How do you motivate your staff?

Why engaging staff is about more than funky furniture and ‘faux fun’

By Cath Everett @ http://www.personneltoday.com/hr/engaging-employees-funky-furniture/

Peer 1 in Southampton boasts a slide and even a pub, but does that automatically mean employees are happier?
Solent News/REX/Shutterstock

Forget office slides and ping pong tables, employee engagement should be nurtured via long-term enrichment, according to the founder of customer loyalty company Avinity. Cath Everett reports. 

Employers are doing all kinds of weird and wonderful things in the name of employee engagement. US tech giant Google with its “chief happiness officer” and slides installed between office floors to make moving around more “fun” is a case in point.

Even in the UK we have web-hosting provider Peer 1 Hosting offering such delights as a tree house, a pub, a pool table and green helter-skelter slide in a bid to unleash creative energy and boost motivation.

But Rupert Poulson, founder and chief executive of Avinity, which specialises in customer loyalty programmes, is sceptical about the long-term benefits of such initiatives.

He says that one of the most important factors in engagement actually relates to internal employee happiness rather than external stimuli.

This means, in the same way that buying children a lollipop will please them for a few minutes, “faux fun” will have equally short-term benefits.

“To have the resources and enthusiasm to be engaged at work, employees have to feel happy in themselves, so it’s not just about the nine-to-five,” he says.

“A happy life is about feeling enriched by your daily experiences, having a balanced lifestyle, meaningful connections with others and positive wellbeing both inside and outside of work.”

He adds this means that helping staff members to “live a better life” can be a positive starting point from which to build true engagement.

Human motivation

These insights have been hard won. A couple of years ago, Poulson says he had become stressed. His diet was poor, he had no time to catch up with friends and everything was focused around work.

This situation led him to read extensively about human motivation and behaviour, which in turn brought him to an understanding of the importance of happiness in making people feel positive, empowered, enthusiastic and energised.

Poulson says: “The aim is also to is also to nudge employees into new behaviour because each challenge can promote a sense of pleasure and help them to enjoy new experiences.”

All of these ingredients, he adds, make opening the door to engagement much more likely.

As a result, he decided to develop a social engagement platform to put such ideas into practice. AvinityAlive, which was launched in spring this year, provides employees with more than 1,000 purely optional personal, philanthropic and community “micro-challenges” to help enrich their lives, both at work and beyond.

These challenges, which can range from undertaking random acts of kindness to swapping unhealthy for healthy snacks for 30 days, are customised to fit in with a company’s own values (such as promoting volunteering) and requirements such as bringing disjointed teams together following an acquisition, for example.

“The benefit for HR is that the entire company can start living and breathing the corporate values connected to the challenges, when traditionally so many have been left in the boardroom,” Poulson says.

“The aim is also to nudge employees into new behaviour because each challenge can promote a sense of pleasure and help them to enjoy new experiences.”

A second element of the platform consists of a social wall. It enables staff to create their own community by posting blogs, photos and videos about the challenges they have undertaken.

“It’s about ensuring people feel listened to and providing a positive place to hang out, which plays a big part in helping them feel connected to each other and the company,” Poulson says.

The focus of the social wall is on completing challenges – “There’s no room for negativity”, he adds.

Peer-to-peer rewards

The final component of the system consists of peer-to-peer rewards and recognition functionality.

This enables employees to thank colleagues for the helpful or impressive things they have done, particularly as they relate to company values, and post their messages to the social wall.

Reward points are earned when a challenge has been completed or recognition has been received and they are added to a “value pillar” on each employee’s dashboard. Once it is full and the completed challenges are verified, staff can then redeem their points for the rewards of their choice.

“In most schemes, it’s managers who do the recognition, but in today’s world, it should be less about control and more about recognition from the bottom up, which enables everyone to get involved,” Poulson says.

“Also because this isn’t a forced, unnatural form of engagement, it means that HR isn’t having to come up with fresh reward and recognition schemes all the time.”

The white-label, cloud-based system is customised to meet the requirements of each client, which pays an initial set-up and per-employee subscription fee.

