News from Sheffield Labour

Tory candidate wrongly claims all Sheffield’s public sector jobs face axe

Prospective Labour MP calls on Tory opponent to apologise for suggesting every public sector worker in Sheffield could lose their job.

Jack Scott, Labour’s Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Sheffield Hallam, has today called for his Conservative opponent to apologise for suggesting every public sector worker in Sheffield would lose their job.

Nicola Bates, the Conservative Candidate for Sheffield Hallam wrote on Twitter “32.5% of public sector jobs to be lost in Sheffield” and included a link to this BBC News article, which clearly states the estimate is nearer 10%.

Ms Bates appears to have been confused by the next paragraph which says: “The study said that almost 29% of jobs in the region were currently in public sector activities, with the figure as high as 35% in Barnsley, 33% in the East Riding of Yorkshire and 32.5% in Sheffield.”

Jack Scott commented: “This is an appalling example of the Tories playing politics with peoples’ jobs and services. It is inconceivable that this level of public sector jobs could be lost in Sheffield. Sheffield would grind to a halt. Ms Bates clearly doesn’t understand the Sheffield economy at all. She has got her sums completely wrong and ended up saying every public sector job is to be cut. This happens less than a week after the Shadow Chancellor mistook 5.4% for 54%. It is obvious the Tories have got no answers and don’t even understand the issues. I wouldn’t trust them to run a bath, let alone the country.

“It is becoming clearer and clearer that the Tories would take delight in slashing investment in our vital public services. I am calling on Nicola Bates to apologise for this scaremongering and use of misleading information.”

Other news from Sheffield Labour

• Station Bridge roundtable with Transport Ministers announced - 8 February 2012
• Paul Blomfield MP slams Tory "ambush" of Government Fair Access Director - 8 February 2012
• Angela Smith MP highlights economic problems faced by Barnsley - 7 February 2012