
Originally Posted by
JamesWales
High Immigration is definitely a big issue here, though I agree, it's probably less so than in parts of England. But it is a huge issue and rightly so.
It's not true about Reform and the NHS. Their last manifesto (which see above is unrealistic) proposed a £17bn increase in NHS funding. I know Farage has put out ideas on some of the models used on the continent. As long as it's free at the point of use, I think we should be all ears on that. The NHS isn't a holy order that must never change how it delivers services.
Local govt is a strange one. Services have been cut but the inefficiencies are in how it's run and how it procures things in particular. I could tell a few stories believe me. And mass working from home has been (and still is) an utter disaster for service delivery.
My dad had a new shower fitted two weeks ago (he's significantly disabled so needed an even more walk in one, with no lip at all) and the cost was £7,000. For a new shower. That's part of the problem, the use of consultants, the fact that contractors can so easily rip off because they know councils will pay anyway, even the fact that depts spend budgets or lose budgets means there is an encouragement to get money out the door.
Local government isn't flushed with cash but there are way better ways to run things. That's why Im intrigued to see how Reform do in the councils they run. I don't think they will come even close to fixing the issues -many of which are beyond local authorities controls - but I'm interested to see.
At it stands we have rising bills and declining services. It's hardly an argument for the status quo.