Camden Council convened on Monday, 17 November 2025, and heard a deputation from UNISON raising concerns about the pay and workload of school support staff, particularly those at Richard Cobden School. The meeting also included a themed debate on child poverty, introduced by Councillor Camron Aref-Adib, Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living, as noted in the agenda.
Liz Wheatley, who led the UNISON deputation, emphasised the vital role support staff play in schools and their contribution to combating child poverty. The deputation comes as support staff at Richard Cobden School are preparing for a second round of strike action from 18-21 November, primarily due to low pay and high workloads.
So many of the actions are carried out by our members here, the support staff in schools,
Ms Wheatley said, referring to the council's paper on child poverty. We know that they are the invisible workers – and as well as being unseen, they are also under-paid. If the Council wants to make those changes, they need to also make changes to how the staff involved are treated and paid.
UNISON is campaigning alongside the NEU about school funding, but Ms Wheatley stated that underpaying staff is not the solution. The deputation also raised concerns that staff at Richard Cobden School are paid less than those doing the same jobs at other Camden schools, such as Hawley Infant School and Gospel Oak Primary School.
The support staff are striking primarily about low pay and the level of work they are expected to do for that pay. The UNISON deputation will raise the issue of low pay for staff at Richard Cobden School, noting that people doing the same job in some other Camden schools like Hawley Infant School and Gospel Oak Primary School are paid more.
The deputation requested that councillors hear why these council workers are in dispute and taking strike action, and have a chance to ask questions about the role that they play in a school, as well as what could resolve the dispute.