Poulson concludes: “It takes courage to hand a platform over to staff and say ‘here you go’, but it really does build trust and employees appreciate that.

“By enabling people to be genuine and transparent rather than forcing them to have faux fun, engagement just occurs naturally from the ground up.”

Oxford joins call for universal credit to be halted

Four authorities contacted by Public Finance said they were braced for rising rent arrears and were siphoning off resources to put into emergency hardship funds.

Authorities in Oxford, Birmingham, Oldham and North Lanarkshire, which have piloted elements of the universal credit programme, told PF they were concerned about the scheme.

One council branded the problems “unacceptable”, while others called for the roll out to be paused or slowed down.

It follows the news that Croydon Borough Council, which has piloted universal credit in full, is planning to spend £3m of its own budget preventing tenants from being evicted due to rent arrears caused by late payments.

This comes as the House of Commons is due to vote on a Labour-backed motion this afternoon to pause the rollout of universal credit’s full service.

The vote is not binding but if Theresa May loses with the support of rebellious Tories this could force her to re-think the policy. 

Work and pensions secretary David Gauke announced this morning the 55p-a-minute universal credit helpline would be scrapped and switched to a freephone number over the next month.

Oxford City Council, which has been trialing universal credit since April 2015, confirmed that it expected rent arrears to rise after the roll-out of full universal credit comes into effect in Oxford today.

In preparation the authority has allocated £50,000 to an emergency fund to help people who are affected by delayed payments.

Susan Brown, deputy leader of Oxford City Council, said: “People who claim universal credit face a six week wait for their first payment, and the Department for Work and Pensions admits that a fifth of claimants have to wait even longer.”

She added: “Waiting periods and payment delays mean that universal credit leads to debt, rent arrears and the risk of homelessness, and this is unacceptable.”

She said the advanced payment offers from the Department for Work and Pensions only amounted to half the expected reward, which she argued is not enough to live on.

John Campbell, North Lanarkshire Council’s financial inclusion manager, told PFthat most councils in the UK are reporting an increase in rent arrears after the introduction of the welfare reform.

Campbell highlighted that in Scotland most councils tenants pay rent fortnightly so a six- or eight-week delay in benefit payments could lead to significant arrears. He said this is what has happened in North Lanarkshire.

Of the 3,500-4,000 universal credit claimants in North Lanarkshire some 900 are council tenants. Of these, around 500 are in rent arrears compared with 241 in March 2016, Campbell said.

“We have called for a pause [in the roll-out] through the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, in partnership with the Scottish government and local charities who have also called for it to be halted.”

The council has earmarked £580,000 a year to pay exclusively for additional staff to work directly with people affected by universal credit.

Abdul Jabbar, deputy leader of Oldham Council, which has run the live universal credit service since 2013 and the full service since April this year, said the scheme has “potential to be better” than the previous benefits system. But its fundamental flaw of delayed payments needed to be addressed.

“The whole purpose of the pilot is learn the lessons from it, to look at what is working and what isn’t and the lessons from Oldham are loud and clear,” Jabbar said.

“The deliberate policy to delay payments is causing a lot of problems for claimants. Payment should be made as soon as applications are assessed.”

He cited figures from Oldham’s largest housing provider, First Choice Homes, which showed 68% of those tenants who are universal credit claimants were in rent arrears, 25% of claimants were facing legal action and 15% had been evicted for falling behind on their rent.

Jabbar said this was squeezing the council’s housing budget because the authority was having to pay the landlord rents for the temporary accommodation when claimants failed to do so.

According to a briefing from First Choice Homes, since April rent arrears for the year for temporary accommodation stands at £70,000. This compares to a total of £36,000 for the previous four years – a change Jabbar said was “largely attributable” to universal credit.

Birmingham’s multi-agency welfare reform implementation group - comprised of housing providers and homelessness charities - has also asked the government to rethink its plans amid fears the roll-out would result in more debt and homelessness.

The council noted that around 3,000 people in Birmingham currently receive universal credit covering their housing costs, but the potential number eligible under the full roll-out could be as high as 60,000.

