Our money to unions?

In today's Whitehaven News, J. Bush from Cleator wrote an open letter to Copeland Borough Council regarding the 2012 budget and their cost cutting consultation exercise. For me, the letter raises some very interesting questions about ethics.

During a question and answer session at Egremont,  a member of the public asked how much the council gave in funding to Trade Unions. Ms. Stannard, who was representing the council confirmed that money is given, but couldn't answer how much - the response was that funding was on a par with the rest of the country.


The council consultation period ends at the end of January - we can expect to see cuts in services, increases in charges and possible job cuts. I've approached Copeland Council twice myself this morning via Twitter, and have not received a reply in relation to how much money has passed between themselves and unions - the resident Copeland Tweeter was online, but it appears that my question was ignored.

If council services are to be cut, surely this is one of the services than can be cut - unions receive substantial funding from Union membership. I, myself am a union member, and was unaware of this situation - I'm also unhappy that I'm paying my dues twice.

Question - What influence do unions have over Copeland Council? Considering the fact that the Council is primarily run by Labour councillors, is it wise to have money passing between two organisations that are intrinsically linked?

Answer - Labour councillors are chosen by union membership. It is not wise for councillors to transfer OUR money to unions from council coffers. By doing so, it could lead to a conflict of interest, and could suggest that things are not as transparent as they should be.

Posted in: Failure,News