COUNCILS in the region are paying out more than £1 million a year to staff who work full time on trade union business, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Unions chiefs and council bosses have defended the roles, saying staff have the right to union representation – and it is more effective and convenient to have permanent union reps based in town halls.

But critics have questioned why cash-strapped councils are funding union reps when vital services are being axed.

Reported by the Northern Echo. You can read the full story here. 

Matthew Burgess
http://www.mattburgess.co
I am a journalist and author. I am a journalist at the UK edition of WIRED magazine. In 2015, my first book Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for UK Journalists, was published. My second book Reed Hastings: Building Netflix, was published in March 2020. I created FOI Directory in 2012 and have maintained it in my spare time ever since.