No cuts council budgets can end the new wave of austerity

Jim McFarlane, Dundee City Unison secretary and Unison NEC member (personal capacity)

Boris Johnson and his billionaires’ government claim austerity is over. But the facts prove he is a liar.

A new wave of austerity will wash over Scotland’s councils as they set their budgets in the coming weeks. The financial position is bleak.

Every council in the country is drawing up plans to make ever more cuts. Vital services that many in real need face closure.  Long held terms and conditions of council workers are under threat.

With the SNP passing on Tory cuts, Scottish Government funding for local councils has fallen by 7.6% in real terms since 2014.

This has resulted in tens of thousands of job losses, services being slashed and local communities losing much needed facilities and services.

The latest Scottish budget currently being debated at Holyrood is proposing almost £100 in cuts to local government funding.

Perpetual austerity, puts at risk the long term financial sustainability of councils. Cuts to staffing levels place a huge strain on the remaining workforce.

Cuts in funding have been made worse in areas with increased demand such as social care and children’s services.

Council workers have faced real term pay cuts as well as well as attacks on terms and conditions. 

Blaming the Tories at Westminster is easy to do but is a cop out. Councillors of every political persuasion have meekly voted for cuts budgets in every council chamber in the country.

Not one has had the conviction to say enough is enough, stand with the workforce and use their powers to set no cuts budgets.

We have had the same tired excuses that they have no choice. Genuine socialist councillors would link up with the trade unions in building resistance and defiance to the Tory government.

Working-class communities across Scotland are crying out for investment in jobs and local services.

There have been local strikes and struggles against cuts, workloads and attacks on terms and conditions in a number of councils.

The task for the major trade unions is to build for co-ordinated and sustained action. As was seen in the magnificent Equal Pay struggle in Glasgow, the wider working class will fight to win investment in jobs and services.

The demand for the return of the millions of pounds stolen from council budgets will gain increasing support.

Legal no cuts budgets must be set by councils as part of that wider campaign – along with industrial action – to defeat the agents of austerity at Westminster, Holyrood and councils.