UNISON reaction to today’s Local Government statement
Commenting on today’s statement by Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government Mark Drakeford AM, UNISON’s Dominic MacAskill said,
“After ten years of speculation, council workers and our communities need to know what the future of local government will look like in Wales. They want the assurance that councils will have the ability to deliver quality public services with a directly employed workforce and that people will have a democratic say over how services are provided.
“We welcome Mark Drakeford’s acknowledgement of how hard our public servants have been working. The requirement for councils to share expertise should lead to efficiency savings and ensure that community services are sustainable. It is sensible too, for any regional shared services to operate on the same boundaries as health boards.
“Financial savings achieved by authorities co-operating however, is not enough on its own to stave off the pressures of the Tories brutal austerity. We urgently need fairer funding for Wales and investment in our vital public services. This would help tackle poverty and inequality and make the country a healthier and fairer place to live.”
