Tories call for end to union posts

THE controversy over trade unions receiving taxpayers’ money to fund staff working as full-time union officials will be debated at the next full council meeting in Leeds.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Jul 2011, 08:00 BST

Conservative councillor Alan Lamb is expected to lead the debate.

Ahead of next Wednesday’s meeting, he said it was time for the council to stop funding the unions.

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He said: “Both nationally and here in Leeds we are facing huge financial challenges to ensure that frontline services can continue to be delivered, yet the Labour controlled administration in Leeds continues to pay out these huge sums of money while closing libraries, leisure centres and looking at proposals that could see residential care homes closed as well – their priorities are all wrong, frontline services have to come first.”

Coun Lamb, who is the Conservative group spokesman for children’s services, said hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money was being spent on unions.

He said there were 15 trade union convenors operating in Leeds and that the annual cost taxpayer is estimated at more than £400,000.

Related topics:LeedsLabour