Angry council workers today heaped fresh condemnation on York's Labour-controlled council after it approved a controversial £4.7m cuts and tax package.

CUT IT OUT: Protesters holding a variety placards gather outside the Guildhall before the meeting of City of York Council

Council leader Rod Hills said he hoped the people of York would understand why tough decisions had had to be taken.

But union leaders vowed council staff would never allow the authority to forget the effect the cuts would have on the city.

Unison convenor Peter Household said the Labour group would constantly be reminded that they agreed every proposal for plugging the £4.7 million budget shortfall and imposing a 7.5 per cent council tax rise, despite massive opposition.

He was speaking after the council agreed to:

l Replace cooks in elderly people's homes with pre-cooked food.

l Close the York Story museum.

l Charge tourists £2.30 to visit York City Art Gallery.

l Cancel a £20,000 grant for Wilberforce Home for the Blind.

l Cut city street cleaning.

l Raise car parking charges by 10p an hour.

Mr Household said: "I am extremely disappointed that the council's staff seem more committed to public services than the councillors themselves.

"The decisions have been made, but we will use every public forum we can to continually point out the effect that their decisions will have. We will not let them forget that they made these decisions and they are responsible for their effects.

"I would be prepared to support members in strike action over this, but I don't gauge that that is what they want."

Last night's meeting saw the Guildhall's public gallery packed with protesters.

But amendments from the Liberal Democrats aimed at stopping the cuts were voted down by Labour councillors voting in a block, as were Conservative efforts to cut council tax and save on funding of the marketing and communications budget.

Peter Miller, vice-president of the Friends of York City Art Gallery who appealed to the council not to introduce charges, said: "I am extremely disappointed. I see access to art as being right at the centre of what the Labour party stands for and, if they can go against that, what happens next?"

He predicted that the gallery's visitor numbers would drop by 40 to 50 per cent within a year.

Councillor Hills said today: "I think people won't like the fact that some of these services have been lost, but I hope they understand that we have protected mainline services while dealing with serious financial restraints. I hope that is what they think, because that is what we have tried to do."

But Liberal Democrat leader Steve Galloway said: ""I have been campaigning in York for 30 years, but the reaction I am getting now from the people I speak to is better than I have ever seen. It is unfortunate there is no election for three years."

The meeting also received petitions from supporters of Yearsley and the Barbican swimming pools, threatened by a leisure services review to be discussed in the future.

The petitions, which had 12,743 signatures in support of the Barbican and 12,300 for Yearsley, were referred to the leisure services committee.

See Council Budget Crisis

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