UNISON Cymru Wales regional secretary Tanya Palmer. Photo credit: Natasha Hirst
Figures released by UNISON today (Tuesday) show local services in Pembrokeshire are shrinking as a direct result of severe spending cuts driven by Westminster.
Over the past nine years Pembrokeshire County Council has lost 732 jobs since 2010, equivalent to 12 per cent of its total staff, says UNISON.
Many of the people who have lost their jobs are low-paid women working as school support staff who live locally. The union is concerned that almost a decade of Conservative spending cuts in London are undermining the quality of public services across Wales.
UNISON has accused Conservative Preseli Pembrokeshire candidate, Stephen Crabb, of a failure to represent local people with his consistent support for spending cuts.
Tanya Palmer, UNISON regional secretary said: “Local services are disappearing in Pembrokeshire as a direct result of spending decisions Stephen Crabb’s Conservative party took. Yet the demand for local public services is rising as Wales’ population grows.
“It is only thanks to the dedication of remaining council workers going beyond the call every single day that local services are functioning at all.
“Stephen Crabb’s party forced those same workers to endure eight years of pay freezes and pay caps, which squeezed the family budgets of thousands of Pembrokeshire families.
“Investment in local services and the public service workforce is absolutely crucial if we are to make our communities healthy, pleasant places and lift people out of poverty.”
Notes for editors
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According to the ONS Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey 28,100 council jobs were lost between Q1 2010 and Q1 2018 including youth workers, librarians, care workers, leisure centre staff, highways maintenance workers, social workers and environmental health inspectors.
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The loss of 732 jobs in Pembrokeshire is equivalent to 11.98 per cent of the 2010 total number of staff
Local Authority |
Headcount Q1 2010 |
Headcount Q1 2018 |
Change Q1 2010 to Q1 2018 |
Pembrokeshire |
6,110 |
5,378 |
-732 |
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Since 2010, the UK government has starved the Welsh government and Welsh councils of money and Welsh council has not kept pace with inflation.
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Council spending rose from £7.64bn in 2010/11 to £8bn in 2017/18. In 2017/18, it would have been £1.02bn higher (£9.02bn) if it had kept pace with consumer price index (CPI) since 2010/11 and £1.59bn higher (£9.59bn) if it had kept pace with retail price index (RPI)
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Demand for public services is rising as the population increases. In 2011, the population in Wales was 3.06m. By 2016, this had risen to 3.113m and it is projected to rise to 3.173m by 2021
Contact:
Alastair Gittins, UNISON press officer on 07816 538397