Tristan Chatfield, Birmingham City Council's cabinet member for transparency, openness and equality, said: “We know from the pilot areas that rent arrears increase significantly when universal credit is introduced, because, for many vulnerable people, the switch from multiple benefits paid in stages, to a single monthly payment in arrears with a built in delay, provides too much of a cliff edge.”

He urged the government to avoid “disastrous consequences” by making changes to the planned roll-out, such as agreeing to a slower transition and other safeguards to reduce the risk of rent arrears and evictions.

The DWP has been approached for comment. 

Child Benefit saving and Loan plan

Recruitment Roadshow - Tuesday 17 October 2017

Oxford City Council employs over 1,200 people who are helping achieve the Council's goal of 'building a world class city for everyone'.

We operate within various service areas including Community Services, Finance and Business Improvement. The roles within these areas are key to our continued success and growth. 

If you are keen to develop your career with us, come to our Recruitment Roadshow on Tuesday 17 October 2017 between 4pm and 7pm at Blackbird Leys Community Centre, Blackbird Leys Road, Blackbird Leys, OX4 5HW.

We have job opportunities in:

• Customer service
• Housing
• Youth engagement
• Administration
• Incomes, Revenues and Benefits
• Temporary roles in all business areas

Come and meet our staff, get advice on applying for jobs in the Council, apply for current or future vacancies and join our waiting list for job vacancies

No need to book, just turn up - we look forward to meeting you.

For further information, contact us at hradmin@oxford.gov.uk or telephone 01865 252848.

Oxford City Branch of UNISON working in partnership with Oxford City Council to improve working conditions and pay for all.

Managing anxiety in the workplace Advise from ACAS

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, fear, nervousness or unease about something.

It may be caused by issues in the workplace, such as workload, performance or conflict with colleagues. Outside the workplace, factors such as relationship, family or debt problems can create anxiety.

Employees could take steps to manage these issues, by communicating with their managers and seeking help, where necessary.

Employers can also support their staff and look out for signs that an employee is suffering from anxiety. These could include:

• taking more time off work
• becoming more emotional or over-reacting to what others say
• feeling negative, dwelling on negative experiences
• starting to behave differently, feeling restless and not being able to concentrate.

Mind report that 1 in 6 workers are dealing with mental health problems such as anxiety, depression or stress. These conditions can stop people performing at their best.

Managers should be confident and trained in the skills they need to support staff who may be experiencing anxiety at work. Informal and formal conversations will help establish a rapport with members of staff as addressing issues early and maintaining good communications is crucial.

Managers should:

• have a conversation in a private place
• make sure there are no interruptions
• be focused, get the information that will help achieve the goal of supporting a member of staff
• ask open questions, for example "I was wondering how you are doing"
• always allow the person time to answer
• try to put yourself in the others person's position and see things from their perspective
• make arrangements for a follow up meeting to review the situation.

Anxiety disorders

Mental health problems can affect anyone, the most common forms of mental ill health are anxiety, depression, phobic anxiety disorders and obsessive compulsive disorders.

Depending on the kind of problems an employee is having they may be given a diagnosis of a specific anxiety disorder, such as:

• generalised anxiety disorder - if someone has felt anxious for a long time and often feel fearful, but are not anxious about anything in particular they might be diagnosed with a generalised anxiety disorder
   
• panic disorder - experiencing panic disorder can mean that someone feels constantly afraid of having another panic attack and can't identify what triggers them
   
• obsessive-compulsive disorder - this may be due to anxiety which leads to someone experiencing obsessions such as unwelcome thoughts, urges or doubts that repeatedly appear in someone's mind. Compulsions such as repetitive activities that people have to do
   
• phobias - a phobia is an intense fear of something, anxiety may be triggered by a very specific situation or object.
   

Some forms of mental ill health may be classed as a disability under the Equality Act 2010 if they have "a substantial and long term, adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities". The Act makes it unlawful for an employer to treat a disabled person less favourably for a reason relating to their disability, without a justifiable reason. See our Disability discrimination page for more information. 

