Halifax rises against public-sector cuts

Unions say a quarter of young people in Halifax's Calderdale district are now growing up in poverty - more than 10,000 out of its 45,000 under-18-year-olds.

The protest is backed by trade unions which have formed the Northern Towns Against Cuts group to resist the government's austerity programme.

National Union of Teachers divisional secretary Sue McMahon said: "This government is pressing ahead with its programme of austerity that is clearly not working.

"Surely a wake-up call for this government should be the statistics revealed in the latest Ofsted report of Calderdale Local Authority.

"We have 45,400 young people under the age of 18 living in Calderdale, but 10,050 of our young people are growing up in poverty - this government should be ashamed.

"Continued cuts in public-sector services see the vulnerable in our society suffer, northern towns are bearing the brunt of the cuts, austerity in our towns is a reality that is set to get worse. Now is the time to stand up and show our opposition."

nProtesters are to meet at Halifax Town Hall car park at 10.15am, marching at 10.30am to Halifax Piece Hall for a rally.

Speakers tomorrow include Halifax Labour MP Linda Riordan, a parent from a local children's centre, Yorkshire and the Humber TUC chairman Tim Roache and NUT treasurer Ian Murch.

Northern Towns Against Cuts includes branches of the NUT, GMB, Unison, Unite, PCS, ATL, AEP, CYWU, NAHT, NASUWT, Aspect and UCU.