It’s hard to think of many jobs more important than providing care for our loved ones when they need it most. Yet for too long care workers have struggled by on poverty wages. In Islington, we’re determined to change that.
At last night’s Executive meeting, we took the first step by agreeing a procurement strategy for the Council’s existing Domiciliary Care Service contracts which expire in March 2014. Any new contracts will include a requirement to pay the Living Wage and we’ve pledged funding in our 2013-14 budget to help make this happen. Everyone deserves a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work and, while change doesn’t happen overnight, I’m proud that Islington is once again leading the way on this important issue.
We all hope we won’t need to call on the emergency services, but if we do we want to know our brave fire fighters will be there quickly. Instead, Clerkenwell and Kingsland fire stations, which both provide vital cover for businesses and residents in Islington, are threatened with closure under the Mayor of London’s plan to cut £45.4 million from the London Fire Brigade over two years.
All Islington’s Councillors are united against these plans, proposed without any prior assessment of safety risk, as we’re extremely concerned that losing these fire stations would affect cover and response times for Islington. Please join me in writing to the Mayor of London, Greater London Authority, City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA or emailing mayor@london.gov.uk in support of our campaign to keep Clerkenwell and Kingsland fire stations open.



