Council calls for recognition of the importance of public services

2 December 2020

This month, the Government announced a pay freeze for public sector workers.

Councillor Rebecca Lury, cabinet member for finance and resources said, “Our council is made up of thousands of front-line key workers. We are talking about carers, officers who are helping homeless people get a roof over their head each day, those working tirelessly to keep streets clean, managing the parks that are the only green space for some Londoners, and looking after families in crisis.

“These members of staff have been true public servants – putting residents first, working all hours and weekends, some in fear for their own health, and all in the context of a global health crisis. And it appears to be a truly thankless task. While the Government bails out large, multi-million pound chain businesses, those same members of council staff, the lowest paid workers, have to stomach what amounts to a pay cut, after years of pay freezes already. How is that fair?”

Alongside this, since 2010, local councils have lost nearly 60p in every pound the government had previously provided for local services (LGA figure).

Cllr Lury continues; “Not only have members of public sector staff been overlooked for fair pay in line with inflation, councils themselves are woefully underfunded to cope with what has been thrown at them over the past year particularly. In Southwark, we are facing a £12m shortfall in funding.”

In March, the council took immediate steps to support the Government’s efforts against the virus and help protect our residents from its effects. This included the commitment of millions of pounds in emergency hardship support to residents, communities and businesses. All core council services – including housing, adult and children’s social care, public health and leisure - have incurred significant unbudgeted costs as we responded to the crisis.

Since late March, the Southwark Emergency Support Scheme has received nearly 8,000 applications for financial help due to the pandemic, and we have supported 5,000 families and individuals to cover the cost of food, fuel and other basic essentials. To date, we have spent £1.3 million supporting families facing financial crisis as a result of COVID-19 through this scheme.

In addition, we have spent almost £1 million resourcing the Southwark Community Hub - a partnership between Southwark Council, the local NHS and GP surgeries, charities and community and volunteer groups to provide residents with one-stop access to the right support during this difficult time. We currently expect to spend around £3.2 million supporting our residents through the Southwark Emergency Support Scheme and Community Hub in 2020/21.

Under the ‘Everyone In’ scheme, Southwark Council housed 799 rough sleepers – nearly every rough sleeper in the borough - with 700 placed into ‘move on’ accommodation.

Cllr Lury said: “Without recognition of the work that local authorities do, they will continue to struggle, resources will dwindle and cuts will have to be made to vital services across the country. I would ask the Government to reconsider, support front-line workers and save the services we depend on.”

Page last updated: 02 December 2020