SFA: ‘Local services are too expensive’

LOCAL authorities are not performing up to scratch and need to be tightly monitored, the Small Firms Association (SFA) said yesterday.

IBEC’s small business body said city and county councils needed to be challenged to meet specific delivery targets and that they should be subject to strict control on spending plans. The group also called for a cap on increases in local authority charges that would be tied to inflation.

SFA director Pat Delaney said local authority services, such as waste management and water supply, were too expensive. “The grossly inflated cost and inefficient delivery of local authority services must be tackled and must not be simply offset by easy price hikes, borne mainly by businesses,” he said. “It is crucial that the government pursues a more rigorous, efficient and equitable means of delivering public services.”