Cllr Jo Bird speaks up for day care centres

Cllr Jo Bird: My job as a Councillor is to represent all the people who live in the ward I represent. It’s also to listen and to consult. I’ve listened to what people have said this evening.

Thank you very much to everybody who’s come and who’s spoken. It’s been very informative for me in particular. I’ve several questions arising from that and the paper.

A couple in particular questions for the Director, really. It’s your report.

I’m concerned that even given the engagement and the co-production so on so far, there’s still this level of concern about this proposal. For so many parents and carers and workers to come, shows a problem with relationships.

I think there’s more work that needs to be done at a very senior level about the relationships between adult social care and the people who depend and use these essential services.

So one question is - Why do you think so many people are here today from so many different perspectives?

The second concern is around the dispute. It’s a particular breakdown in relationships, when workers feel so aggrieved that they take industrial action. It’s a very last resort. And the result? The strike is not resolved. I want to know - Why the Director has not met with representatives of Unison since December?

[Applause]

Chair: I’ll put that over to Sayyed to respond on those points.

Director of Adult Health and Social Care: ... Your second question is there a problem with relationships? Look, I’m just going to be really straight with you. We have been meeting Unison near enough every single week, regularly.

We are continuing to engage. In fact, very recently I’ve emailed colleagues at Unison. I’m meeting with members and we’re doing everything we can to try and find a solution to this.

Heckler: That's not true.

Some of those solutions are through our ability to be able to develop the service and develop the staff within the service. So they’re the key issues for us.

Chair: I’m sorry, could you not shout from the back?

Cllr Jo Bird: There’s still work to do. Clearly your version of events is disputed. There’s other versions of events too.

There’s work to do to reach agreement. When agreement is reached, we know that enough work’s been done. And while the dispute is ongoing, we know that there’s more work to do.

[Applause]