For more info visit http://m.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=5880

Acas have published a new guidance booklet on Promoting Positive Mental Health in the Workplace at http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1900

They have also published two smaller online guides:-

• Dealing with Stress in the Workplace - http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=6062

• Managing Staff Experiencing Mental Ill Health - http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=6064

Other places that give good advice:
http://www.nhs.uk
https://www.mind.org.uk
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Health and Safety week 23rd - 29th October
UNISON supports the campaign for safer and healthier work, so promotes the European Health and Safety Week and the UK National Inspection Day on the Wednesday of the Week.
This year’s theme remains  “Healthy workplaces for all ages” and good workplace design and well managed health and safety benefit all of those at work; whether young, old, or in-between.
Changes in life expectancy and pension provision means that more workers will stay at work as they age.  Apprenticeship schemes as an alternative to schooling may see more young people at work.
Employers must look after the health and safety of all employees; but particularly consider vulnerable groups such as older or younger workers, or women of child-bearing age.  Working for longer, and the fact that children now grow up with computers, may also result in longer exposure to risks (musculoskeletal or otherwise).
Older workers are more likely to suffer disabilities and long term health problems so measures such as rehabilitation and return to work will become more important.

Find out more on the UNISON webpage at https://goo.gl/K6JZUk 

---

UNISON benefits

A list of all benefits from travel and shopping with UNISON rewards to legal support can be found at https://benefits.unison.org.uk/all-benefits/

_________________________________________________________________________

Upcoming National Events

9th - 14th and 19th October - Support for our Libraries
http://www.librariesweek.org.uk/ and https://www.unison.org.uk/events/sos-day/

17th October - The big Pay Up Now lobby/rally in London
https://goo.gl/5HSHiQ

20th October - UNISON celebrates the journey of Black trade unionism
https://goo.gl/h8aEoS 

20th October - Wear Red Day (against racism)
http://www.theredcard.org/

23rd - 29th October - European Health and Safety week
https://goo.gl/K6JZUk

28th - 29th October - Disabled members' conference , Manchester
https://goo.gl/ZYmr3x

5th - 11th November - Living Wage Week
https://www.livingwage.org.uk/

Check out more national events on the Unison website

Thanks to our comrades at Oxford Brooks University 

Oxfordshire credit union On the BBC

These series show how credit unions are transforming people lives.
Re: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b098w242/a-matter-of-life-and-debt-series-1-episode-1

For more info please contact us at info@oxfordshirecreditunion.co.uk

Walk the talk

Mental health in the workplace

Table tennis for all

To support staff health and wellbeing, Oxford City UNISON is sponsoring lunchtime table tennis in the Town Hall. Sessions run from 12.15 pm to 2 pm, and will take place in the Heritage Learning Centre or the Long Room on the following dates:

• Friday 13 October
• Friday 20 October
• Wednesday 25 October
• Friday 27 October.

Bats and balls are provided, so all you need to bring is your opponent. Leisure wear and training shoes are recommended but not essential.

If you are interested in evening sessions, coaching, inter-departmental matches, matches with other councils or an Oxford City Council championship - or if you have any other suggestions or questions - please contact David Browne.

LGPS pension update

If you need to talk to someone about yourLocal government pension, the administration is now conducted from:

Pension Services, Oxfordshire Pension Fund, 4640 Kingsgate, Cascade Way, Oxford Business Park South, Oxford OX4 2SU

Click to Contact Pensions Services or phone on: 03300 241 359

Confronting the Rise In Racism, Islamophobia and Antisemitism

Oxfordshire Unison Health branch is inviting this branch to join a delegation of our branch members and activists at the national "Confronting the Rise In Racism, Islamophobia and Antisemitism" conference in London on October 21st.  We are paying for our members to go with our branch banner and have hired a coach to get people there.  We are inviting any of your members who would like to go to the conference to travel with us at no cost. 

We believe it is very urgent to build a mass anti-racist campaign in the UK to halt the sharp rise in racism and the increasing use of racist scapegoating against migrants, muslims and refugees that is helping to fuel racist attacks and the growth of the far right. 

