling. We will not accept outsourcing as normal. We will not accept public services being run down while workers are told to do more with less.

The message from our General Secretary is clear: working people must come first.

That is our message too.

Barnet UNISON will keep fighting for:

fair pay and pay restoration
equal pay for low-paid women workers
insourcing of outsourced services
decent pensions for all public service workers
proper staffing levels
safe workplaces
dignity and respect at work
public services run for people, not profit

Our members built these services. Our members keep them running. Our members deserve better.

Barnet UNISON will continue to put working people first.

End.

Background:

Opinion: I want Labour to succeed, but that means radical change

TBG rejects UNISON cost-of-living claims for housing and care workers

25th March 2026 admin Anti - Racism, Austerity, Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Housing, Insourcing, Local, News, Pensions, Solidarity, TBG Flex, UNISON Campaign, Your Choice Barnet

Employer admits financial pressure — but refuses pay, terms and LGPS improvements for Barnet Homes and Your Choice Barnet staff.

Barnet UNISON has received The Barnet Group’s formal response to our pay, terms and pension claims for workers in Barnet Homes (housing services) and Your Choice Barnet (adult social care). The headline is clear: TBG has rejected the claims.

These are frontline workers keeping essential services running in one of the most expensive cities in the world — supporting vulnerable adults, dealing with housing pressures, and carrying rising workloads. UNISON submitted the claims because members are being squeezed hard by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and years of pay falling behind real living costs.

Key points from TBG’s response

TBG says Your Choice Barnet is forecasting a £824k loss this year and will have negative retained earnings rising to £2.048m.
TBG says Barnet Homes’ management fee will be cut by £2.763m (6%) from April 2026, and argues this limits what it can agree.
TBG has costed the key parts of the union claim and still concludes it is “not able to agree”.
Their own figures show a £15/hour minimum for Barnet Homes would cost £14,150 and affect 27 staff — yet they still refuse the claim overall.

Helen Davies, Barnet UNISON Branch Chair and UNISON SGE rep, said:

“Our members are not numbers on a spreadsheet. They are the housing workers and care staff holding services together every day. TBG’s response is basically ‘we can’t’ — while staff are being asked to cope with rising prices and worsening pressure at work. That’s not good enough. If these services matter, the workforce has to be treated with basic fairness: decent pay, decent terms, and a proper pension.”

What happens next

Barnet UNISON will now consult members on the employer’s response and the next steps in our campaign.

Read TBG full response here: https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026.03.24-TBG-response-to-Barnet-UNISON-Cost-of-Living-Crisis-claims.pdf

End.

Update on Pay Negotiations with TBG

26th February 2026 admin Austerity, Barnet Group, Barnet Homes, Cost of Living Crisis, Housing, Local, News, Pensions, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

Barnet UNISON recently met with senior representatives from The Barnet Group (TBG) to discuss our 2024/25 pay and terms & conditions claim covering members in YCB and Barnet Homes.

At the meeting, TBG outlined what they describe as significant financial pressures across both organisations. They highlighted:

Very small projected operating surpluses for the coming year
Accumulated losses within YCB
Ongoing pressures linked to council funding and the Housing Revenue Account
Market challenges within residential care, including difficulties cross-subsidising council placements

They also referenced a recent external benchmarking review of extra care services, which they say shows TBG offering comparatively generous terms and conditions relative to parts of the wider care market.

UNISON’s Position

We made clear that our claim reflects the reality members are living through:

The cost of living crisis continues to hit housing and care workers hard.
Pay compression over many years has left many members feeling worse off in real terms.
In care services in particular, financial strain is severe, with some members telling us they are struggling to meet basic costs.

We emphasised that Barnet Homes and YCB do not function without their workforce. Any discussion about sustainability must include fair and sustainable pay for staff.

We also made clear that TBG is not bound by national NJC negotiations. That is why we have formally submitted our full claim locally and expect meaningful negotiation on all elements.

What Happens Next

TBG has committed to providing full costings for the outstanding elements of our claim, including pension implications. We expect that information before 24 March.

Once negotiations are exhausted, members will be consulted on the employer’s response. That would be a consultative ballot — not a strike ballot — allowing members to decide whether the offer is acceptable or whether further action is required.

This is a challenging negotiation. We recognise the financial arguments being made by the employer — but we also recognise the very real financial pressures our members are facing.

We will continue to press your case firmly and constructively.

Further updates will follow once we receive TBG’s full response.

End.

End of an Era: Barnet UNISON Calls for Revenues & Benefits to Be Brought Back In-House as Capita Era Closes

23rd February 2026 admin Austerity, Insourcing, Local, National, News, Solidarity, UNISON Campaign

Barnet UNISON has today called on Barnet Council’s Cabinet Committee to seize what it describes as a “historic moment” for the borough by bringing the Revenues & Benefits service back under direct council control.

After 13 years of Capita delivering major council services under the previous Conservative administration’s One Barnet outsourcing programme, the remaining contracts are now approaching expiry in September 2026.

“This is the end of an era in Barnet,” said John Burgess, Branch Secretary of Barnet UNISON.
“For 13 years the Council has relied on a mass outsourcing model. It has been controversial, heavily scrutinised and widely debated. Now Members have the opportunity to take a different direction.”

The Cabinet Committee on 24 February is being asked to approve steps that would allow new outsourced contracts to be awarded for the remaining services, including Revenues & Benefits — the service responsible for Council Tax and Business Rates collection and key elements of income recovery.

Barnet UNISON’s report argues that Revenues & Benefits is too fundamental to the Council’s financial resilience and too central to residents’ lives to sit outside direct public control.

“This is not a back-office technical function,” Burgess said.
“It is the service that determines how council income is secured and how arrears are managed. It affects every household in Barnet. Decisions about income collection and recovery should be democratically accountable — not managed through contract monitoring and improvement plans.”

The union’s submission highlights that council reports continue to reference collection pressures and governance mechanisms to manage risk. Barnet UNISON argues that monitoring contractors is not the same as having direct operational control over a core sovereign income function.

“After 13 years, this is the moment to draw a line under One Barnet,” Burgess added.
“Labour now has the opportunity to restore direct council control over a vital public service and demonstrate that public income functions belong in the public sector.”

Barnet UNISON is urging Cabinet Committee to:

Reject further outsourcing of Revenues & Benefits
Instruct officers to prepare an in-house delivery plan
Confirm that income generation and recovery policy should sit directly within the Council

“This decision will shape Barnet for years to come,” Burgess said.
“We believe this is the right moment to bring Revenues & Benefits home.”

ENDS

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