Dear Editor
Local authorities are elected to operate a wide variety of services in their areas, services that keep the community functioning. The trend now is to cut back on what is thought not to be necessary, to offload some to private contractors or to get the community itself to be the provider.
The provision of services that enhance the community are as necessary as the basic ones: for example parks and gardens should have keepers to look after them, schools should have resident caretakers to do the same.
The policy of a continual cuts in services can only lead to more divided and run-down areas, where once again it will be te poorest who suffer the most. This divisive policy has been in fashion nationally since the time of Thatcher; now it has spread to local policies too.
One of the worst aspects of this is the breaking down of communities into individuals: exactly what Thatcher wanted when she said ‘there is no such thing as society’.
If more and more services are run by private companies -whose aim is to make a profit from doing so. It is a dangerous policy for the provision of permanent services – and for those who are unable to pay for them.
There has to be a change from the policy of cut after cut; it is not in the short or long term interest of the community to keep doing so. It is better to promote and work for public services than to give in!
A. Delahoy
Silverknowes Gardens
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