The Welsh Labour Government today failed to rule out the repeat of its botched reorganisation of local health boards in 2009, which gave some of the NHS’ highest paid executives pay protection even though they didn’t have dedicated roles say the Welsh Conservatives.
The reorganisation saw 22 local health boards reduced to seven, but amazingly, no senior executives were made redundant.
At the weekend the Labour Party announced its local government reorganisation preference with 12 local authorities and a three month consultation.
Labour First Minister Carwyn Jones previously pledged to make his position known by March, by Easter and by the end of June. It’s now expected by the end of July.
The Leader of the Opposition, Andrew RT Davies AM, tried to secure a commitment from Labour Ministers that the botched reshuffle of 2009 would not be repeated and that senior executives who do not retain their jobs in new local authorities would not get pay protection.
Andrew RT Davies said, “Welsh Labour Ministers began this path towards costly reorganisation but now appear to be kicking difficult decisions into the long grass.
“We have heard a series of promises by Carwyn Jones to make his position clear by March, by Easter, by the end of June and now it’s looking like mid-July.
“Carwyn Jones’ ‘this month, next month, sometime, never’ approach is keeping local authorities in limbo and represents a massive distraction from the vital drive to improve the delivery of public services and keep council tax bills down.
“No one knows what Carwyn Jones’ position is and it seems no clearer today.
“It is critical that Labour Ministers learn the lessons of their last botched reorganisation which saw 22 local health boards reduced to seven with a no redundancy policy, which kept the highest paid bosses on their old salaries, all at the taxpayers’ expense.
“In times of austerity, we cannot afford to have a Labour government with such a frivolous approach to public money and I urge Labour Ministers to rule out such extravagance in this latest reorganisation.”
