Welsh budget: Labour government makes Tory cuts

Trade unionists in Carmarthenshire lobbying their Labour council for a no-cuts budget in 2014, photo by Scott Jones (Click to enlarge)

Dave Reid, Socialist Party Wales

The Welsh government's budget continues Welsh Labour's policy of meekly passing on the Tories' public service cuts. It inflicts them on some of the most deprived communities in western Europe.

The Welsh government is slamming another nail into the coffin of council services. There will be a further cut of 3.5% to council spending next year if proposals go through.

We are reaching the point of no return. Nearly 20% has been cut from devolved public services in Wales already.

If cuts to council funding continue, some services will disappear for good. Even statutory services will be severely impacted. Already, the child protection unit of at least one Welsh council refuses to respond unless the child is within 72 hours of harm.

And council workers' pay and conditions are under threat, as councils take the cheap and easy option of outsourcing council services to private companies, who cut staffing, hours and pay.

Welsh finance minister Mark Drakeford highlighted the increase in NHS spending of 2.5%. But this does not even keep up with health inflation, which is higher than the average inflation rate - let alone make up for last year's cuts.

It's no good for the Welsh government just to wring its hands and blame the Tories. Nor is it acceptable for Welsh councils to pretend they are 'improving' services while they cut and privatise them.

Their strategy of 'humanely' implementing inhumane Tory cuts has failed. Between them they have implemented the managed decline of public services in Wales towards oblivion.

Instead, a council of war should be called in Wales, bringing together the Welsh government, councils, trade unions and community organisations, to declare "enough is enough!" and prepare a plan of action to defy the Tories:

Pool council reserves
Combine Welsh government and council borrowing powers to set no-cuts needs budgets for Welsh government and local government
Begin a mass campaign of protests, strike action and civil disobedience to demand sufficient funding from Westminster to maintain public services at an adequate level

The Wales Trade Union Congress (TUC) has pointed the way, passing a motion initiated by Socialist Party members calling for no-cuts budgets. It called on "councils of all parties in Wales that claim to be against austerity to set legal no-cuts budgets." This echoed the decisions of public service union Unison's local government conference, and the national local government committee of general union Unite.

All these motions represent the growing realisation that we cannot continue as we have done previously. A stand must be made against the cuts.

The Tory UK government is very weak and divided. Already it has been forced into eight major u-turns since being elected.

And even they have been forced to accept - in words, at least - that investment needs to be pumped into the ailing British economy.

So now is the time to strike. The Welsh government needs to pass a no-cuts budget and the TUC should be building towards a 24-hour general strike to end the cuts.

The alternative is just too bad to contemplate.

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.