Rally staged in Coventry over public services

The Unite union has held a rally in Coventry "to protest at the threat to public services" in the West Midlands.

The union, which staged the event at Methodist Central Hall, said recently 1,000 jobs in the public sector were lost in one week in the city.

It said the rally was an opportunity to protest "at the "threatened demolition of public sector services".

In the Times, Prime Minister David Cameron signalled public sector pay and pensions would have to be restrained.

Speaking ahead of next week's emergency Budget, Mr Cameron said the budget deficit will not be dealt with by "just hitting either the rich or the welfare scrounger".

Doug Nicholls, national officer for Unite, said in Coventry: "The main message is that the cuts that we've already faced in local government are unacceptable and unnecessary.

"The cuts we're likely to face across the whole of the public sector from the Budget next week are completely dangerous for the country."