At the Officer Key Decision meeting on 15 April 2025, Jason Strelitz, Corporate Director of Adults & Health, considered proposals regarding annual leave and sickness terms and conditions for Juniper Ventures. The decision was made to call in the item for further discussion.

Juniper Ventures - Proposals on Annual Leave and Sickness Terms and Conditions

The decision regarding proposals on annual leave and sickness terms and conditions for Juniper Ventures, the council’s wholly-owned Local Authority Trading Company (LATCo) for school education cleaning and catering, was called in. This means that the decision will be reviewed and discussed further.

The proposals involve changes to annual leave and sick pay provision for Juniper employees. These changes are intended to help the company be more competitive when bidding for contracts in schools. According to the Public reports pack 15th-Apr-2025 Officer Key Decision, a significant number of Juniper-held contracts in Newham went out to tender in 2024/25, with more at risk in 2025/26.

Juniper Ventures sells its services to schools, who pay for these services from their budgets. The report notes that education business is not commissioned by the council, and the company must hold all of its school business in the marketplace. Schools are facing budget pressures due to rising costs, inadequate funding increases, higher demand for SEND¹ and safeguarding, and the impacts of COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis.

The proposals have been developed in dialogue with recognised unions and are designed to ensure that the number of workers receiving better terms and conditions is maximised by the retention and growth of business. The company says that any proposals brought forward will continue to be at an enhanced level to the industry standard on sick pay and holiday.

The report Juniper Ventures Proposals on Annual Leave and Sickness Terms and Conditions argues that having a Local Authority controlled education catering and cleaning service in Newham is a key tool in delivering on key priorities including children’s health, a Just Transition on climate and Community Wealth Building².

The survival and continued success of Juniper has positive implications for a range of stakeholders including the workforce, the Council, unions, local suppliers, schools and students.

The company is not permitted to make money on school meals in Newham, and all meals meet not just the school meals standard but are Soil Association bronze certified. Juniper also pays industry-leading terms and conditions built around London Living Wage³ and the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)⁴. 83% of the Juniper workforce are local residents.

The report also claims that Juniper is an industry leader on low per plate carbon food and sustainability, and uses a range of local suppliers, feeding directly and significantly into the north-east London economy.

The report considered the alternative option of not permitting the company to present proposals to the workforce or take forward any agreement with staff and unions, but rejected it on the grounds that the company would continue to lose market share and become unviable. It argued that if Juniper were gone, all currently employed team members would likely see their terms, conditions, and pensions eroded to the statutory minimum under private contractors, and trade union recognition would likely be lost.

The report states that the proposals align with the council's policies and priorities, including Community Wealth Building and Just Transition.

Appendices to the report, including notes of meetings and briefing papers to unions, Juniper Board briefing papers, financial and legal briefings, an Equalities Impact Assessment (EQiA), and confirmation of support from the largest union, are exempt from publication due to commercial confidentiality.

Consultations were held with Councillor Neil Wilson, Cabinet Member for Health & Adult Social, Councillor Sarah Ruiz, Statutory Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Environment, Sustainable Transport, Children Services and Education, Councillor Zulfiqar Ali, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, and Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE.