POTENTIAL JOB LOSSES IN LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL

UNISON, the public service union, warned that savage public sector job cuts will devastate communities in Liverpool.  UNISON was reacting to today’s announcement by Liverpool City Council that 1,500 jobs are to be axed, possibly by compulsory redundancy.  Frank Hont, UNISON North West Regional Secretary, stated:- “This latest news will be absolutely devastating for our members employed by Liverpool City Council and there will be a major impact on communities in Liverpool. There is no way that job cuts of this magnitude can be made without it having an effect on some of the poorest and most vulnerable communities in the city.  The Tory-led government has unleashed a vicious attack on public services and it appears to UNISON that these cuts are being targeted at local councils in the North West, an area already suffering from deprivation and rising unemployment.”  The latest job cuts announced by Liverpool City Council come on top of earlier announcements over the last fortnight of major job losses in Manchester, Sefton and Bolton councils.  Mr Hont further stated:- “We are particularly disappointed that Liverpool City Council has chosen to announce these savage job cuts to the media without first discussing the numbers involved with the trade unions that represent Council staff.  This morning our members woke up to the announcement that many of them will potentially lose their jobs. Behind every job cut is a family desperate to keep a roof over their head, many with children to feed and clothe. We will be seeking urgent talks with the Council leadership.” UNISON will also be consulting with its 4,000 members who work for the Council to determine its response, and did not rule out industrial action.  Mr Hont added:- “The wave of job cuts created by this Tory-led coalition will wreck the country’s chances of recovery. UNISON is calling for an alternative economic strategy to boost economic recovery and create jobs. Money can and should be raised by taxing the astronomical bonuses in the banking sector.  It was the greedy risk-taking of bankers that put this country into recession. It should be those people that fund the recovery. This situation was certainly not created by dinner ladies, home helps, road sweepers and teaching assistants in Liverpool, yet it is people like this who are being asked to pay for this crisis with their jobs. UNISON will do everything in our power to protect our members, and communities in Liverpool, from the savage and unnecessary cuts.”

BEAT PETROL PRICES WITH THE ARRIVA TEST

ARRIVA North West is reacting to soaring fuel prices by helping people in Liverpool work out how much money they could save on their journeys.  Arriva is ensuring that motorists can react to increasing petrol tariffs and parking charges by featuring a regularly updated Fuel Calculator, which compares the cost of travelling by car with bus journeys, on the firms website. People in Liverpool simply have to enter a few basic details about their daily journey to find out how much they could save with a 4 Weekly Saver ticket. The Fuel Calculator also shows the difference in carbon emissions when a specific journey is taken by bus or car.  Debra Mercer, marketing manager for Arriva North West, said:- “With fuel costs rocketing, people can reduce their travel costs even more than usual by catching the bus and leaving the car at home.   We believe our Fuel Calculator will work out significant savings for many people in Liverpool because buses offer great value for passengers travelling around the local area. There are no car parking charges and it’s much better for the environment.”  Petrol prices could reach 140p a litre if the fuel duty increase planned for April 1st goes ahead, resulting in the average family saloon costing £70 to fill up with fuel.  To use Arriva’s Fuel Calculator and to find out about timetable and ticket information please visit:- arrivabus.co.uk/fuel.

MOTORISTS URGED TO PUT A BRAKE ON SPEED

MERSEYSIDE Police are urging drivers to put a brake on their speed after some 1,200 motorists were caught breaking the limit in January 2011. The Roads Policing Department focuses on different campaigns each month in a bid to reduce the number of casualties on the roads of Merseyside. January saw the Force concentrate on speeding with officers engaging with drivers as part of the campaign, carrying out enforcement and education. Last January saw 677 motorists stopped and given fixed penalties for speeding. This year, the Roads Policing Department has been out in force cracking down on speed, a recognised major contributory factor in road deaths and serious injury collisions. Chief Inspector John Hogan, head of Merseyside Police's Roads Policing Department, said:- "The majority of collisions we see on our roads involve drivers breaking the speed limit. These limits are on our roads for a reason - to protect lives. Officers have been working hard to reduce collisions on our roads and we will continue to engage with the public to ensure the message to cut speed is heard loud and clear - together we can maximise the safety of road users. Speeding on our roads can have fatal consequences so put a brake on it before we have to break tragic news to your family or another person's loved ones." Merseyside Police has a facility for people to report bad driving. Anyone who sees motorists driving badly can visit the Force's website via going to:- merseysidepolice.uk and search for the Road Risk section. Your completed form will be sent to the Roads Policing Team, who will take action to deal with persistent offenders.

Euro MP questions Transport Minister on the legality of road pricing changes

THE Labour MEP and Chair of the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee, Brian Simpson, has today questioned the Government position on road charging for lorries and HGVs on British roads. Transport Minister Theresa Villiers raised the possibility of charging in an appearance before Tuesday, 1 February 2011's House of Commons Transport Committee, in which she said that the Government is looking to charge all hauliers for using Britain's roads but that UK hauliers could receive tax breaks from the Government by way of compensation. All hauliers would have to pay road charges whilst UK hauliers would receive tax breaks from the government. "We have to wait to see what the Government's exact proposals are, but as a result of Ms Villiers' appearance before the Transport Select Committee I am questioning the legality of their position as it stands", said Mr Simpson, in Brussels, in reacting to the news. Under EU law any introduction of tolls or charges has to be non-discriminatory and Mr Simpson added that "I can't see how this could be legal especially if the Government was of a mind to give massive tax breaks to UK hauliers, which in itself could be seen as State Aid. In my view the introduction of a Eurovignette system, which applies equally to all hauliers irrespective of nationality, would be much fairer and easier to administer." Eurovignette is a road tolling system for trucks and is used throughout Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium, which share a fair pricing structure applied to vehicles regardless of nationality and calculated on kilometres travelled.

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