Campaigns
Positively Public Briefings
Monthly briefings providing the latest campaigning, privatisation and good practice news. Link to another page on this siteAvailable here
National news

UNISON welcomes assurances over NHS reform

(09/05/08) Government pledges staff and patients will be the driving force for change

For safety’s sake

(08/05/08) Meat inspection to remain in public control

Everyday heroes

(06/05/08) Say ‘thank you’ to the special people who care for the UK’s sick children

Food for good

(01/05/08) UNISON calls for school (and hospital) meals to be sourced locally
News list >

Social housing

The social housing sector is under-funded. Currently, there are very limited investment options to improve housing stock. These involve privatisation or part privatisation of stock or the service through stock transfers, arms length management organisations or PFI. There is no 'fourth option' to directly invest in housing.

The lack of funding to invest in existing housing or to increase the supply of affordable housing has led to an acute shortage of housing in many parts of the country, with growing social and economic problems, such as increased homelessness and increasing numbers of people unable to afford to buy or rent a home.

UNISON is campaigning for a level playing field for local authorities to invest in existing housing as well as to be involved in government plans to increase the supply of affordable housing.

For more information:

Link to a web page on this site Hands off our housing - UNISON's campaign against large scale voluntary transfers of council housing stock

CONTACT DETAILS
• The UNISON contact for the Positively Public campaign is Margie Jaffe.
Positively Public
1 Mabledon Place
London WC1H 9AJ
Email: positivelypublic@unison.co.uk
Recent documents
Individual Budgets
The government has said that Individual Budgets should be available to anyone in receipt of social care services. This Fact Sheet explains how Individual Budgets currently work and identifies key concerns around support arrangements, likely costs, impact on services and workforce issues.
Link to a document on this siteIndividual Budgets (358400 bytes)
NHS @ 60
Document containing a mix of serious articles (including one by Dave Prentis), light-hearted features and potted histories to illustrate why it's essential that we continue to celebrate and defend the NHS as it turns 60
Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF version
Machines, markets and morals

This pamphlet from the think tank Compass calls on the government to end the marketisation of the NHS and instead allow staff and users to shape the service democratically.Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF (1709088 bytes)

PFI cost to the NHS
This study analyses the cost of using private finance to build the first 12 operational PFI hospitals by 2001-2002. It shows that PFI creates budget inflexibilities that increase pressures on the NHS to cut its largest cost: the jobs, working conditions and pay of staff, therefore impacting on the quality of healthcare services.
Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF (70277 bytes)
The UK Public Library Service - facing the challenges
This factsheet highlights the challenges the public library service faces and UNISON's campaign to defend the service, which is very popular and valued by local communities.
Link to a document on this siteLibrary factsheet (366592 bytes)
All Positively Public reports >