The election of fascist MPs in the AfD to the German parliament is a warning to us all.   The vote, celebrated by France's fascist Marine Le Pen is a chilling example of the right wing, racist populism that has won electoral success from France and Germany to Trumps victory in the US.  Actions such as Angela Merkel's call for a Niqab ban wherever legally possible in Germany gained the CDU not one single extra vote and instead handed the best performance to the far right in six decades.

Conference speakers already confirmed include:

Diane Abbott MP Shadow Home Secretary, Kevin Courtney NUT Gen Sec, Dave Ward CWU Gen Sec, Kate Osamor MP Shadow DfID Secretary, Catherine West Labour MP Hornsey and Wood Green, Claude Moraes Labour MEP, Shahrar Ali Green Party Home Affairs spokesperson, Talha Ahmad Muslim Council of Britain Treasurer, Maurice Wren Chief Exec Refugee Council, Esa Charles, Father of Rashan Charles, Moazzem Begg former Guantanamo Bay detainee, Clare Moseley Care4Calais founder, Lowkey - rapper, Sabby Dhalu & Weyman Bennet Stand Up To Racism co-convenors

Following the election of Donald Trump, threats from the far-right in Europe and a prolonged wave of racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism as well as the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing refugees, 2017's conference will be a crucial opportunity to come together to discuss strenghtening our movement and taking on the challenges that confront us in 2017.

Sessions include:

•     Unite Against Trump, fascism and the racist right
•     Brexit: Defending free movement and EU Nationals' Rights
•     Acid attacks & Finsbury Park - Stand Up To Islamophobia
•     Grenfell: Institutional racism & the social cleansing of our cities
•     Refugees welcome here - #DubsNow!
•     #BlackLivesMatter - no more deaths in police custody
•     Opposing austerity & the scapegoating of migrants
•     Love Music Hate Racism

Tickets to the conference cost £10 and £5 concessions and can be booked online here

People should email us seperately to arrange a seat on the Oxford coach to the conference.

Yours fraternally

Julie Simmons
on behalf of Oxfordshire Unison Health branch
07890081211

 Share the facebook event to invite your friends

Free Financial Advise for UNISON members

GENERAL FINANCIAL SURGERY

Wednesday 1st November 2017

Understanding where you are now and where you want to be in the future enables you to make informed decisions about your finances. Lighthouse Financial Advice is here to offer advice on all aspects of financial planning.

HOW WE CAN HELP

Our Professional Financial Advisers are able to use researched solutions drawn from a wide range of products and providers to find the most appropriate* products for you and can advise upon:

• Financial Protection for You and Your Family 
• Pension Advice and Planning for Retirement Savings and Investments
• Tax Planning** 
• Mortgages

This surgery is free to UNISON members. To take advantage of this invaluable opportunity and book your initial 30 minute consultation with an adviser please contact:

Katherine Cudmore on 01273 523 707 or email Katherine.Cudmore@lighthousegroup.plc.uk

Date: Wednesday 1st November 2017

Venue: The UNISON Offices The Old Police Cells Oxford Town Hall OX1 1BX

Start Time: 10:00am End Time: 3:00pm

If you are interested but are unable to attend, please let us know and we will arrange for the adviser to contact you.


*We have chosen to avoid products we consider to be too high risk for the majority of our clients
** Tax advice which contains no investment element is not regulated by the Financial Conduct
Authority

Making your money work harder www.lighthousefa.co.uk.


Registered in England No. 04795080
Registered Office: 26 Throgmorton Street, London, EC2N 2AN Lighthouse Financial Advice is a trading style of Lighthouse Financial Advice Limited, an appointed representative of Lighthouse Advisory Services Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Lighthouse Financial Advice is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lighthouse Group plc.

Lighthouse Financial Advice Limited
Fairway House Hunns Mere Way Business Park Woodingdean
Brighton
BN2 6AH

T:  08000 85 85 90
F:  01273 523730
events@lighthousefa.co.uk
www.lighthousefa.co.uk/events

Join us today.

Click here to join online today

Gender reassignment advise

Gender reassignment

The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against or treat someone unfairly because of gender reassignment.

