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| 27/02/2009 |
Cutbacks at South Ribble Council will do nothing to help the Local Economy |
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Responding to the recent press coverage of the current financial position at South Ribble Borough Council, Frank Hont, UNISON North West Regional Secretary said "The Councils decision to make drastic budget cuts of over £2 million will have serious consequences for the residents and business community in South Ribble. Their decision not to recommend increasing the council tax to the level suggested by the Local Government Association, or by not making more use of their reserves, will inevitably lead to a deterioration of services and job losses as budgets are cut. These cuts will also affect local businesses as less money is spent within the local community, at a time when the credit crunch is already having a serious effect on the high street."
UNISON understands the financial pressures on the Local Authority and our members have worked with management over the last 3 years to deliver efficiency savings of £2.4 million against a Government target of £1 million. These savings have seen staffing levels reduced and efficiencies made across the Authority.
Our members are proud of the service they provide to residents and the business community in South Ribble and we will fight to continue to offer good value for money, but cannot maintain current service levels on the back of such radical budget cuts.
South Ribble residents may feel assured by the words of the politicians who claim that "Our budget this year aims to maintain the quality of the services our residents value the most". UNISON contends that the stark reality is that despite what the elected members are telling the electorate, there is likely to be a detrimental impact on service delivery in areas such as pest control, food safety, street cleaning and parks.
Figures have been circulating in the media in recent weeks about salary levels among Council employees which are misleading. It is true there are some very attractive salaries paid to the 12 employees that make up the senior and corporate Management Teams. The reality for the vast majority of UNISON members, those employees who actually provide front line public services, is that they earn much less. Almost half of our members earn less than £20k a year with no opportunity to acieve the £25k figure quoted in recent publicity.
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CONTACT DETAILS
• To find out more about membership benefits contact our helpline, UNISONdirect on 0845 355 0845. Lines are open 6am-midnight Mon to Fri and 9am-4pm Sat.
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