London PBP Policies Public Services
People Before Profit opposes privatisation of public services
We think that contracting out of services such as school meals, road repairs, public transport, NHS cleaning and so on, leads to poorer wages and conditions for the staff, less commitment to doing the job well and a trend to cutting corners on standards in order to make more profit for the company which wins the tender.
In the long run we need everyone to have a secure job and to feel that their work is valuable and valued - that makes for a harmonious society. Putting people on short-term contracts and hiring-and-firing at will makes that goal impossible.
Privatisation does not make it cheaper overall - it just distributes the money differently with our council tax and other public funding being siphoned off to tax-havens by profiteering companies.
Protesting at the closure of New Cross Library earlier in 2011
The close links between politicians at national and local level and companies offering to supply "services" to councils and national government have led to government ministers being offered lucrative directorships and consultancies on the very firms they were involved with when in government. This is also happening in local councils.
Our policy is for all public services to be run by efficient, in-house teams of local workers paid a living wage. We will terminate contracts with vast transnational companies whose allegiance is to their shareholders, rather than to the public.