Government axes project for unemployed disabled

Worklink was established by the then Labour-controlled Kirklees Council in Huddersfield in 1986 to counter the effects of Thatcher's creation of mass unemployment on disabled people.

It employs a specialist council team who help jobless disabled people referred by government and other agencies such as jobcentres.

Unison shop steward at the site John Drewrey told the Morning Star: "In the last eight years we have got 800 disabled people into paid employment, training or placements with voluntary organisations to improve their skills."

But Kirklees Council's capital investment plan from 2012-15 is being slashed from £189m to £75m under the coalition government's austerity programme.

Mr Drewrey said: "In June the council decided to stop its input of £300,000.

"At the same time they stopped us from applying for outside funding, such as European money - the council put the block on their support and stopped us applying."

He said that the council had tried to justify the closure by saying the services Worklink provides were being duplicated by private firms elsewhere, but that this was "rubbish."

"Private-sector firms are paid by performance, and will concentrate on the people most likely to be able to get a job," he said. "The people with most difficulties will lose out."

The campaign is being backed by Huddersfield Trades Union Council, but redundancies have already started. But our contract with the DWP's jobseekers comes to an end in September," Mr Drewrey said.

No political party currently has control over Kirklees Council, although Labour is the biggest minority group.

peterlazenby@peoples-press.com