Mike Hedges AM, Petitions committee receives the petition from members of our Neath Port Talbot branch
Workers employed by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council have today (Tuesday) delivered a petition to the Welsh Assembly, warning public services in the authority are at breaking point.
UNISON’s Neath Port Talbot (NPT) branch organised the petition to highlight the damage being wrought by severe UK government spending cuts on local services. The trade union says the council faces further drastic cuts in funding, projected to be over £100 million by 2020.
UNISON Neath Port Talbot branch is appealing to the Welsh government to come to the aid of their local authority and all councils across Wales with fairer funding.
Mark Fisher, UNISON Neath Port Talbot branch chair said
“UNISON has been warning that quality public services are at risk as a result of UK government led austerity cuts.
“Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council is in a desperate situation, as are all local authorities in Wales.
“Our local community will be scarred by the projected further £100million of cuts and we urgently need the Welsh government to provide councils with fairer funding. Without this extra funding, councils will be looking at how to save money, potentially threatening non-statutory services and jobs.”
Last month UNISON gathered local MPs, AMs and councillors at the NPT Civic Centre, Port Talbot for a ‘Stop Taking our Public Services’ event so the politicians could hear from employees of the local authority about the dire situation.
Notes for editors
- Photos from today’s event are available here
- The ‘Stop Taking our Public Services’in Port Talbot Civic Council Chamber was held on Friday 21 September 2018 with Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Christina Rees MP, Stephen Kinnock MP Counsel General Jeremy Miles AM, David Rees AM, Bethan Sayed AM and local councillors
- Social media hashtags for this campaign – #fairfundingNPT #extinctNPT
Contact
Alastair Gittins, UNISON Press Officer on 07816 538397
Mark Fisher UNISON Branch Chair on 07971 255130
