Frontline workers spell out the grim reality of cuts to council spending in Scotland
Communities have been left to go to ruin while public wellbeing is put at risk by brutal cuts to council spending.
A grim picture has been painted of overcrowded families living in mouldy properties, fly-tipping being left for weeks, increasing rodent populations, cars damaged by huge potholes, and vulnerable children, young people and adults not getting the help and support they need.
These were some of the examples of cuts-caused neglect given by local government employees in response to a survey by the Unison the union.
It polled more than 2,000 workers across Scotland, with the findings revealing that almost eight in ten (78%) have no confidence in the future of local services, and half are thinking of leaving their jobs for less stressful work elsewhere.
The survey reveals that 68% say residents don’t receive help and support when they need it, and 51% are not confident vulnerable residents are safe and cared for.
An overwhelming 82% of respondents admitted cuts have had a negative impact on their ability to do their job as well as they can.
Unison said the financial settlement for local government at the start of the year saw councils across Scotland left needing an extra £385 million just to stand still in 2018/19.
While local authorities have protected spending on statutory service areas such as adult and children’s social care, the amount they spend on other areas like parks and libraries has fallen sharply, says the union.
Worryingly, over half (57%) of those who responded believe their council no longer delivers quality services, and the same number say their employer doesn’t make the right decisions for the public. Additionally, more than two-thirds (70%) are concerned about the financial situation of their council.
Council workers identified a lack of front line staff (69%), adult social care (59%), safeguarding children and young people (41%), a lack of housing options (43%) and road repairs (46%) as the biggest challenges facing local authorities in Scotland.
Three-quarters (74%) of those surveyed said there had been job cuts in their departments and as a result, over half (57%) don’t feel secure in their jobs. Many spoke of colleagues leaving and not being replaced, causing those remaining to pick up the extra work.
As a result, over half (52%) said their workload is unmanageable and another 57% that they regularly work beyond their contracted hours.
Mark Ferguson, chair of Unison Scotland’s local government committee, said: “Local services are collapsing and council workers are being left to pick up the pieces and do the best they can amid the chaos. This disturbing survey should ring alarm bells in Whitehall and Holyrood and alert ministers to the crisis happening in councils across Scotland.
“Local authorities have had to cut so many vital services that they have now reached a point where vulnerable children and the elderly struggle to get the help that they need, entire communities are suffering, and the public are being put at risk.
“With cuts to road and bridge maintenance, potholes in roads are left unfilled, and bridges are at risk of crumbling. Crematoriums are not maintained, streetlights stay broken, and parks are in disrepair as councils don’t have the equipment or the staff to adequately maintain them.
“There are now over one million people with an unmet need for social care because councils don’t have the resources to support them. Now is the time to reverse these cuts and invest in local government once more or the very fabric of our society will come unstuck.”
Angus Hardie, director of the Scottish Community Alliance, said the decisions driving the cuts are political.
He told TFN: “This survey reflects just how desperate things have become. Austerity is what's driving it but it's important to remember that austerity is fundamentally a political choice.
“Initially it was presented as a necessity by the Westminster government because of the nefarious actions of our bankers. But now we know different.
“Austerity has become the ruse to justify reductions in public spending on essential services. Of course it's not all about finance. We need to change the whole way that public services are designed and delivered. The Christie Commission concluded that seven years ago.
“But when services are stretched to breaking point as this survey suggests, it becomes so much harder, if not impossible, to make those changes.”
