Calls were made for politics to be put aside in the fight against cuts to public services and jobs in Shropshire.
The Public and Commercial Services Union, campaigning against the job threats, called the hustings to give local election candidates in Telford the chance to air their views.
Wednesday night’s meeting was chaired by industrial and town centre chaplain, the Reverend Peter Cope at Meeting Point House.
The meeting was attended by about 15 people, and was organised as part of the union’s Make Your Vote Count Campaign.
Telford & Wrekin council Labour group leader, Keith Austin, independent group leader Gary Davies and Conservative group leader Andrew Eade were on the panel. No representatives from the Liberal Democrats or UKIP were there.
Telford and the surrounding area has been hit by a number of threats to jobs with organisations such as the Defence Logistics Organisation at Sapphire House relocating to Bristol and training at RAF Cosford being relocated to South Wales.
Councillor Andrew Eade said they needed to pull together with other organisations, such as trade unions, to fight the job cuts, which would see millions of pounds being lost to the local economy.
He said if there was a change in the party controlling Telford & Wrekin Council then this would be a good thing because they could start to learn new ways of working together.
Councillor Eade believed in the public sector and that it should be ’strong and competitive’.
Councillor Davies said: “If we could get the politics out of the arena altogether we would go forward together with the people.”
He said the job cuts were going to affect the most vulnerable in the community.
Councillor Austin said he had lobbied the Government, both visiting and writing to ministers over job cuts, including moves to reduce staff at revenue and customs by 26 per cent by 2012.
Councillor Austin said he was trying to expand a defence working group to get the RAF on board.
By Lisa Rowley
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