We won’t allow privatisation of core services, says union

LOCAL authority members have vowed to prevent the privatisation of core services such as water and housing.

The IMPACT trade union has accused the Government of using Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to privatise core local authority services, including water, housing and waste management, putting the quality of such services at risk.

Speaking at the union’s local government conference in Waterford, IMPACT assistant general secretary, Stephen O’Neill, said local authorities were being denied access to funds for infrastructure investment unless they agreed to privatisation through PPPs.

Mr O’Neill said his union accepted PPPs could help improve local government infrastructure, but he said the union would not allow them to become mechanisms for putting core services into private hands.

“We are not prepared to see the price and quality of our drinking water - or any other core service - in the hands of unaccountable private operators,” he said.

Mr O’Neill said guidelines agreed under the Sustaining Progress agreement obliged local authorities to consult with staff if they wanted to introduce PPPs. He said the union would use these to block schemes that threatened jobs and service quality.

“The evidence in Ireland and abroad shows that, in fact, PPPs usually mean worse services and higher bills for taxpayers and service users,” he added.