Cambridge residents are being urged to oppose “unnecessary” proposals to cut £3.5 million of services in the city council’s budget consultation, UNISON says today. Despite having millions in reserves, Cambridge City Council is consulting residents on changes to scale back frontline services, including reducing street cleaning, closing public toilets, giving up control of community centres, […]
cuts
Hospital bosses want to let 150 staff go and mothball 150 beds across Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT), UNISON has warned today. The trust plans to launch a voluntary severance scheme* next week to cut the 150 ‘non-frontline clinical’ posts. In a meeting with union reps this week, trust leaders were not […]
Members of the public should make their voices heard over “damaging” cuts to the NHS Prescription Ordering Direct (POD) service in Norfolk and Waveney, UNISON says today. Residents are being urged to take part in a public engagement launched this week over plans to withdraw the service. POD provides a dedicated telephone service for patients […]
Councils across the Eastern region have a hole in their finances of £332m collectively for the coming financial year, making it extremely likely they will have to make huge cuts in essential services and jobs, says a report published today by UNISON. The figures, based on financial information gathered from local authorities across the region […]
An analysis of police financial forecasts has revealed that police forces in the East of England could face a budget shortfall of over £110 million by 2026, potentially putting public safety at risk, says UNISON today. The data, based on medium-term financial plans submitted by individual police forces to their local police and crime panels, reveals […]
Councils across the east of England face a collective funding gap of nearly £240m in the next financial year forcing them to cut essential services, says a report published today by UNISON. Waste collections, leisure centres, nurseries and other vital services will all be hit according to the findings based on information* from local authorities […]
Conservative councillors in Peterborough’s decision to vote down a motion calling for more neighbourhood policing cash is ‘deeply disappointing,’ says UNISON today. Labour Councillor Ansar Ali tabled a motion last night expressing concern over job losses at Cambridgeshire Constabulary that will see PCSO numbers cut by half alongside the loss of enquiry officers and community […]
Candidates to be Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s next police and crime commissioner (PCC) are unanimously calling on the force to shelve its planned cuts until after May’s elections. Plans to halve the number of police community support officers (PCSOs), disband the community safety officer team and close all but two enquiry offices were announced in September. […]
Planned cuts at the parks department will leave Ipswich unkempt and untidy, UNISON warns today. Ipswich Borough Council wants to chop a fifth of the workforce in the parks department, leaving grass verges unmown and parks unmaintained, says UNISON. It comes despite the public’s increasing reliance on parks and other outdoor spaces for exercise and […]
Closing Ipswich’s Tourist Information Centre would send the message that the town is “closed for business,” UNISON warns today. Ipswich Borough Council’s executive will consider a report tomorrow, giving the chief operating officer permission to close the centre, and lay off six workers, after a consultation. The Council is facing a £10m deficit because of […]
Cambridgeshire health chiefs are threatening to shut down a vital service preventing thousands of over-65s going to hospital unnecessarily, UNISON warns today. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), responsible for planning and commissioning local NHS services, is planning £33 million of cuts next year to plug part of its £192m government funding deficit. […]