It was recently announced that cuts to crossing attendants and green waste staff in the borough would be implemented over the coming months. Jon Cruddas MP for Dagenham & Rainham has come out against the cuts and will be contacting Barking and Dagenham Council regarding any future decisions.
Jon Cruddas commented on the recent cuts: "The tough economic times the council are going through always meant that the budget process would contain hard decisions and it was inevitable that certain decisions were going to resonate more with local residents than others. However certain decisions and the manner in which we are finding out about them are simply wrong.
"I discovered earlier this week that our green garden waste collectors were being handed their notice before the agreed end of their contracts and that this service would be stopped earlier than previously reported. To lay off these staff just before Christmas is completely unfair and puts these staff in a very difficult position. The green garden waste team should have been allowed to see out their contracts, not only as a help to them but I know from my residents' casework that this service is used by many local people.
"Another proposed saving that I do not see the logic in is the proposal to cut the funding to school crossing staff. These staff do not cost a lot of money compared to other areas within the council and they do provide a much loved service for local people. In a time of rising costs now is not the time to be attacking the lowest paid. We should be protecting our frontline staff who provide valuable services for residents. I will be discussing this cut with the Leader of the Council in our next meeting as I fully believe that this is not the correct decision and we should look for an alternative."