Hundreds march through Cardiff in protest at spending cuts

Around 300 protesters from across Wales marched through the city centre this weekend in opposition to the cuts proposed by the UK government.

The public sector employs around a quarter of the workforce in Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government has said the Spending Review meant it would lose £1.8bn from its budget over the next four years.

The march, which started at City Hall and ended with a rally at Sophia Gardens, was held by trade unions who believe that the proposed cuts to public services will cause widespread jobs losses in Wales.

The march started at 1pm and the procession was led with a banner supporting the Newport passport office, which faces closure and the loss of 300 jobs following an announcement from the Home Office last week.

The event was organised by members of a number of unions. Speakers included representatives from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, the Nasuwt teachers’ union and the branch secretary at the Swansea Remploy section of the GMB union.

A number of local Labour members joined the march along with the Plasnewedd Branch Labour Party banner.