School staff supporting pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in Essex have announced a series of strikes over a lack of recognition and pay, UNISON says today. Teaching assistants, pastoral support workers and other support staff at three schools run by the Lift Schools multi-academy trust will walk out next Wednesday (28 January), and seven […]
essex
A plan to sell off NHS patient transport services in north Essex will “drive down standards for staff and patients,” warns UNISON today. The Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning non-emergency patient transport services that take people requiring specialist support to and from hospital and other medical appointments. The […]
Essex Police should use extra government funding announced today to prevent the loss of its remaining police community support officers (PCSOs), says UNISON. All 99 PCSOs and 65 other police support staff were threatened with redundancy earlier this week, with the force saying it didn’t have enough funding from government. Cuts would pile pressure on […]
Hundreds of postcards from Essex residents demanding better treatment for care workers will be handed over to county council leaders today. The postcards, collected by care workers’ union UNISON during town centre stalls, call on Essex County Council social care supremo John Spence to properly fund social care so that providers can pay staff a […]
Local authorities in Essex declared a “major incident” today as the number of coronavirus cases threatens to overwhelm health services in the county. Hospitals are struggling with “significant growing demand,” says the Essex Resilience Forum, a body drawing together NHS, emergency services and local authorities. The announcement has been made in response to a “significant […]
Teaching assistants at a special needs school in Braintree are being bitten, kicked and spat on but managers are doing nothing about the violence, school support staff union UNISON warns today. A survey of support staff at The Edith Borthwick School found that 82% are worried about levels of violence, but only 19% of respondents […]
We joined Essex residents and campaigners outside County Hall in Chelmsford today to oppose the council’s plans to shut at least 1 in 3 libraries in Essex. UNISON Eastern’s Tim Roberts explains why libraries are so vital to communities in towns and villages across Essex. To keep up to date with the campaign visit the […]
Essex County Council has announced plans to close a third of its libraries and draft in volunteers to keep others running. The council is launching a consultation, running for 12 weeks from 29 November on closing 25 libraries, handing 18 over to be fully run by volunteers, giving volunteers a greater role at 16 more, […]