Overview

The Act's protected characteristic of gender reassignment currently has a specific meaning:

• it covers someone who proposes to go through, is going through or has gone through a process, or part of a process, to change his or her gender from man to woman or woman to man. A person making this change is described in the Act as a 'transsexual' person
• gender reassignment does not have to involve any medical supervision. For example, a person who chooses to reassign his or her gender and lives permanently as the opposite sex without having any hormonal or surgical therapy is protected
• genders outside of man (which includes woman transitioning to man) and woman (which includes man transitioning to woman) are not explicitly protected under UK law. They are the non-binary identities - for example, those who might identify as neither man nor woman. But, someone with a non-binary identity could be protected if they are discriminated against because they are thought to be considering, thought to be going through or thought to have gone through gender reassignment from man to woman or woman to man, regardless of whether this perception is correct or not.

To understand examples of gender reassignment discrimination in the workplace, how they can be effectively dealt with, how to reduce the chance of future discrimination, and best practice for employers and colleagues to also support employees with non-binary identities, click this link ACAS web site for more info

Run, Hide, Tell: Firearms and Weapons Attack

Published on 15 Sep 2017In the UK the Police Service and partners work very hard to keep us safe from the threat of guncrime. Firearms and weapons attacks are thankfully extremely rare, but we must always know to do stay safe. What would you do if you came under fire or heard gunshots at work or in public

Click to watch stay safe video from National Police Chiefs' Council NPCC

'Brutal' new rotas causing stress

Changes to Thames Valley Police officers' rotas have caused higher levels of stress, a survey has found, as reported on bbc.co.uk news 

TVP Federation carried out the survey after a new system was introduced, and 76% of the 1,172 officers who completed it said their work/life balance had deteriorated.

One said the new shift patterns were "brutal" and his family had described him as a "walking zombie".

The force said it "absolutely acknowledged" a rise in stress levels.

The new model has seen officers in frontline teams moved to investigation hubs.

The feedback says changes have resulted in high workloads, long hours, large amounts of overtime and less time between shifts.

Federation chairman Craig O'Leary said officers were "struggling to keep their heads above water".

He added: "They don't want the overtime, they want to see their families. They want to feel like they're well rested.

"I have very real concerns for our members. For their health, their wellbeing and their families."

---

What else did the survey find?

• 65% of officers said their workload had increased

• 85% said they had not seen any improvement in the service for communities

• Two thirds said they were more likely to leave

• Two thirds described their mental state as "fair or poor"

---

A recently retired member of Thames Valley Police told BBC South Today: "The shift pattern we work now is incredibly hard, described by myself and colleagues as brutal.

"There is no social life, my family describe me as a walking zombie when I'm not at work, and even at work the cumulative effect of that sort of fatigue is constant brain fog."

Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Ross described it as the "most significant change, in terms of scale, that the force has delivered in recent years".

She added: "There is a period of adjustment for the organisation and for individuals and we do not take this lightly.

"We absolutely acknowledge that there has been a rise in stress levels on the frontline and are continuing to ensure that appropriate support is available, at the same time as analysing the sources of this pressure to enable us to take appropriate action."

UNISON public service data blog

Using data to tell the story of our changing public services

Are we running out of nurses? How many libraries in your area have shut down? Has your local police force grown or shrunk?

Many of the important questions about our public services can be answered by looking at data. On the public service data blog we’ll be tracking down the relevant spreadsheets, diving into the numbers and explaining what we find.

If you’re a UNISON activist campaigning around an issue, the public service data blog will arm you with the numbers you need to make your case and make change happen.

Got a topic you want us to explore? Get in touch. Because there’s power in numbers.

Check out this web site for info https://www.unison.org.uk/news/ps-data/

BBC reports that Disability assessors 'lack right skills'

Disability assessors 'lack right skills'

A report from a UN committee has criticised the UK government for its treatment of disabled people, saying it needs to do much more to protect the rights of the disabled.

The UK is required to regularly report to the UN on how it is honouring the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

Anastasia Tempest, who lives in York, has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

She told 5 live’s Tony Livesey: "Social care managers are not equipped, and lack skill, in knowing how to assess people with disabilities."

