Union calls on councils to stop the cuts

Carmarthenshire Council Unison branch has again called on councillors in the Plaid-led council to set a legal no-cuts budget for 2020-21 and slammed the “sham consultation” which has given Carmarthenshire people the choice of cuts or more cuts.

The union points out that the devastating effects of the cuts in the county – “The impact of the council … implementing serious and damaging Tory cuts is there for all to see. Employees are suffering increased stress levels and mental health problems due to pressure of work and fear of losing their jobs. The public and employees are suffering through cuts to services, significantly increased council tax payments and deterioration in their quality of life.”

“We make no excuses for again calling on Carmarthenshire County Council to set a legal no cuts budget. We have consistently argued for this as a means to maintain services rather than passing on cuts to employees who suffer a double whammy of job losses or increased pressure in work and cuts and increased council tax as a resident of Carmarthenshire.”

The branch instead proposes a no-cuts budget based on increasing the General Fund Unsupported Borrowing. “It seems that the council can always find money for high profile or pet projects but they refuse to find (borrow) the money to maintain vital services and avoid increased charges.”

The union accepts that such a measure would only give the council a one year respite from the cuts but believes that such a defiant measure could be used to launch a campaign with other local authorities and the Welsh government to force the Tories to truly ‘end austerity’.

“We call on Councillors to vote ‘no’ to cuts and to call on other councils and the Welsh Assembly in Wales to join the fight against cuts and to build mass opposition with the trade unions, anti-cuts campaigners and the public that will force or encourage this Tory government to provide relief funding to Carmarthenshire and other local authorities that have had to deplete their reserves and adopt the temporary one off budget-balancing measures above to maintain vital public services.”

It points out that the councillors have to make a political choice: “whether to fight the cuts or to ring your hands and say there’s nothing you can do”.

But the union branch warns its members that if the consultation organised by the council is anything to go by then it is clear that the cabinet is hell-bent on continuing its cuts. It slams the “consultation” conducted by the council leadership.

“There is no mention in the online public consultation on the budget 2020-2023 about cuts the council is proposing to make. For the word cuts has been substituted the words efficiencies and savings. This is nothing less than smoke and mirrors in an attempt to hoodwink the public that if they agree to a proposal they think they are making savings or efficiencies when in the vast majority of cases they would be agreeing to cuts.”