NO such thing as society or the big society? When in the 1980s Margaret Thatcher uttered this famous phrase she and her ministers arrogantly and enthusiastically set about proving the point. Systematically all the coal mining industry was destroyed as pit after pit closed. Schools and hospitals were starved of cash, factory after factory closed. Despite their greatest endeavour and when the public took to the streets to demonstrate against the imposition of the hated poll tax the Conservatives failed in their objective, and latterly the electorate dismissed the Conservatives in the 1987 election.

How those same Conservatives must now be heartened by the sight of the pubic sector under attack, a thousand employees alone are to be dismissed by Gloucestershire County Council, library workers, youth workers all unceremoniously dumped, and we, the public, now being extolled to voluntarily fill the shoes of professional people.

Yes! David Cameron there is a place for voluntary workers, it may have escaped your attention but thousands of us have being doing this for years and we don't need the label of "The Big Society" stuck on our back to prove it.

Where all this will get into difficulty is when, as GCC is proposing they devolve services to town and parish councils and, by the way, the resources they are offering is a miserly £50,000 for each district. The number of minor authorities in the Forest of Dean is around the 20s. Divide £50,000 by 20 this equates to £2,500 each. The real danger is however the skills deficit associated with the transfer. How many minor authorities have access to members of the public who have teaching degrees, youth service qualifications, the certificate in social work etc?

There is no doubt that whichever government is in power the national deficit created by the greedy Wall Street bankers would have to be addressed, but it doesn't have to in the crass, indifferent, arrogant and callous fashion that the Conservative administration at Shire Hall is warming to their task.

Children and Young People's Services cut by £.8.6 million; Adult and Community Service, cut, by £2.7 million; Community Safety, cut by, £5.6 million; Environment, cut by, 6.7 million; Central Services, cut by, £3.9 million.

Is there another way of achieving efficiencies?

Yes there is. In 2007 the Conservative administration were invited by the government to apply for "Unitary" status. If they had accepted this invitation, it would have meant the seven local authorities joining together and in doing so they would have achieved the necessary efficiency savings.

We would have one chief executive instead of the current six, each earning in excess of £100,000 a year. There could be one central procurement arrangement. This in itself would realise millions of pounds worth of savings. Do we really need six departments of lawyers and so on, back office, planning, etc? The point is that yes, there would be a rationalisation but not the decimation and chaos we are now witnessing.

Despite the Conservatives refusing the offer to apply for unitary status the then Labour government decided that GCC must achieve £11 million of efficiency savings. GCC set up a body with the title 'The Joint Improvement Board'. All the local authorities were asked to work to together in order to share services and in doing so the savings would be realised. After 12 months the councillors requested a meeting with the chief executives so they would understand how much progress was being made towards achieving the savings. Oh yes, we heard lots of fine words about directions of travel. Finally when we achieved an answer...the reply was, (yes you have got it right) zero. Now in 2010 it's probably still zero.

As it happens the Labour group of councillors at GCC in the 2009 election all stated in their manifesto that if Labour were elected and became the majority group they would apply for unitary status. They did so in the full knowledge that numbers of them would probably no longer be councillors. They put the public wellbeing before themselves. Consider this point and contrast it with the Conservative group of councillors who, it is clear, are not going to emulate the turkey and vote for Christmas.

When, in the near future, your Tory councillor (Mark Harper's foot soldiers) asks you to join the 'Big Society' it may be worth remembering you could be replacing the professional who has just been dismissed by GCC.

– Bill Evans,?Clearwell.