Bromley Council workers took strike action over two days against plans for "mass privatisation".

Unite members staged selective walkouts yesterday and today (April 7 and 8) affecting libraries, parks and adult services.

The union claims the Tory council is privatising most of its services, cutting pay and conditions and withdrawing facility time for Unite representatives.

Regional officer Onay Kasab said: "Our campaign highlights what will happen to local government if the Tories are returned to power at the general election - a race to the bottom for services and the pay of council workers.

"Unite is drawing a line in the sand against privatisation and austerity in local government.

"Council services should be for the public good and not as a cash cow for the private companies benefiting from lucrative outsourcing contracts."

The council issued a statement on Thursday (April 2) reassuring residents it would do everything it could to minimise impact on critical services during the strike.

A spokeswoman said factually, cuts had not been made to staff pay.

MORE TOP STORIES She said: "We continue to examine every single one of our services and cost pressures to find the most effective and efficient ways of delivering quality services which focus on those in the borough who need them most.

"This involves looking at every possible service delivery option that exists to ensure that we continue to provide the best value for money for Bromley taxpayers as the council has done for many years.

"These options include continuing to provide services in-house or to facilitate social enterprise or outsourcing."

The council says it needs to make £50 million in savings over four years from a net budget of around £200 million.