She said she was asked "quite ridiculous" questions in her assessment, including "who does your eyeshadow?" and "do you put your own earrings in?"

A government spokesman said: “We’re disappointed that this report does not accurately reflect the evidence we gave to the UN, and fails to recognise all the progress we’ve made to empower disabled people."

He said the UK spent a record £50bn a year to support disabled people and those with health conditions - the second highest amount in the G7. 

The UK was committed to furthering rights for all disabled people, he said, adding that almost 600,000 had moved into work over four years.

Click here to read story

Hopes rise Javid will reach reorganisation decisions

29 August, 2017 By David Paine

Communities secretary Sajid Javid will deliver his verdict on unitary proposals in Buckinghamshire, Dorset and Oxfordshire “as soon as practicable”, the Department for Communities & Local Government has told LGC. Announcements had been expected soon after the general election, but were put on hold after the Conservatives failed to secure a majority. Since then the new parliamentary arithmetic has made it harder for ministers to force contentious reorganisation proposals through. 

Local government sources close to the discussions have told LGC they believe the Future Dorset plans – which would create two unitaries from nine councils - stand the best chance of being approved, due in part to there being the greatest amount of consensus among the councils involved. In early June, prior to the election, LGC reported that DCLG had recommended to the prime minister that Dorset’s reorganisation bid be approved and were awaiting a decision from Number 10. However, an intervention by sceptical Christchurch MP Christopher Chope (Con) was said to have led to a decision being delayed. Rebecca Knox (Con), Dorset CC’s leader, said: “We hope to get an announcement this autumn, following parliamentary recess.”

There is less optimism in Buckinghamshire that a decision on competing proposals for either a single county unitary or two unitaries is imminent.

Martin Tett (Con), leader of Buckinghamshire CC, said: “We continue to believe a positive decision in favour of a county unitary would significantly advance some of the key strategic initiatives, such as the Oxford to Cambridge corridor and the expansion of Heathrow, but this uncertainty is undermining the success of these areas.”

A DCLG spokesperson said: “The secretary of state is carefully considering the proposals submitted by Buckinghamshire, Dorset and Oxfordshire, and will announce an initial decision on how he is minded to proceed as soon as practicable.”

The comments come as two district councils in Devon have been told to file their application to merge by October or risk ministers running out of time to approve it in this parliament, in line with a 2019 deadline for government to sanction reorganisation bids set out in the the Cities & Local Government Act 2016.

South Hams DC and West Devon BC, which already share managements and services, propose to merge from April 2019 to help to close projected budget gaps by 2020 of £800,000 and £1.1m respectively.

Merging would save an extra £500,000 a year and form a council would coverinf 789 square miles, making it the second largest district by size in England,  a report for both councils stated. However, the report added there was ”no current appetite locally for a unitary council in Devon (and the unitary agenda is not currently being pushed by central government)”. 

A Devon CC spokesman said the council would ”watch and listen to the discussions with interest”.  

However, the report warned both districts must proceed rapidly: “If the councils do not submit their proposal to the secretary of state in October 2017 (to allow time for ministerial consideration and for making the relevant regulations by July 2018), then the DCLG has advised it is very unlikely that there will be sufficient parliamentary time for consideration of any single-council proposals during this parliament because of the government’s Brexit commitments.”

A DCLG spokesman said: “Parliamentary time is a factor in the timetable for any potential council mergers.”

Forest Heath DC and St Edmundsbury BC are expected to apply this autumn to merge as West Suffolk, while Suffolk Coastal and Waveney DCs have already expressed their intention to unite as East Suffolk. Taunton Deane BC and West Somerset DC have also applied to merge but Bridgwater and West Somerset MP Ian Liddell-Grainger (Con) is a vocal opponent of the plans.

John Fuller (Con), District Councils’ Network chair, told LGC: “It seems that the secretary of state will require unanimity [for mergers and unitary proposals] not just from the councils involved but local MPs. Councils cannot assume they alone will be the only decision-makers as the views of local MPs will also carry great weight.”

World Mental Health Day 2017

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health.

The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.

Keep checking back for updates, or Click Here for more info. Or read the my GAP July 2017 Newsletter.