Unison says the council tax freeze imposed by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition will “blow a hole” in local authority budgets – and the union accused the new Government of “playing political football” with Britain’s public services.
Dave Prentis, Unison’s general secretary, said: “Freezing council tax is regressive and will blow a hole in council budgets. It is totally unnecessary and being used to soften the blow of tax rises and spending cuts. It will pile more misery on those areas where councils have already frozen tax, adding to pressure to cut services.
“It will put a few pence in people’s pockets, but will cost millions in lost revenues to councils who will face further cuts as a result. The damage to local economies will be vast. Businesses rely on council workers and local authority spending to thrive in a depressed economy.” Mr Prentis, who has been leader of the public service union since 2001, has been reelected after seeing off a challenge from two rivals. He won 67.2 per cent of the vote in a ballot of members, well ahead of Roger Bannister, who got 19.7 per cent, and Paul Holmes on 13 per cent.
Mr Prentis said: “This is a vote of confidence in the union and the direction we are taking. We face critical times as a union and it is important we remain united, strong and focused on dealing with the challenges that face our members. “Under the coalition Government, public services face an onslaught on a scale unprecedented since Margaret Thatcher was prime minister. The Government is pressing ahead with cuts to public services, to our members’ jobs, pay and pensions, with complete disregard to the serious social consequences.
“We are ready to face the tough times ahead, we are growing in strength and numbers. We will stand up for quality public services, for the hardworking people who provide them, and for the poor, sick and vulnerable who rely on them for support. We will be the people who stand in the way of these ferocious attacks on our public services and the path to creating a fairer society.”
