Apologies this post should have appeared before Xmas, but it still remains pertinent and is supplemented by further news from Oxfordshire.

Doug Nicholls informs us a number of supportive initiatives being pushed by CYWU [UNITE]. We appreciate this level of energy and commitment.

UNITE has set up 11 new regional youth committees and will be holding a youth conference in February. Doug has spoken to the national officer responsible for this development, who has agreed that we can send some youth workers to speak on the Campaign to the national event.  He has also persuaded the General Federation of Trade Unions [GFTU] to hold a youth conference on February 18^th , where our In Defence argument will be circulated. It is hoped too that  next GFTU Executive  will discuss and lend their support to the Campaign.

Unfortunately too Doug draws our attention to the worsening situation in Oxfordshire, already infamous for its underspending on youth provision, where the council is proposing devastating cuts – see the Oxford Mail article.

We are grateful as well to Michael How for the link to Council unveils new phase of ambitious efficiency plans

I must say that this press release is chilling evidence of the mind-set of the ‘new managerial’ caste, both bureaucrats and politicians. Ninety million pounds of cuts are hailed as Oxfordshire County Council unveiling the second phase of its ambitious strategy to deliver more efficient services and greater value for money to residents. The Leader of the Council announces that we have been using this as an opportunity to re-evaluate radically how we work, strip out the things we don’t need, become leaner and more efficient and deliver world-class services in which every Oxfordshire pound is working as hard as possible for residents.”

‘Leaner, efficient world class services’ – you wonder how they don’t puke on the vomit of their weary clichés. And it starts to be Pythonesque when you envisage eager Pound notes running round delivering meals on wheels, collecting the rubbish and putting out fires. And here I am naively thinking that it is council workers, who do their damnedest against the odds to deliver services.