LABOUR councillors and trade unionists united at the weekend to condemn the Tories’ devolution plans, warning of further cuts and attacks on union membership.

The councillors said at a conference in Leeds that unions and Labour councils must work together to take on the challenges posed in the next five years by cuts-mad Tories in Parliament.

The conference, which was organised by general union GMB Yorkshire and North Derbyshire region, heard from Leeds Labour council leader Judith Blake, who said that the city had lost 40 per cent of its budget through Tory cuts, with worse to come.

She accused Chancellor George Osborne of “obscene cynicism” in attempting to portray the Tories as representing working people.

GMB Yorkshire and North Derbyshire regional secretary Tim Roache said the Tories’ idea of devolution, which will hand certain powers from central government to local levels, posed huge challenges.

“The Tory version of devolution comes complete with a host of caveats to ensure their ideological doctrine is still implemented, regardless of the will of the electorate,” he said.

“That means elected mayors even when the public have already voted against them and banning councils and devolved regions from making policy if it’s not in line with government thinking.”

He said the Trade Union Bill could force councils to end the check-off system of collecting trade union subscriptions.

“I want to see more power in the regions, more power in ordinary people’s hands and the hands of our members and local government workers, but this Tory version of devolution doesn’t achieve that,” he said.