14 November 2007
The Assembly Government’s provisional settlement for Wales’ councils is appalling and will mean cuts to front-line services.
Responding to the Welsh Assembly Government’s provisional local government settlement published today, Cllr Derek Vaughan (Neath Port Talbot), WLGA Leader said:
“Today’s local government settlement figure is totally inadequate and will make it impossible for councils to maintain vital front-line services, in particular education and social care without making cuts.”
“Every council across Wales wants to protect their frontline services and their main concern is to minimise the impact on the public. The draft budget will not allow us to do that. Unless the Assembly Government can find some way to increase the funding to local councils then we are going to see sharp increases in council tax across Wales, possible job losses and cuts to key front-line services such as schools, roads and social care. ”
“The Assembly Government seems to think that council tax payers are the solution to their budgetary problems – they can’t balance the books, so the people of Wales are expected to cough up.”
Cllr Meryl Gravell (Carmarthenshire), WLGA Spokesperson for Social Services added:
“The facts are that increases in the revenue settlement will not cover inflationary pressures. The 2.2% average increase does not even meet the wage bill and doesn’t address growing pressures, such as an ageing population. Furthermore, this settlement departs from the agreed pressures identified jointly with the Assembly Government through our consultative process. This showed that local government needed an extra £230m but has ended up woefully short with £85m.”
“Ministers are arguing that with specific grants on top, this represents an extra 3.2% for councils. This is a smokescreen. All the big pressures in terms of social care, education and street scene come from the 2.2% RSG increase. Specific grants merely cover new Welsh Assembly Government initiatives, not maintaining existing core services.”
“It saddens me to say that for local government and for social services in particular, this settlement has failed to protect the most vulnerable people of Wales. The Assembly Government is in danger of turning in on itself, becoming too embroiled in the historical devolution project and missing the real world of Wales’ communities.”
For more information contact: Natasha Weeks