“Thank you for your email on behalf of the PCS, DWP Group Fylde Branch regarding the General Election.

I appreciate the hard work done by those working in the public sector and understand that the past few years have been an extremely difficult time.

To answer your questions I do agree that we should be investing in jobs in the Fylde and if re-elected I would be very happy to meet with you, and other trade union representatives locally, to discuss how this can be best achieved as well as what representations it would be most effective for me to make to the Government if re-elected on June 8^th.  

I do not believe that the loss of public sector jobs on the Fylde Coast is a price worth paying to ‘balance the economy’. I am far from convinced that we have seen a productive re-balancing of the economy in recent years.

I agree that Governments should honour commitments made to public sector workers and share your fear that cuts to the civil service compensation scheme are being made so that larger number of employees can be made redundant in the years ahead.

I also agree Britain needs a pay rise and that we need an end to the public sector pay cap. I am pleased that this commitment is included in the Labour Party manifesto. I do not believe it is correct to link pay restraint to job losses.

I would be happy to discuss any of these matters with you in further detail if this would be helpful.

Yours sincerely,

Cat Smith”