Ministers must fix council funding to avoid  ​ ” catastrophic cuts ”

The government must fund local councils properly for the first time in more than a decade in order to keep communities safe and rebuild the country ​after the pandemic, says UNISON ​today (Monday). ​Unless ​ministers fix ​the current funding shortfall – estimated to be in the region of ​£10bn – there could be tens of thousands of job losses and catastrophic cuts to local services in England, according to the union. Many of the ​people providing essential services throughout the pandemic ​– including social care, waste collection and environmental health workers – could ​soon be out of work, despite councils having a central role in keeping people safe in the months ahead​, says UNISON. The union has analysed the impact of the £10bn ​’funding gap​’ for 2020/21, which amounts to a 21% reduction in spending compared to the previous financial year ​(2019/20). If cuts were to be applied equally across all services, it would mean £1.9bn slashed from children’s social care spending, £1.1bn from environmental services and £3.5bn from adult social care –an area already in crisis before the coronavirus outbreak. UNISON says ​a reduction of that magnitude could lead to the loss of 51,000 children’s social workers, 141,000 adult care workers, and almost 46,000 refuse collectors. If social care – which accounts for more than half of ​local authority spending – and public health were to be p...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: News Press release council Covid-19 fair funding for local government Jon Richards petition Source Type: news