Blackpool Local Government Branch

‘Blackpool Council handing out redundancy notices first then thinking later’

Leader of Blackpool Council’s Labour Group, Simon Blackburn, said he was delighted with the turn out of Unison members at the lobby of the Council meeting earlier this week. He also said the Council doesn’t have a strategy of how to deal with the recently announced cuts. Instead of addressing the crisis rationally, they have decided to act without thinking through the consequences for the lives of employees and for those who use Council services.

Mr Blackburn went on to say, “Spending £2.5 million on slides for the Sandcastle when we’re making people redundant is abhorrent.”

Callow fails to impress angry Council employees

A Council worker at risk of redundancy took advantage of a rare opportunity to speak directly to Leader of the Council, Peter Callow, when he stood on the Town Hall steps after the Extraordinary meeting to discuss the recent cuts. The indignant employee spoke for many she said she didn’t know how she going to pay her mortgage and support her family after Callow’s decision.

In attempting to defend the indefensible, Mr Callow later attempted to link Unison with his decision to axe much needed jobs. Believing he had a ‘working relationship with the unions’ to make 200 people redundant, he was soon corrected by the assembled crowd. Treated to boos and howls of derision, he should now be in no doubt of Unison members’ and officials’ attitude to the redundancies.