The ‘Big Society’ localism bill is smokescreen for thousands of job
cuts, says Unite
13 December 2010
The localism bill, promoting the ‘Big Society’ concept, is a
smokescreen, so that thousands of local government jobs can be
axed, Unite, the largest union in the country, said today (Monday
13 December).
Unite, which has 250,000 members in the public sector, said that
the bill which heralds severe cuts to local authority spending,
while at the same time expecting local people to run libraries,
post offices and community centres, had ‘incompatible aims and was
intellectually incoherent’.
Unite general secretary-elect, Len McCluskey, said: ”It is not
possible have cuts to local government - amounting to 28 per cent
over four years - and then expect people and organisations in their
areas suddenly to have the inclination, expertise and cash to
take-over the running of local government which has taken over a
century to develop the range of services it now offers.
”The ‘ Big Society’ is a smokescreen – a David Cameron vision of
a 1950s Britain that never existed – which actually will mean an
estimated 140,000 job losses in the next year. There has been no
sensible explanation as to why this 28 per cent must be
front-loaded.
”You need strong and efficient local government to provide the
joined-up services that communities across the country need and
expect – the last thing you need is this dog’s breakfast.
”The coalition is using the Orwellian language of 1984 to
promote localism as the panacea of all ills, when, in reality, it
is a grim cuts agenda being imposed from Whitehall.
”This new ‘localism’ is a façade hiding job losses; cuts for
services to families and children; and funding inequalities. Under
the coalition’s new funding formula, wealthy Tory areas, such as
Tunbridge Wells, will receive large increases and deprived areas,
such as Liverpool and Sunderland, will see a swingeing cut in their
grant.“
ENDS
Notes to news editors: For further information, please contact
Unite communications officer, Shaun Noble on 07768 693940
Leaked information to the Local Government Chronicle about how
this cut would be split between different councils has shown that
the councils worst hit over the four year settlement include
Hastings borough council, Burnley borough council, Blackburn with
Darwen borough council, Hull City Council, Barrow-in-Furness
borough council and Hartlepool - all in the top 10 per cent most
deprived councils in the county, according to the 2007 Indices of
Multiple Deprivation - as well as Liverpool city council, the most
deprived local authority in England.
A handful of district councils in the south-east, including
South Cambridgeshire district council and West Oxfordshire district
council - two of the least deprived councils in the country - could
see an increase of up to 37 per cent in their funding.
This is a consequence of funding previously ring-fenced for
deprived authorities being rolled into the overall grant.
Examples given of the scale of cuts include:
In brackets = 2007 Indices of Multiple Deprivation Rank, where
1= most deprived and 354= least deprived.
25-37 per cent increase: South Cambridgeshire
DC (350); West Oxfordshire DC (349); Tunbridge Wells DC (273);
Uttlesford DC (347); Reigate & Banstead DC (322); Dartford DC
(186); Harborough DC (344)
25-29 per cent reduction: Burnley BC (21);
Bolsover DC (55); South Tyneside MBC (38); Hartlepool BC (23);
Blackburn with Darwen BC (17); Copeland BC (78); Liverpool City
Council (1); Sefton MBC (83); Doncaster MBC (41); North East
Lincolnshire Council (49); Sunderland City Council (35); Hull City
Council (11);Blackpool BC (12); Wolverhampton City Council (28)
30-38 per cent reduction: Barrow-in-Furness BC
(29); Lancaster City Council (117); Hastings BC (31); Great
Yarmouth BC (58); Pendle BC (44); Hyndburn BC (40)
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