Blackpool Local Government Branch

Lobby against Redundancies 28th June

UNISON is calling on all members to attend the lobby of the Extraordinary Council meeting of Blackpool Council to protest against Government cuts in services and 200 compulsory redundancies.

Blackpool Town Hall

Monday 28 June 2010 – 3.30 pm

Arrive from 3pm to make some noise!!!

Blackpool Council is making 200 compulsory redundancies as a result of withdrawal of almost £3 million of area based grants by the Coalition Government. They are the first council in the country to do so.

The cuts will impact upon a broad range of disadvantaged groups within Blackpool and affect funding:

• to reduce teenage pregnancies
• prevent anti-social behaviour
• tackling drug and alcohol problems
• keeping children in school
• helping to get people off benefits and into work
• increasing employment opportunities
• reducing the numbers not in education, training or employment and
• providing housing support for the elderly, people with mental health problems and victims of domestic violence.

These services are critical to local people and need our support.

These cuts are just the first in the pipeline to the area based grants which could put the livelihoods of up to 800 staff at risk. Additionally, mainstream funding cuts will result in restructures, services being privatised and an attack on our wages, conditions of employment and pensions. No-ones job in local government will be safe if we do not fight to protect our services and jobs.

Remember it is the banking crisis and the government’s bail out of the financial sector which has resulted in the large public sector debt. It is unjust that public sector workers and the residents of Blackpool are being asked to pay the prize of the financial sector’s greed and recklessness.

LETS MAKE THIS LOBBY LIVELY – BRING YOUR VUVUZELAS, WHISTLES AND DRUMS!