Councils need investment

Sir, Local government spending cuts have left councils in Scotland unable to meet the needs of local communities and, in some cases, are putting the public at risk.

A survey of more than 2,000 local government employees working across all services reveals almost eight in 10 council workers have no confidence in the future of local services and half are thinking of leaving their jobs.

While local authorities have protected spending on statutory services such as adult and children’s social care, the amount they spend on other areas, including parks and libraries, has fallen sharply.

Local authorities have had to cut so many vital services they have now reached a point where vulnerable children and the elderly struggle to get the help they need, entire communities are suffering and the public is being put at risk. There have been 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 more than 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 invest in local government.

Mark Ferguson, chairman, UNISON Scotland local government committee.