Commenting on a letter from the leader of Labour-run Blaenau Gwent Council, which condemns Carwyn Jones’ Labour Government as ‘wrong’, lacking in ‘political nous’ and whose policies are ‘hot air’, Janet Finch-Saunders AM, Shadow Minister for Local Government, said:
“This letter from the Leader of Blaenau Gwent Council gives a frank and embarrassing assessment of what Labour figures in local government think of Carwyn Jones’ Labour Government, its lack of ‘political nous’, its failings in education policy and its intentions for local government reorganisation.
“Hedley McCarthy blames Carwyn Jones’ Labour Government for the decline in educational standards in Wales and unmasks the Welsh Government’s collaboration agenda as ‘a lot of hot air’.
“Hedley McCarthy is right to highlight Labour’s poor record in botched reorganisation attempts in the Welsh NHS, which were expensive and distracted attention away from driving up standards to focus on structural change.
“This leaked letter highlights how the cosy relationship between Labour Party Councillors and Welsh Ministers could fracture as councillors threaten to withdraw their support from Labour Assembly candidates at the next election if they pursue local government reorganisation.
“These revelations give an insight into the debate going in the Labour Party about the impact that changing the delivery of local services would have, not on hard-pressed taxpayers or service users, but on the Labour Party itself and the jobs of its politicians.
“This letter exposes the same old Labour Party, concerned about its own fortunes, relations with its union paymasters and jobs for the boys, all at the expense of hardworking taxpayers.
“What we need is a mature debate about how we can deliver local services more efficiently in an age of thrift to protect the vulnerable, invest in schools and reduce taxes for hardworking people.”
