... comes from Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, as Labour holds its local government conference in Cardiff.

"My thought for the weekend is a very old saying - 'you get what you pay for' - and that is particularly true of public services. They are a hot issue and top of both Labour and the Conservative's political agendas.

"Local government services touch the lives of every person in the country. At some stage everyone will need a classroom assistant, school meals worker, librarian, careers officer, parks gardener, refuse collector, swimming pool attendant or home carer; the list is endless.

"And yet the heart is being ripped out of local government services, with chronic underfunding and more workers leaving for better paid jobs in the private sector. So what's to be done?

"Unison has welcomed the move to abolish the present system of capital controls and to give councils new powers to trade and raise revenue from other sources. It will give councils much greater freedom to respond to local priorities and needs. But local government must be properly resourced to take advantage of the new freedom. Without this funding, councils will not be able to afford to take on new debts.

"The consequences of underfunding can be seen everywhere - for example in a survey last autumn 75 per cent of authorities had overspent their social services budgets. Children's services are under pressure as local authorities struggle to meet the needs of the most vulnerable and at risk children.

"Only this week we heard from the Social Policy Ageing and Information Network (SPAIN) that neglect of elderly care is putting lives at risk. Privatisation and out-sourcing are adding to the problems across councils. The two-tier workforce is alive and eating into the pay of workers in all sectors from refuse collection and catering, to grounds maintenance and school meals. A statutory framework is needed to stop unscrupulous employers from paying some workers less than others for doing the same job.

"And finally, why should Unison members put up with low pay, demanding and often stressful work, when they can get as much as £8 an hour stacking shelves overnight in a supermarket? Coventry Council, for instance, says competition from the local supermarket is hindering its efforts to recruit and keep home care workers. Unless councils come up with the extra cash, more and more will leave for better paid jobs in the private sector."