100 Portsmouth council jobs at risk, warns GMB

One hundred Portsmouth City Council jobs are at risk because of spending cuts, a union warned today.

And the GMB says 454 posts at Hampshire County Council are also on the line.

The union included the two authorities in a national report which says more than 25,000 jobs are under threat because of cuts to council spending across the country.

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Local authorities in many areas are proposing job losses, ranging from tens to thousands.

The GMB, which compiled the data, said it was now involved in daily meetings with councils in a bid to scale back the cuts and loss of services.

National officer Justin Bowden said: “Councils are now making cuts to services they offer the general public like bin collections every three weeks or ending cleaning gulleys, as well as severe cuts to services for the elderly and for children.

“Regular home helps and hot meals on wheels are from a bygone era. So much for David Cameron’s claim that front-line services would not be cut.”

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A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: “This Government is providing a long-term funding settlement for the first time allowing local authorities to plan with certainty. Councils will have almost £200 billion to spend on local services, including a £3.5 billion social care package, over the lifetime of this parliament.”