UNISON Cymru/Wales has warned that the Welsh government’s new budget, announced yesterday, will lead to “the heart being ripped out of public services”.
Whilst welcoming the extra funding for the NHS in Wales, the union has warned that local services risk being damaged for years to come and that the budget also highlights the need to review the current funding arrangements for Wales.
Margaret Thomas, UNISON Cymru/Wales secretary, said: ”Whilst there are some positive elements of the budget announcement, we still have huge concerns for the future of public services in Wales.
“UNISON welcomes the additional funding for the Welsh NHS and for social services and hope that this will go some way in allowing those services to work better together.
“However, we fear that the continued pressure on local government budgets is going to lead to local services being irreversibly damaged for generations to come.
“We understand the budget constraints placed on the Welsh government from Westminster, but it just serves to highlight the pressing need to challenge the current funding arrangement for Wales.
“Furthermore, it also underlines the fact that the coalition government’s austerity programme is ripping the heart out of public services.
“Their policies are ideologically driven with the intention of running down public services, which are the very same services that local communities most rely on.
“UNISON will continue to fight against this slash and burn mentality being pedalled out from Westminster. We will continue to fight for fairness for public service workers and for decent services for communities across Wales.”