Unison chiefs have launched a campaign to block City of York Council's controversial cuts.

Peter Household, general convener of Unison's York branch, and Heather Taylor, deputy convenor, launch the union's campaign against budget cuts proposed by City of York Council

The union's York general convenor, Peter Household, said members are being urged to stand in the way of proposals including closing one of the city's three family centres and axing cooks at old peoples' homes and replacing them with meals-on-wheels. The union is also protesting against proposals to close the Barbican and Yearsley swimming pools and threats to libraries, museums and youth clubs.

Members are being asked to write to councillors and council workers may attend surgeries to meet constituents. Placard-carrying protesters will lobby council members outside committees, particularly the policy and resources committee on February 17 and the full council on February 22 where major decisions will be made. Mr Household said: "There are ways for the Government to spend more on public services and I don't think when people voted for Labour they were voting to close things like family centres or swimming pools or changing older people's services.

"Rod Hills (the council leader) is very fond of saying that I should live in the real world, but family centres and things like that are the real world and they are being changed for the worse. Coun Hills should be talking to the Government and saying 'we can't do this, this is not what we are here for, and if people get the impression that that is what we are here for then we won't be getting their votes again.'"

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