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 |
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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