ONE in 14 public sector workers in the South-West lost their jobs between July and September last year, according to new figures from the Office of National Statistics.

A total of 37,000 workers – at seven per cent, the largest fall in the country – of those employed in the region by local government, the police, the forces and the NHS lost their jobs.

Nigel Costley, Regional Secretary of the South-West TUC, said: “All across our region public sector jobs are disappearing in droves as local councils, government agencies and the health service are forced to cut services to the core as the Chancellor’s austerity measures hit hard.

“More than 37,000 public sector workers in the South-West have now lost their jobs at a time when finding work has never been harder.

“Behind every job loss is not just the job consequences but the loss of valuable public services.

“Ministers must see that their economic policies are doing huge harm, and with more spending cuts coming down the track and the recovery still weak, thousands more public servants will soon be swelling the ranks of the unemployed.

“A change of direction which has jobs and growth at its heart is now long overdue.”