THREE Lib Dem councillors in Halton have quit the party in protest at the Coalition Governments cuts in public services.
Runcorn councillors Bob Bryant, Peter Blackmore and Chris Carlin said the Lib Dem’s had become “nodding dogs for the Tories”.
They were unhappy with the savage cuts to public services and benefits, which were hitting Halton’s poorest the hardest.
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AT LEAST 150 firefighters in Greater Manchester could lose their jobs because of massive cuts demanded by the Coalition Government.
The firefighters will be made compulsorily redundant for the first time in the brigade’s 36-year history as Greater Manchester Fire Service loses between 25-40 per cent of its government funding.
An internal document reveals that one cost-cutting proposal is to cut the number of firefighters responding to 999 calls, another is to close some of the service’s 41 stations.
Chancellor George Osborne will reveal the extent of the cuts facing fire services across the country in his October spending review.
A 25 per cent reduction in Treasury cash to the Greater Manchester brigade over the next three years would mean nearly £19m being slashed.
More than 75 per cent of the brigade’s budget goes on wages for its total workforce of 2,400, including 1,600 firefighters.
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A NORTH West MP has rapped the Government for failing to recognise the relationship between the public and private sectors.
Jonathan Reynolds, Labour MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, spoke out during a House of Commons debate about the future of the North West economy.
Mr Reynolds hit out at the way the Coalition Government failed to recognise that both public and private parts of the economy were inter-dependent.
Mr Reynolds told the Commons that the Government’s lack of understanding about the relationship between the public and private sectors was one of the main concerns of manufacturing businesses in his constituency.
BUSINESS confidence has been hit by the spending cuts announced in June’s emergency Budget, according to a Bank of England survey.It reports that confidence amongst bosses has plunged with rising nervousness about the impact of the cuts.
“Many businesses linked the decline in confidence to the planned cuts in public spending, which were expected to lead to weaker demand, both directly in those sectors with significant public sector exposure, and indirectly by reducing public sector employment and hence household income,” the Bank reported.
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Some of the UK’s poorest families have been hit by more than 100 unfair spending cuts during the first 100 days of the new Government, a TUC analysis of departmental spending reveals today.
The TUC research, published in advance of the 100 day anniversary of the coalition Government tomorrow, shows that cuts which impact more on the poorest families in the UK have been made across the board in services including education, health, housing, welfare and social care.
'Proud to serve the public’ is a North West TUC campaign to protect and promote public services in our Region. We believe public services are a vital part of the North West economy. They create jobs, stimulate growth and... Read more
Cllr Jonathan Reynolds, Labour, Stalybridge and Hyde
Jane Rogers, grandmother
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