As you may well be aware, Bury Council has set forth plans to outsource council run services to private providers and volunteer groups. In some instances, services may well be done away with altogether. Although council leader Bob Bibby has not ruled out that some services may remain in house, the potential effect of any outsourcing could prove damaging for many different stakeholders in Bury. We could see wages driven down, standards reduced, corners cut and a reduction in accountability of those organisations that will replace the council as service providers.
The Bury Action Group stands firmly opposed to any measures to outsource and privatise our services. We believe that this is an ideological attempt by the Tory/Lib Dem Government to reduce the role that the state plays in assisting the most vulnerable members of society, through reduction in the budget handed down to councils, who then tell us that there is no alternative but to privatise.
What we demand is that councils fight for our services and stand up to central government diktats and confront the absurd notion that 'we are all in this together'.
