UNISON’s membership database does not have monitoring information on a large number of its members. UNISON’s membership forms do not ask members to in these areas with the exception of ethnicity. However, this means that branches find it harder to send targeted information about self -organisation for any particular SOG and thus struggle to maintain SOGs or even set them up. Conference also believes it is also important to examine alternative organising approaches for Young Members. Conference therefore instructs the National Executive Council to: Send branch secretary and regional SOG Committee and Young Members Forum guidance on alternative ways to support branch self organisation; Promote SOG and Young Member Officer training in each region; Consider how branches can be supported to encourage more members’ to declare their ethnicity and other SOG monitoring information, and use to update the RMS; ‘MyUNISON’ Ensure that swift progress is made towards enabling members to identify whether they identify as disabled via and for branches to register this ‘MyUNISON’ through WARMS; Work with each National SOG Committee and Young Members Forum, in partnership with Regional SOG Committees and Young Members Forums, to report annually on branch self-organisation within each region and report progress to branches. B. Housing Crisis Carried Conference notes that the UK faces an acute housing shortage, particularly in the South East of England, but also impacting in a significant way on many other parts of the country. This has led to rising housing costs which are unaffordable to many, leading to both housing and social problems: 1) House prices in the South East are the highest outside of London. Average homes cost £312,242, nearly 11 times the average salary; 2) Across the UK fewer affordable homes, such as social homes, are being built at a time when housing demand far outstrips supply; this is fuelling prices which are set to rise by an average of 6% nationally; 3) There is a lack of genuinely affordable housing. Tens of thousands of households live in overcrowded accommodation. Thousands of families are housed in temporary accommodation; 4) It is estimated that there were 310,000 first-time buyers last year in England, down 0.5% on the previous year, and the average first-time buyers’ deposit rose 13% to
UNISON’s membership database does not have monitoring information on a large number of its members. UNISON’s membership forms do not ask members to in these areas with the exception of ethnicity. However, this means that branches find it harder to send targeted information about self -organisation for any particular SOG and thus struggle to maintain SOGs or even set them up. Conference also believes it is also important to examine alternative organising approaches for Young Members. Conference therefore instructs the National Executive Council to: Send branch secretary and regional SOG Committee and Young Members Forum guidance on alternative ways to support branch self organisation; Promote SOG and Young Member Officer training in each region; Consider how branches can be supported to encourage more members’ to declare their ethnicity and other SOG monitoring information, and use ‘MyUNISON’ to update the RMS; Ensure that swift progress is made towards enabling members to identify whether they identify as disabled via ‘MyUNISON’ and for branches to register this through WARMS; Work with each National SOG Committee and Young Members Forum, in partnership with Regional SOG Committees and Young Members Forums, to report annually on branch self-organisation within each region and report progress to branches. B. Housing Crisis Carried Conference notes that the UK faces an acute housing shortage, particularly in the South East of England, but also impacting in a significant way on many other parts of the country. This has led to rising housing costs which are unaffordable to many, leading to both housing and social problems: 1) House prices in the South East are the highest outside of London. Average homes cost £312,242, nearly 11 times the average salary; 2) Across the UK fewer affordable homes, such as social homes, are being built at a time when housing demand far outstrips supply; this is fuelling prices which are set to rise by an average of 6% nationally; 3) There is a lack of genuinely affordable housing. Tens of thousands of households live in overcrowded accommodation. Thousands of families are housed in temporary accommodation; 4) It is estimated that there were 310,000 first-time buyers last year in England, down 0.5% on the previous year, and the average first-time buyers’ deposit rose 13% to
2016-National-Delegate-Conference_Decisions_Booklet.docx