More than 25,000 job cuts are being planned at 52 councils across the country, according to new figures published yesterday.

The analysis of budget proposals by trade union GMB revealed that 52 councils are considering axing 25,165 job roles due to cuts in local government funding.

The union said 3,000 jobs were at risk at Glasgow City Council, 2,000 at Edinburgh City Council and 1,800 jobs were facing the axe at Cumbria Council. Birmingham City Council has proposed cutting 1,200 jobs, while Coventry City Council, Kirklees Council and North Lanarkshire Council had all warned 1,000 jobs were at risk.

Justin Bowden, GMB national officer, said: ‘However David Cameron tires to huff and puff that front line council services won’t be cut, the facts are inescapable: councils’ budgets are being chopped yet again, translating into mass redundancies and cuts to the services they offer the general public – like moving to bin collections every three weeks or ending the cleaning of gullies, savage cuts to services for the elderly and for children and decimating parks and leisure services.’

Question – why should local government (and those who receive a service from them) continually have to pay the price of central government’s mis-management of its own money?