Janet Finch-Saunders AM, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Local Government, has used a keynote address to the Welsh Conservative Party Conference to call for a whole-scale reform of public services in Wales.

Janet said:

“The Welsh Government’s farcical third attempt at local government reorganisation is a shambles.

“Reorganising the shape of local government alone is completely arbitrary and meaningless. To make reform count, we must look at the wider picture: to include the other public services which are so heavily interdependent on each other – are reformed together.

“Welsh Labour Government legislation has previously sought to align social services and the health service – but so far this is failing spectacularly. There is a real crisis within our Welsh NHS, our social services budget are stretched to extremes – and yet Labour want to force through un-costed and impractical council mergers.

Addressing the Conference, Janet paid tribute to the Party’s elected representatives and praised the work of councillors at all levels across the country; promising that the Party would continue to uphold and promote key values within local government stating:

“Whilst the Cabinet Secretary may be so bold as to feel he can push through these ominous merger proposals, my colleagues and I will fight to develop a truly endemic culture of financial probity, efficiency and transparency of spend of our hard earned taxpayers’ money at all levels of Governance here in Wales.”

ENDS

Photos: Janet Finch-Saunders AM speaking at the Welsh Conservative Party Conference, 2018, at Ffos Las Racecourse, Llanelli