Our council is to receive a report in the coming weeks and consider its future role in the delivery of home and community care services.

Firstly, my wife and I are recipients of home care services, so I have an interest in the outcome of the council's deliberations.   

But and there is always a but.

The argument that services can be provided more cheaply and just as efficiently by privatisation is a fallacy, as costs will increase without some control on costs to the recipients, or should I say clients.

Will this proposed  change of service be at the same reasonable rate if privatised?

Will those 2570 clients be given a say or an opportunity to have an input into the future role of the delivery of our Home and Community Services in the coming aged generational storm?

How much in economic benefit to council and the ratepayers will accrue by this privatisation of the service?

Does the council care about its staff involved in this proposal?

It will be interesting to see which way our local representatives jump when the report is received.  

Will it be just popular tonics, snake oils and other easy fixes?

There are better and more efficient ways of eliminating waste and cutting costs which benefit ratepayers than attacking the council's home and community care services (documented by the Independent Review).

We’d hope for all the elixirs, antidotes, palliatives, tonic and magic spells that councillors will continue to deliver a service to those in need, in our coming generational storm.

Councillors should focus on those wasteful, ridiculous, or ironic uses of ratepayers' money rather than the benign assumption that government services can be provided at fair market value to their clients by privatisation.

What's your opinion?

Do you have some thoughts on this issue? Click here to send a letter to the editor.

Preference is given to letters of no more than 350 words.