Thousands of protesters marched through Liverpool city centre on Saturday to demonstrate against government funding cuts in the region.
Liverpool City Council agreed £156m of cuts earlier this month, with mayor Joe Anderson laying the blame squarely at the door of central government in Westminster.
UNISON has consistently pointed out that local authorities in the region have been hit by far greater funding cuts than the national average. Liverpool City Council, for instance, is suffering cuts of 27.1%, while the least deprived area in the country, Hart District Council in Hampshire, is facing cuts of just 1.5%.
North West regional secretary Kevan Nelson told a rally: “Austerity is an attack on what makes our society humane and cohesive, and we cannot let this go on. We urgently need fair funding for public services.”
Paying tribute to Bob Crow and Tony Benn, Mr Nelson told the crowd: “We must stay strong and show courage in our struggles.”
He listed a whole series of fights taking place in the region, and said: “The struggle not only to get rid of this government – and that’s our top priority – but to restore our employment rights, to restore public service funding and to restore benefits and services for the most vulnerable of our people.
“It not an easy struggle, but it’s a struggle the labour movement needs to win, and we must keep up our campaign until we do win.”
UNISON head of local government Heather Wakefield closed the rally by saying: “We are fighting for the life blood of all that is decent and good in our public services and our communities.
“Today is the day we must say in unity that we will no longer pay the price for greedy bankers, tax dodgers and speculators.”
UNISON members also took to the streets in Edinburgh at the weekend, at an STUC-organised protest outside the Scottish Conservative Party conference.
