IT is a worrying time for the public sector. Police, fire, and health trusts in East Lancashire have already revealed they are facing massive cuts, after being asked to make savings by the Government.

NHS East Lancashire is the latest to announce how it will be affected.

The primary care trust needs to make £46million cuts from its budget of around £600million.

No details have been announced on where this money will be found.

Management costs and back office services are expected to bear the brunt.

Most private companies were hit by the recession last year.

But as public sector’s budgets are done in advance, it is ironically being hit as the Government yesterday announced the country was officially 'out of recession'.

There will be many cynics who will feel little sympathy for the 'bloated public sector'.

Yet this would do a huge disserve to the dedicated work of many, many people.

And it is also very insensitive to the workers who face the real threat of losing their jobs.

It seems nothing can be done to stop these massive cuts.

Let's hope that the bosses charge with implementing them do all they can to avoid the axe falling on the frontline.