Categories: uncategorized
Date: 14 November 2007 19:10:55
This is the time of year when councils in Wales find out how much the Assembly government will increase their funding for the next financial year. Every year we hear the councils complain about the increase and threaten cuts in services, redundancies and large rises in the council tax. What makes this year even more challenging is that we see the voters going to the polls next May to elect their new councillors.
That leaves the councils in a sticky position. Do they force through large rises in council tax? Do they threaten/announce cuts in services? Can they blame the Assembly government for their ills?
This is especially worrying as Wales is not the most prosperous area of the UK; in fact, its near the bottom of the heap. We have more areas of social deprevation then anywhere else. If the councils blame their ills on the Assembly then they are criticising their own political party; even more so now that we have a Labour/Plaid Cymru coalition in power.
They have already seen the fallout start. Last week the Labour leader in Blaenau Gwent was forced to resign, following a threat to carry out a no confidence vote by his own party. Blaenau Gwent was a Labour stronghold until 2005. The Labour Party forced them to select a candidate for the parliamentary seat from an all woman list - non of whom were locals. So they lost their once safe seat.
Then they lost the seat for the Assembly. Now they face a strong challenge from The People's Voice. An independent grouping that stands against Labour. It is they that hold the parliamentary and Assembly seats.
It looks like we may have an interesting time ahead of us.