I am delighted that Watford Council unanimously adopted the Co-operative Party’s Charter Against Modern Slavery at its Full Council meeting on Tuesday.

Tackling the scourge of modern slavery is rightly something all political parties can agree on, and I was extremely pleased to see that the motion in support of the Charter was agreed unanimously. The Charter seeks to eliminate modern slavery from council supply chains, which accounts for an estimated annual expenditure on goods and services of £40 billion.

There are over 5,000 large UK registered companies breaking the law by not publishing a modern slavery statement according to TISC (an organisation which maintains a public database).

By agreeing to adopt the Charter, Watford Council has joined over 80 other councils adding pressure to companies to do the right thing and publish a modern slavery statement.

I would like to put on record my thanks to Labour Party Councillor Asif Khan – in particular – for making sure this issue was addressed by Watford Council.

John Dowdle

Chair

St Albans, Watford and South Herts Co-op Party