We need to honour our public servants
THERESA May did not rule out transferring responsibility for Wales’ police forces to the Assembly when urged to do so in Prime Minister’s Questions.
Plaid Cymru’s Westminster team is trying to challenge the Government on law and order. Liz Saville Roberts used her opportunity in the Commons to push Mrs May to back police devolution and Dafydd Wigley will introduce a Private Members’ Bill in an attempt to win forces more funding.
His legislation stands little chance of becoming law unless it receives strong cross-party support but it is yet another push for the UK Government to boost its support for vital services.
The public’s weariness with austerity was demonstrated in last month’s election in which Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party did much better than expected. People are frustrated their wages have stagnated and are also tired of watching local public services struggle to do more with less.
The Grenfell Tower disaster raised questions about the capacity of local government to respond to a calamity. It is a matter of debate whether funding cuts limited the council’s ability to meet the needs of the survivors and other families, but concern is undoubtedly mounting about the longterm effects of austerity measures.
We are told that crime is down but at a time of increasing security threats it is alarming to hear about reductions in police numbers. Similarly, there is concern about a fall in the number of firefighters.
The men and women in such public services daily display bravery, skill and kindness, but are they in a position to cope with unexpected and catastrophic events?
Similarly, our armed forces need to be ready to respond to an evergrowing range of scenarios. There is the renewed potential for oldstyle conflicts between the armed forces of different countries in East Asia and the UK must prepare for the possibility that President Putin could be succeeded by an even more aggressive nationalist.
Not only do military strategists have to plan for such eventualities, they also need to ensure Britain can play a part in humanitarian intervention, rescue and peacekeeping operations. The weak pound can only make it harder to pay for the best equipment from overseas suppliers.
Meanwhile, our teachers are engaged in vital work to defend the country’s prosperity post-Brexit. If our young people cannot perform at the same level as the world’s brightest pupils – and successive Pisa tables have shown that they are far from reaching this level – the Welsh economy will not reach its potential.
People working across the public sector, like counterparts in other fields, aim to do their best every day but they must wonder if years of pay restraint will end – and ask whether the pushing back of the target to eliminate the deficit suggests the bitter pill of austerity was not worth swallowing.
They will want more than a pay boost. Rightly, they need to know their organisations will have essential resources and their vital contribution to our nation is valued. The Western Mail newspaper is published by Media Wales a subsidiary company of Trinity Mirror PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The entire contents of The Western Mail are the copyright of Media Wales Ltd. It is an offence to copy any of its contents in any way without the company’s permission. If you require a licence to copy parts of it in any way or form, write to the Head of Finance at Six Park Street. The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2014 was 78.5%