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Issues in local government
The local government financial settlement is beginning
to have an impact on local services. There have already been problems
in some councils and the next year will see most making real cuts
in jobs and services.
The key issues for local campaigns will be:
- Job cuts
- Vacancy freezes
- Service closures
- Increased outsourcing/Shared services
- Increased charges for services
- Increased rents
- Increased focus on absence management
Politicians at all levels will argue that they don’t have
enough money and that this is not a result of their decision but
of “global forces” or a different level of government.
We must not allow the “a big boy did it and ran away”
defence. Politicians at all levels have the power to improve the
situation for local government.
UNISON will campaign at all levels for them to take action to
support service delivery.
UNISON will continue to lobby the UK Government to support public
spending as the best route out of this recession.
The Scottish Government is blaming the settlement from the UK
and using the figure of £500m cuts in the future as their
excuse. This possible cut has no impact on current funding levels.
While the rate of increase in public spending has slowed the
Scottish Government has had the highest settlement since devolution.
They have made spending decisions based on their priorities that
are having a current impact on the money available to local government.
The decisions to freeze the council tax and cut business rates
mean that there is less money available to pay for local services.
They have made a big deal out of ending ring-fencing but
this does not make more money available.
While UNISON supports the principle of local government having
more control this only works if there is enough money in total
to meet demands.
The services listed below are no longer ring-fenced, and may
therefore be vulnerable to cuts.
Services which are no longer ringfenced
Justice
- Antisocial behaviour
- Community Safety partnership
- Police capital grant
Health & Wellbeing
- Mental health
- Children’s services - women’s aid fund
- Homelessness task force
- Furniture grant resource
- Glasgow hostels decommissioning
- Private landlord registration
- Supporting people
- Violence against women fund
- Delayed discharge
- Accommodation for sex offenders
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Education & lifelong
learning
- National priorities action fund
- Social work training
- Languages grant
- Educ. attainment for looked after children
- Changing children’s services fund
- Specialist provision programme - centre of excellence
- Children’s legal representation grant scheme
- School estate/PPP
- Early years and childcare workforce development
- Fostering services
- Adoption
- Youth work
- Schools fund
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Finance & sustainable
growth
- Demand responsive transport grant
- Rural public passenger bus route development
- School travel coordinators
- Efficiency and reform fund
- Piers and harbours
- Public transport fund and integrated transport fund
Rural affairs and the environment
- Strategic waste fund
- Anti social behaviour noise grant scheme
- Air quality monitoring
- Flood prevention and coastal protection grant
- Contaminated land
- Strategic waste fund
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This is an overview of the key issues. Branches
have the information on the local plans which will enable them
to develop a local response to the cuts.
Page updated: 5 February 2010
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