Scottish public services at risk and key to constitution
debate
by Chris Bartter
The Scottish Government is in danger
of presiding over a range of cuts in Scottish public
services under the guise of so-called efficiency savings.
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Matt Smith
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Matt Smith, UNISON Scottish Secretary
told the STUC that the debate around the constitution
will centre on the importance of Scotland's public
services.
Matt was backed up by Harry Donaldson,
Scottish Secretary of the GMB union who seconded the
motion warning that public sector reform must not
undermine essential services.
Matt said "To achieve the Scottish
Government's budget projections, the level of efficiency
savings has already been increased by 33% - from 1.5%
to 2%. However this easy-looking solution to funding
shortages is often based on false assumptions about
paper savings and the claim that this can somehow
be achieved at no cost to the service or those providing
it."
Whilst Matt welcomed many recent positive
policies - such as opposition to much privatisation,
and guarantees of no compulsory redundancies - he
listed areas that were beginning to be threatened.
Areas across the range of public services from local
government to the voluntary sector.
"We are concerned that reductions
in business tax and an urge to freeze council tax,
are starving local authorities of much needed revenue."
He said, "The impact goes beyond local government,
threatened by cuts and huge outsourcing of services
in the largest local authority - Glasgow City, and
we can see that a heavy price is being paid by our
voluntary sector, which faces the threat of second
stage tendering and the absence of full cost recovery."
He also suggested that this debate would
become a key factor in the ongoing debate over the
constitution.
"Public services are at the heart
of the work of the Scottish Parliament. In the future
we will be discussing the type of Scotland we want,
and the powers our Parliament requires. Within this
debate will emerge the importance of our public services
and the people who provide them."
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