Bristol: don't follow Barnet, be proud of what you own!

Bristolian Julie Boston says 'public service good, private service bad'.

Bristol's mayor recently appointed Max Wild ‘as Strategic Director for Business Change’ tasked with achieving 'cost efficiencies' in Bristol City Council. Wild previously worked at Barnet council, well known for outsourcing almost everything to 'Crapita', an outsourcing company frequently mentioned by Private Eye.

Should Bristolians be afraid? For the past 100 years many people have tried to make this city better. Bristol can be proud of owning more council housing than many cities. Bristol City Council still owns green open spaces, allotments, the M Shed, museums, some primary schools, cemeteries, roads, car parks, libraries (we're campaigning for the central library to stay public) and public toilets (check out our Privy Girls video explaining why we need them!)

But what happened to the buildings which used to house Bristol day centres, care homes, swimming pools and youth centres? I remember visiting some of them before the last round of council cuts. They were attractive and the atmosphere was calm but busy. Did their sale generate profit to fund current services? Does anyone know? Once they are in private ownership, information is protected by ‘commercial confidentiality’.

As a pensioner with a lifetime’s experience of public services, I can say ‘public service good, private service bad’. My husband’s family of five children lived in rented accommodation until their dream of a council house came true in 1948. Our children were educated under the auspices of London County Council. The many benefits included well equipped nursery schools, local comprehensive schools with facilities for science, art, design and technology. Everyone ate school dinners which became more nutritious under former London Mayor Ken Livingston’s regime, no homework for under 11 year olds and no stress.

At Bristol City Council's cabinet meeting on 5 December, the 126 pages long executive summary on re-tendering of home care and handing it to private companies, was accepted in four minutes with no discussion!  Anyone with any experience of working in the privatised ‘care’ sector knows the long hours, low pay, lack of tea breaks and the long daily commute are a strain for the carer and the cared for.

I am not convinced that the Mayor of Bristol appreciates the culture of public ownership, the need for the public sector and the need for elected councillors. He certainly does not understand the concept of paid public sector workforce which brings a certain amount of security to the individual and commitment to the job.

The 'Save Our City’ campaign aims to reject £90 million of council cuts and protect up to 1,000 Bristol City Council jobs. The decision is being made at the budget setting meeting tomorrow, Tuesday 18 February at 2pm. If you're in Bristol, please join us to lobby outside the council building.