The Welsh Local Government Association this week called for the Welsh Assembly Government to recognise the ‘impending crisis' in schools and social care funding. Prior to the plenary debate on the assembly's draft Budget, due to be held on Tuesday, WLGA senior figures again drew attention to the all-party finance committee report, which raised ‘grave concerns' over the local government settlement. Last week, the WLGA produced an alternative Budget, and called for the average revenue support grant (RSG) figure to be raised from 2.3% to 3.2%. ‘The WLGA has put forward a realistic alternative Budget to protect frontline services, which does not impact on our colleagues in vital health services and, essentially, shares more equitably the growth available,' said WLGA leader, Cllr Derek Vaughan. ‘We have produced evidence that the lack of transparency in this year's Budget meant the processes which we have embraced with previous assembly ministers to construct the local government settlement have been unwisely set aside.' A Welsh Assembly Government spokesperson said the time to respond on the finance committee's conclusions and recommendations would be in the assembly debate.
