Wednesday, 24 November 2010 15:58 | 
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The cuts that this Coalition-led Government have made both in direct local government funding and via a whole series of reduction in funding from different Government Departments to local services such as Connexions, PCSOs, Housing Benefit and Schools programmes have hit Blackpool even harder than many other towns.The concerned public and council workers in Blackpool are entirely right to protest at this continuing process – which began with savage cuts in area-based funding and other funding streams in the summer and has continued through with the cuts in Building Schools for the Future and now the Spending Review.
Blackpool Council needs to take full notice of that anger and concern by proper and full negotiations with council workers and the unions to mitigate the effects on staff and services. That must include looking at ways of reducing their own costs and use of consultancies and making sure that senior management costs are part of that process. Public sector servants must not be isolated or victimised either in Government rhetoric or in local decision-making. The truth is that without the enabling support that so many of Blackpool's Council's staff provide, the future for our community, the future work and contribution of the voluntary sector and businesses locally will be bleak too.
These are all issues which our Labour councillors will be bringing to the fore at this evening's Council meeting and which I have been raising as a Blackpool MP in Parliament with ministers and also via my own new front bench responsibilities at Westminster. Blackpool is getting a very raw deal from this Government – it threatens our future cohesion, prosperity and regeneration and the well-being not just of hundreds of council employees and their families but the whole community. We need to hold Blackpool Council to account for the way in which they deal with the crisis and I will stand four square with all those who are doing it.
Gordon Marsden MP
