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Community Safety to leave Council |
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Saturday, 13 May 2006 |
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Tuesday's Policy and Resources Committee saw a "debate" on the Community Safety function leaving the Council. This would mean a new organisation with 400 staff and a budget of £18 million. It would cover services like CCTV, antisocial behaviour, and restorative justice, "all of which should have been kept under local democratic control" according to SNP Councillor John Mason. "Just like the prison service, there are certain services which it is inherently right to keep in the public sector."
It was hardly a real debate as only the 3 opposition councillors and Labour's Stephen Purcell took part; the other 17 Labour councillors remained virtually silent!
The SNP and SSP put forward the following amendment:
"Committee notes the report and also notes that such transfers are likely to lead to:
- a fragmentation of the Council;
- nconsistency across Council services;
- a less joined-up approach to issues facing the city;
- staff being treated unequally;
- a weakening of the Council's ability to implement its Plan and policies. Therefore, Committee rejects the transfer of staff or budget to such a separate legal entity."
Sadly this amendment was defeated by 19 votes to 2, with the LibDem supporting Labour.
John Mason commented later, "It is clearly the fashion for key public services like this to be moved out of Council control. However it is described, it seems obvious that the public will have less say over how these services operate and the Council as a whole will be less joined up. Is it Labour's plan to move all services outwith the Council? Schools, Social Work, Museums? Once they have started down this route, where will they stop?"
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