‘A testament to the strength of feeling’

Getting the message across (l-r): Glasgow homelessness officer Val Newlove, community care officer Clare Copeland, Stoke-on-Trent MP Gareth Snell, Northamptonshire trading standards officer Andy Langford, Wolverhampton North East MP Emma Reynolds and social worker Nikki Evans. “It’s a testament to the strength of feeling,” Northamptonshire council worker Andy Langford said as he surveyed a packed event in Parliament last week. But what was getting council workers, MPs and others so riled? Cuts to local services. Council workers went to Westminster to tell MPs that councils have reached breaking point and to get support for UNISON’s campaign to #SaveOurLocalServices urging the government to use November’s budget to free the funds councils desperately need to provide those services. Andy had come from Northamptonshire council, which went bankrupt under the strain of cuts, so he knows the dire situation facing councils all too well. “We’re now in a situation that we’re not allowed to spend money on services unless they’re considered a safeguarding issue,” he said. “We can’t really provide normal services or do our usual work. “I came today tell MPs what’s really happening and the personal impact it’s having on staff and the community.“ Some 21,000 council workers took part in a UNISON survey in June, which definitively showed that councils are at breaking point. See the report of the June survey In turn, that led to  almost 60 MPs wanting to talk...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Article camp local government local government and financing local government cuts Save Our Local Services Source Type: news