Schools close in droves but police play down disruption

Nurses rubbed shoulders with police community support officers, firefighters and social workers at a lively rally in Hull, which drew a crowd of 1,500 into the city centre.

Among them was mental health nurse Chris Hawes, who said NHS pensions were reorganised in 2008 and were fully funded. He added: “Extra pension contribution are going to pay for the deficit which we all know was caused by the bankers.”

Mr Hawes, who had never been on strike before, said the Government was trying “to divide and rule” by setting workers in the public sector and private sector against each other.

Social worker Catherine Nicholson, from Cottingham, near Hull, felt “extremely angry” with the Government.

She said: “I have worked since I was 15 and am now 59 and I think it is awful the way the Government is treating us. I came in the public sector because I cared – if I wanted to be rich I’d have been a banker or a politician.

“The Government got us in this mess – they deregulated the bankers.”

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the region’s two main hospitals, said it was prioritising urgent care and emergency services. It asked people not to come to accident and emergency “unless it was a genuine emergency”.

Police said the force was “largely unaffected”, with only a “small” number of police staff striking.

Chief Constable Tim Hollis said: “Here in Humberside, sound contingency plans were put in place by senior managers across the force to prepare for today’s events and Unison have acted responsibly throughout.

“A number of our police staff colleagues have opted to participate in the day of action, and I respect their right to do so, but the numbers are relatively low and there has been minimal impact upon our ability to serve the public.”

P&O Ferries said passengers had not experienced delays despite a picket at the docks.

In Hull, nearly all the customer service centres and over half the city’s libraries closed, along with an athletics stadium, one leisure centre and two swimming pools. Only six of 92 schools and nurseries in the city were open.

In the East Riding, 111 schools closed. Bin collections in Willerby, Goole and Holderness were disrupted and four libraries closed. The swimming pool at Haltemprice Leisure Centre was closed.