Ahead of unemployment figures this week, new research from UNISON, the public sector union, reveals that 446 jobs have been lost from councils and from the police across the UK every day since the coalition came to power.
The union is warning that, with a million more people out of work compared to pre-crisis levels, the government has to do more to ease the jobs crisis.
Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said: “A million more people are struggling with the misery of unemployment compared to pre-crisis levels. The government has made life a misery for all of these people, and for their families.
“It is a disgrace that hundreds of jobs are being lost from vital public services every single day. That means communities are missing out on services such as libraries, day centres and nurseries. Job losses from the police mean fewer safer neighbourhood teams and PCSOs, so crucial in cutting crime.
“Stemming the tide of job losses from the public sector would not only help ease unemployment – cutting the benefits bill – it would also save the services that communities turn to in tough times. It is time for the government to change course.”
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the local government ‘headcount’ fell by 407,000 between June 2010 and December 2012. The figures, which cover local councils and police forces, are the equivalent to 3,131 jobs lost every week, or 446 every day.
