More than 12,000 council, police and health service jobs could be axed in Birmingham

More than 12,000 council, police and health service jobs could be axed in Birmingham following the Government’s emergency cuts package.

The claim comes from the city’s eight Labour MPs, who say the small print of Chancellor George Osborne’s Comprehensive Spending Review suggests that £80 million will be slashed from the West Midlands Police budget alone.

With the city council facing a £330 million budget cut, the MPs described Mr Osborne’s package as a “body blow for Birmingham”.

Scores of police officers are likely to be sacked, driving up crime across the region, they claimed.

In a joint statement, the MPs said: “The Government’s plan to go hell for leather for big cuts almost overnight could see 12,480 people in Birmingham lose their jobs. It is a huge gamble with Birmingham’s future. Fewer people in work means less people paying taxes and more claiming benefits.

“That’s bad for the recovery and is going to make paying down the deficit tougher than ever.”

The eight MPs – Liam Byrne (Hodge Hill), Gisela Stuart (Edgbaston), Jack Dromey (Erdington), Roger Godsiff (Hall Green), Shabana Mahmood (Ladywood), Richard Burden (Northfield), Khalid Mahmood (Perry Barr), Steve McCabe (Selly Oak) – are launching a campaign against the cuts.

Posted by Birmingham Budget Cuts on 10:05 AM. Filed under headlines . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0