BRANCH LAUNCHES ITS GRAVEYARD OF LOST COUNCIL JOBS AND SERVICES ON BUDGET DAY
On budget day we unveiled our powerful BRINGITBACK campaign graveyard of lost council jobs and services. It may be a shocking image, a life-sized gravestone in the middle of a local park, town square, or school playground - but what is truly shocking is what has been taken from our communities through 13 years of austerity and slashed local government funding.
As a branch we are determined to fight back against being forced to play a part in managed decline - preparing ourselves yet again to hear about how the council’s dire financial situation is going to impact on our members jobs, and the vital services they provide. The 1.3bn promised by government is welcome, but it’s only a fraction of what the city council needs if it is to avoid more cuts to jobs and services, as well as its support for the city’s voluntary, community and charitable sectors.
“It’s hard to fathom how much our city has lost; the areas of the city that no longer have a free community venue, the young people who can’t get urgent mental health support, the vulnerable adults who no longer have a dedicated service to support them are just the tip of the iceberg. Our graveyard installation of lost jobs and services might shock, but we believe it is vital to help local people understand what has gone and be motivated to join our branch and other campaigners into turning grief into action, and demand restoration of the services we all need and deserve.
“The Labour government is relying on growth to reinvest in the public sector, but our branch and our 4000 members are clear, you get true, sustainable growth by investing in ordinary people and their families; by helping people come out of poverty, be in good health and able to reach their full potential. Our members and the city’s residents need to see the financial crisis our council faces averted through urgent re-investment of the millions that have been taken from our city. We then need to see a long-term plan to help local government and the people it serves thrive again.” (Corinna Edwards-Colledge, Brighton and Hove UNISON Joint Branch Secretary).
Our life-sized graveyard highlights and commemorates ten local services lost or slashed through funding cuts caused by over a decade of Tory austerity policies. As well as raising awareness about what we’ve lost and the impact, we also want to get people involved in the fight to ensure the Labour government urgently bring back funding and investment in local government. Public services can’t wait for growth before they are invested in - in fact growth will never happen without immediate reinvestment in local services and the people that deliver them. So let’s turn grief into action and sorrow into services and make sure Labour BRINGITBACK. Want to get involved in the campaign? Get in touch and visit our BRINGITBACK page.