People before profits

Nobody is in any doubt, that following Labour’s laissez faire attitude to financial regulation and an over reliance on the City of London, the economy inevitably overheated resulting in an eye watering national debt. However, the cuts imposed on Wales from the Tory led Government have been too savage and too deep, which has put essential Welsh frontline services in jeopardy such as care for our most elderly and needy.

Many Plaid run councils have showed innovative solutions to not only protecting public services against Welsh local government’s most challenging financial settlement, they have also kept Council tax low -and in the case of Caerphilly- council tax has been frozen. Compare this to the Labour run administrations that has used bullyboy tactics with cuts to hard working public sector workers pay, threats of redundancies and the ripping up of contracts for worse terms of conditions. Meanwhile, Bridgend County Borough Council remains steeped in bureaucracy and top heavy in senior management. Is there any surprise that this tired Labour administration is proposing the privatisation of three care homes and leisure services?

The administration also continue to employ seven officers on a salary in excess of £100k, while the tax payer forks out on a 3.5% increase in council tax. I am delighted to be working with Plaid Cymru Candidate for Ogmore, Danny Clark and South West Wales Regional AM, Bethan Jenkins in a campaign for the restoration of public services in Bridgend. The overwhelming number of residents I have spoken to are completely against privatisation. Even in these difficult times, we must ensure our most needy are put before profiteering.

At a packed public meeting in Tondu, my Plaid colleagues and I raised the concern of what assurances will the Council put forward to ensure private organisations are acting accordingly in their obligations to the elderly and how will the private sector maintain quality of care in these difficult economic times when their primary goal is to maximise profit.

We look forward to discussing the future of care homes and leisure facilities at our next public meeting on Wednesday 6th April from 6.30 pm at the Hi-Tide, Porthcawl.