29 October 2007
Wales’ 22 leaders have made a strong call upon the Assembly Government to ensure that sufficient funding is made available for councils to protect their front line services.
During an all-Wales discussion on the Assembly Government’s Budget which will be published within the next two weeks, Cllr Derek Vaughan (Neath Port Talbot), WLGA Leader said:
“The growth of Welsh public expenditure is set to be the lowest since the establishment of the Welsh Assembly Government. In these circumstances, what matters most to the people of Wales is the protection of their local services from schools, care services for older people, waste management services to improving the quality of social housing and ensuring that affordable housing is available.”
“Every council wants to deliver better services for their communities and whilst we are showing that we can achieve this through making efficiencies and improving the quality of our service provision, there is only so much we can squeeze from the system. The reality is that we are facing some of our most difficult financial challenges and minimising the impact on the public is becoming increasingly difficult.”
“The Welsh Assembly Government is re-shaping local hospital services with more people receiving care services in their home. The forthcoming Budget must follow this policy for local government with greater resources made available for social care.”
“The WLGA will be seeking an urgent meeting with the Welsh Assembly Government in advance of the publication of the Budget to make a strong case for adequate funding for local government to meet the needs of local communities.”
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For more information contact: Natasha Weeks