LOCAL authority workers staged a parliamentary protest today to demand fairer council funding.

The Unite rally, joined by Birmingham bin strikers, was organised as part of the union’s new Fair Funding Now for Local Government campaign.

The campaign comes as councils are in crisis after years of severe cuts to public services and jobs.

Local authorities were £122 billion in debt as of 2024, with government lenders charging excessive levels of interest to cash-strapped authorities.

Speaking as the rally today, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Local authorities are being crippled under mounting debt.

“Over half of all local authorities in England are now heading for bankruptcy.

“Birmingham city council alone is paying back £250 million a year in debt. More than it spends on its entire children’s services.

“Unite’s campaign is calling for Labour to restructure local authority debt, or better still get rid of it altogether.

“The Treasury owns local authority debt and is charging inflated interest rates on that debt. Essentially profiteering.

“This must stop, if a solution is not found to this crisis in local authorities there will be cuts.

“And Unite also puts Labour on notice, that we will fight these cuts, in every town and every city.”