Protests in Yorkshire against education cuts

Protests calling on the government to protect education in Tuesday's Budget have taken place across Yorkshire.

Students and staff from universities and colleges in Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Doncaster and Barnsley held a number of rallies.

They urged the government not to make more cuts to further, higher and adult education funding.

Protests were held at colleges and universities across the UK.

The demonstrations in Yorkshire were organised by the University and College Union (UCU), National Union of Students, Unite and Unison.

Malcolm Povey, UCU president at the University of Leeds, warned Chancellor George Osborne that further cuts would threaten thousands of jobs as well as the futures of thousands of students.

"Slashing education budgets will make it harder for people to retrain during the recession and will have a devastating impact on many communities here in West Yorkshire and across the country," he said.

Staff and students from the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University met outside the city's art gallery to stage their demonstration.

In Doncaster, vuvuzelas - South African plastic horns currently being used by fans at the World Cup - were used to attract attention during a protest.

At Bradford College, about 50 people gathered.

Strike action against proposed redundancies at the college had been planned for Monday, but was suspended following negotiations.

It was announced last month that nationally universities must save £200m this year, on top of savings totalling about £1bn over the next few years.

Universities minister David Willetts has warned that the country's higher education sector is on "shaky foundations" and in need of a radical overhaul.