The cuts to local council services that are being made will damage our local community, threaten jobs and hurt our local economy.

People rely on local council services to improve and maintain the area where they live, turning collections of houses into communities.

Those services are not possible without local government workers – local government workers are local government services.

Job losses will directly translate into a reduction in the range and level of council services available to people in this area.

They will also impact badly on businesses and massively increase unemployment in this area.

The Association of Public Service Excellence has found that local government workers re-spend 52.5p in the local economy from each £1 they receive in wages.

Therefore, each job loss is not just a loss of an important service, it is a loss of local spending.

We must stand up against the ‘slash and burn’ agenda of the government in cutting back public spending.

John Richardson, Nelson.