Mike Hedges MS reflects on the importance of Labour councils and councillors In Wales

Labour councillors play a key role in promoting the Party and interacting with their communities. They are the public face of the Labour Party in the communities they live in and represent. They represent the Party at all the local community bodies such as school governors and community centre management committees. They do not get the credit they deserve from the wider Party or the Party leadership for the very important job they do for the Party.

In England we have seen councils such as Northamptonshire and Birmingham becoming effectively bankrupt, proving that large councils are not immune to serious financial problems. In the face of “unprecedented financial challenges,” it has been warned that several local authorities in England either have already issued Section 114 notices or are likely to  do so, effectively announcing that they are unable to deliver a balanced budget.

Some of the smallest councils in England have built up huge debts by buying supermarkets, business parks and offices, tying the future of their public services to the uncertainty of the property market. Councils across England have borrowed huge sums, in some cases the equivalent of ten times their annual budgets to finance the purchase of real estate. Spelthorne has so far borrowed £1 billion despite having a net annual budget of just £22 million; this equates to forty-six times its spending power. Three other councils, Woking, Runnymede, and Eastleigh have borrowed more than ten times their annual budget.

In Wales, no council has gone bankrupt or gambled on the property market, at least in part because councils have been better resourced in Wales but there are serious financial threats currently and budgets are tight. When additional duties are placed on councils by the Welsh government and no additional money is provided, then pressure is put on existing services. Welsh councils need a better funding settlement that acknowledges the vital role they play and the very important services they provide.

It is important to commend the vital role that councils play in delivering public services across Wales. Councils need more money to meet both their statutory duties and the needs of the area they cover. Parks, community centres and leisure centres are not a statutory duty, but I think most councillors in the areas they represent would find great opposition if they were forced to close any of them. A shortfall in income must be made up from reserves and by increasing charges and raising council tax, as well as cutting services. I congratulate the local authorities in Wales for the way they have continued to provide high quality services despite very challenging budgets.

Council services are not just education, social services, potholes and refuse collection. If I was to list the full range of services provided by councils, I would produce a document over twenty pages long. At a recent Senedd Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, we discussed councils’ building control services. This is the services that make sure that buildings are safe, sustainable, and accessible; it covers domestic, commercial, and public-use buildings and makes sure they meet building regulations. It’s a council service that is rarely discussed, but vital to public safety. It has come into public notice following the Grenfell Tower disaster and the effect that has had on high-rise buildings which have all had to be checked and many have needed remediation to make them safe.

I also want to also highlight the importance of environmental health. One of the great successes of the Welsh Government has been the food hygiene rating. Each business receives a rating when inspected by a local authority food safety officer. This rating is based on the standard of compliance with food hygiene law. It is an example of preventative spend by local government that reduces health demand.

Education is the most important economic development tool, and we are lucky in Wales to have Jeremy Miles as education minister who is committed to improving education attainment. If you look at successful areas economically in the world you find that a highly educated workforce attracts high wage employment.

Housing and social services are very important in reducing demand on the health service. Is it any surprise that people living in inadequate housing who are lonely and who have inadequate social care are more likely to need health care including hospitalisation? Values-based and person-centred practice are the ‘golden threads’ of social care that should run through all social care services.

Finally, thank you to all Welsh Labour councillors for the work you do to promote the Party, effectively run the councils despite the difficult choices you must make and the way you serve all your constituents.

Mike Hedges is the Senedd Member for Swansea East and a former Leader of Swansea Council.

Image: Mike Hedges. Author: Steve Cushen, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.