Prospect members will join other unions to lobby parliament on Wednesday February 9 in protest at the Public Bodies Bill. This draconian measure would give ministers a blank cheque to merge or abolish hundreds more public bodies without any supporting evidence or consultation with service users.  Prospect gave evidence to the Public Administration Select Committee in December.

The union has also backed criticisms by MPs that the government's ‘bonfire of the quangos' had been a botched, ‘poorly managed' exercise .

Prospect general secretary Paul Noon said: "This Bill must be radically amended to protect the sovereignty of Parliament and to ensure essential public functions are carried out by impartial bodies free from political bias."

Please write to your MP to add your voice of protest against the bill. Any Prospect members intending to participate in the lobby should email [email protected] and are urged to contact their MP in advance.