Unison: Lib Dem councillors waking up to danger
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said in response to the letter:
“Here are chasms opening up in the coalition. Just as our members providing vital local services know the real cost of cuts will be paid by their communities, Liberal Democrat councillors charged with implementing cuts are waking up to the dangers.
“But back inside the Westminster bubble, where cuts are little more than abstract numbers, Liberal Democrats leading the coalition are completely divorced from this reality. It’s no wonder that cracks are appearing this fast and this early; it’s in tune with the accelerated speed and scale of the Tory-led cuts.
“We have long been warning about the damaging effect of cuts on local economies, and vital services. A heavy body of evidence is mounting that the cuts will hit the people most in need. Real people with real needs are being cut adrift from the vital services they depend on. The damage and dislocation the cuts cause threatens to undermine stability in communities across the UK, leading to social unrest.
“We have always said that there is an alternative – not least making the bankers who caused this recession pay their fair share.”
