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Greens have today slammed the Tory government for reducing funding which could make it impossible for local councils to deliver essential basic services. This comes in the wake of today’s announcement that up to 1,000 council jobs could be lost in Bristol in this financial year, a move that has been condemned by Trade Unions.
Charlie Bolton, Leader of the Green Council Group, said:
“We stand alongside the unions who are opposing the cuts which will decimate essential public services across Bristol, and the impact this will have on the most vulnerable in our city. This government seems determined to systematically dismantle local councils with no regard for the pain this will cause ordinary people.”
Tony Dyer, Green Party Spokesperson for Local Government said:
“In addition to savage cuts in services that so many Bristolians rely upon, people working in local government have faced years of uncertainty and pay freezes – now 1 in 6 of them could now lose their jobs this autumn. This is devastating to the people concerned and their families, and will also have a serious impact on the delivery of vital council services.”
“Austerity is simply not working and it is vital that our local MPs, Mayor and councillors provide consistent opposition against these Tory cuts to local government finances”
Economist and Green MEP for the South West, Molly Scott Cato, said:
“The new Chancellor has made clear that Brexit is the final nail in the coffin of the Tories’ failed austerity politics. Yet it seems from today’s announcement that Bristol will still be forced to suffer, with the Council needing to make further cuts of £29 million to balance its books as a result of this moribund economic strategy.”
“We know that an announcement of public investment in infrastructure and a new industrial strategy are coming soon. Bristol’s politicians need to ensure that the city and the region receive their fair share of public investment to secure jobs in the public sector and create new opportunities, especially by capitalising on the huge potential for renewable energy investment, including the manufacture of turbines and solar panels. We also need a Mayor who can stand up for Bristol and demand that government reviews its decision to cut council budgets”.
Image: Chris Devers: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cdevers/4602805654/
Notes
Bristol City Council today announced that a voluntary severance scheme will be launched and that there could be a further 1,000 job losses: http://news.bristol.gov.uk/voluntary-severance-scheme-launched-as-council-warns-of-up-to-1000-job-losses/