Wales Green Party has written an open letter to Councillors in Wales in the wake of the draft budget and the prospect of real terms cuts to local government. The Party empathises with the prospect of five more years of cuts, but urges Councillors not to keep opting for the same old quick fixes that have failed Welsh communities.
Instead of using outsourcing firms or global consultants Wales Green Party pleads with Councillorsto engage with their communities, listen to residents, and protect the most vulnerable.
Wales Green Party Leader, Alice Hooker-Stroud, said:
"I sympathise with the challenges faced by our Councils right now. We're suffering from Westminster's austerity ideology, a poor deal given to the Welsh Government, and real terms cuts to Council budgets. But that's no excuse for wasting public money on profit-driven consultants, selling off our valuable assets, or for not genuinely representing your community."
Councillor Gwynfor Edwards, who recently defected from Labour to become Wales' first Green Councillor said:
"Yes, times are tough for Councils. We can't bury our heads in the sand, or rely on others to make decisions for us. I've worked hard to propose innovative solutions to cuts, and to engage with as many of my community in Deiniol as possible. I'd urge my fellow Councillors to do the same."
Full letter text:
Dear Councillors
We know it's been another tough week for you. Well, it's been a tough year, a tough term for you. We know when you became a Councillor you thought you'd make a positive difference, improving our public services and improving the lives of those around you. You knew it would be hard, but no one could have foreseen just how painful it was going to be. We know you didn't become a Councillor to see schools, social care provision and libraries being closed all around you.
This week you might have felt a shred of relief when you first read the Welsh Government's draft budget. But now you're realising that 'no further local government cuts' actually means 'further local government cuts'. You're already faced with a mammoth challenge of implementing existing cuts, and you know that many planned initiatives are under threat due to the looming EU funding withdrawal. The failure to take inflation into account, guaranteeing a real terms budget cut compared to last year, is really kicking you when you're down.
But we need you to face up to the challenge. We need smart and efficient cost savings that don't hit the most vulnerable in our communities. Now is not the time for snoozing in meetings. It's not the time for long lunches and social events. Or for being compromised by party loyalty. It's not the time for taking shortcuts, handing over valuable publicly owned assets to the private sector under the guise of protecting them. And it's certainly not the time to be paying global consultancies with questionable ethics tens of thousands of pounds to do your job for you.
It's time to listen to your residents. To attend every public meeting and consultation. To genuinely represent your community. And to start thinking creatively. You can't blame 'the Council' for decisions that are made. Cabinet member or not, you are the Council, and you're all we've got. Make your decisions based on the needs of the most vulnerable. And if you're in need of some fresh ideas, give your local Green Party a call.
There are going to be hard choices ahead. But remember why you got into this in the first place, and talk to the people that you represent. You must do your utmost to protect our public services. Whilst transferring our assets to private companies might seem like an easy win, you're removing any chance of democratic oversight. Use every skill you have to get your Council to work more efficiently and smarter, but don't, whatever you do, pick up the phone to PricewaterhouseCoopers again.
With best wishes
Wales Green Party