Calls to Safeguard Devon Jobs

Unions are calling for the Government to promise to protect thousands of jobs in Devon's schools, hospitals and emergency services.

There are concerns that there will be massive public sector cuts after this year's general election in order to tackle the national debt.

A huge number of people in the county could be affected if that happened and Nigel Costly from Devon TUC thinks it could be counter-productive: "there's a debt that needs managing, but if cuts are imposed too sharply we will plunge back into a recession. People are anxious about their jobs and that will ripple out into everyone who works on contracts that rely on public spending"

Speaking to Heart, Minister for the South West Jim Knight confirmed that cuts will happen, but says they will protect the most important areas "we got to halve the budget deficit over the next four years but concentrate our resources on the front line of public services, in our schools and hospitals and find the savings elsewhere."