Trade Union Bill
18th September 2015

A few days ago, Parliament debated the Trade Union Bill. I expressed my grave reservations that the Bill gives the regulator (the certification officer) powers to impose fines on unions of up to £20,000 and would involve the police in dealing with union requests.

As the government continue to cut the budgets of police services across England and Wales, they are pushing ahead and consulting on ludicrous plans contained within the Trade Union Bill. I want local police officers out on the streets of Northumbria doing what they do best – protecting and supporting our communities, not arresting someone because unions haven’t given two weeks’ notice if they intend to use a loudspeaker or carry a banner during a strike

The world of Twitter, Facebook and blogs is to allow people to express their opinions freely, as long as the comments are not defamatory, why do the police need to know what unions are planning to post on social media during a strike two weeks in advance is a waste of police time

Since 2010, Northumbria Police force budget has been reduced by nearly £120 million, yet the demand of police officers and support staff continue to grow. It is expected that the Chancellor will announce even further cuts to the force budget in a few weeks’ time.

The Prime Minister and Home Secretary need to get real. Attacking civil liberties and creating more unnecessary work for the police is not needed. MPs need to vote this bill down when it reaches the House of Commons for its second reading. Police Officers here in Northumbria have better things to do than use valuable time and resources to supervise peaceful pickets and social media.

Domestic abuse is not usually a one-off violent attack. More often it is a deliberate long-term use of coercion to control every part of someone’s life, It can be sexual abuse, financial control, constant criticism, isolation from family and friends, repeated threatening texts or stalking whenever the victim is out of sight – all are familiar tools adopted by the abuser. It undermines the victims confidence and freedom and it can leave long-term scars.

Despite people knowing more about it these days, according to research by the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), 84 per cent of people surveyed do not feel able to help when they know someone is suffering from domestic abuse.

The research also reveals that 31 per cent of British adults questioned knew a victim – maybe you do.

While the CAB’s ‘Link in the chain’ report is right in acknowledging the role friends and family play in recognising that someone is suffering behind closed doors, the responsibility to help doesn’t just fall on those who are personally close to the victim, after all, they may be personally close to the perpetrator too.

For this reason, we have looked for places, away from the family and home, where it might be possible to make help more available and have realised that the workplace is somewhere that many victims of abuse can see as a safe haven. On average we spend a third of our lives at work, there is therefore a huge opportunity for colleagues to pick up on the signs during what for many victims are the hours of respite from their suffering and where people might feel secure enough to talk to a friend or a colleague or ask for help.

In Northumbria we have developed a draft workplace employers’ policy has been set up, ready off the shelf, which has been adopted by many organisations. It sends out clear signs that they will help any employee who is suffering from abuse and that they have all practical steps to support employees firmly in place.

As part of this, we introduced the concept of a network of Domestic Violence Champions within each workplace, large or small. These champions, who are workplace colleagues, are there for men and women to confide in, or share concerns about others who they think may be suffering from domestic abuse. The champion, who receives full training, can then offer advice on the support available both within the organisation and from partner agencies. They are not expected to solve the problem themselves but calmly give ‘first aid’ and help to refer them on to skilled help. So far over 600 champions have been trained.

One champion arranged with their employer for a victim’s calls to be screened, emails to be blocked and photos of the abuser left with reception so he could be recognised and appropriate steps taken. Someone now a successful businesswoman tells how her employer got to know of her plight with a determined abuser and secretly arranged to relocate her to a distant branch of the business; she regards this as likely to have saved her life. And every time a champion is trained it is another person raising public awareness of what this abuse is like.

We can provide free training to raise awareness of domestic abuse and the impact it can have on individuals to employers and employees. Those who take this up have already seen results like the ones I have mentioned. Do join our efforts; this is everyone’s business and a little knowledge and support can make all the difference to the life of a victim who thought they were friendless.

The Commons Education Committee inquiry has reported that all schools in England should have to teach sex and relationships education (SRE) – this is an issue that Vera Baird has campaigned about for many years.
The Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner said: “Young people learn so much at school and from each other.
“It’s important we teach them about sex education, how good relationships can be formed and how they should be maintained.
“Some youngsters will come from homes were they witness domestic abuse, so relationship education will show them that abuse is not the norm and there is help out there.”
The Commons Education Committee investigated SRE as in 2013 Ofsted found that more than a third of schools were failing to provide age appropriate SRE.
The Committee has now urged the Government to take action; the coalition Government has said it would consider the findings carefully.
Vera Baird said: “The Committee has made it clear that action needs to be taken and that Personal, Social and Heath Education (PSHE) needs to have the same importance as other subjects.
“I am pleased that the Shadow Education Secretary, Tristram Hunt has agreed that Labour will make age-appropriate sex and relationship education compulsory in all state schools.”
The Committee’s recommendations include:
·     The Department for Education developing a ‘work plan’ for introducing age-appropriate PSHE and SRE as statutory subjects in primary and secondary schools.
·     The Government endorsing and publishing updated guidance on SRE from subject specialists.
·     Ofsted resuming regular surveys of PSHE provision.
·     Schools consulting regularly with parents on SRE provision, with parents retaining the right to withdraw their child.
·     SRE to be renamed Relationships and Sex Education.
Vera Baird said the recommendations were to be welcomed, but added that she hoped parents would see the long term value of SRE and not withdraw their children from such lessons.

Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner is asking for the views of local residents on the amount of money households are asked to pay for its policing service.

“As your Commissioner I have to set the police precept – the amount everyone pays directly for policing on their Council Tax bill – and I want to ask your views about whether I should increase the precept this year?” the Commissioner Vera Baird said.

The maximum amount it can be raised by without a costly referendum is 1.99% which would bring in an additional £630,000 a year for policing in Northumbria.

Currently someone living in a Band D property pays £1.67 per week in council tax for their police service – most residents living in Northumbria have a council tax Band A property and so only pay £1.11 per week.

The rise would mean a Band D property owner would pay an extra 3p a week to £1.70. For those living in a Band A  property the increase would be an extra 2p a week bringing the cost up to £1.13.

An alternative to this is to increase the precept by 1.5% which would increase a Band D payment by 2p a week to £1.69p bringing an extra £470,000 each year for policing in Northumbria. The Band A payment increase would be less than 2p a week and just under £1.13 a week.

The third option would be to have no precept increase and accept a freeze grant from the Government of £389,000. However, this grant would only be paid this year and as the precept would remain the same, it would have to be looked at again next year

The Commissioner said: “Our force has suffered tremendously from Government cuts to grants with £45.8m lost in the past four years and a further £11.8m lost this year.

“These cuts have had a more serious effect than if we raised more of our funding through the council tax and the financial challenge the force faces now is its worst, though the Chief Constable and I are doing our very best to preserve the high standards of policing that we are used to here.”

Northumbria Police currently has the lowest police precept of all the 43 police forces in England and Wales, the average across the country being £3.30 per week.

Vera Baird said: “We need every penny we can get and I’m asking if people would be content to pay a maximum increase of 3p a week on a Band D property to protect our local policing. I want to hear what local residents think is best for Northumbria.”

To take part in the very short on line survey/consultation, which takes less than a minute to complete and is open until 31 January 2015, go to: www.surveymonkey.com/r/policeprecept