ABOUT 150 nurses, workers, students and political activists descended on Oxford city centre to protest about the continuation of the government’s austerity measures.

Members of the Socialist Worker’s Party, Unison, the Green Party and Unite the Union held a demonstration in Broad Street on Saturday.

The protest was described as preparation for a larger demonstration in London organised by The People’s Assembly Against Austerity, which is planned to take place on June 20.

Representative of Unison and Oxford-based nurse Ian McKendrick was one of the demonstrators.

The 51-year-old said: “The main local issues [we’re protesting against] is the state of the NHS, the continuation of the high cost of living and low wages in the county, and the recent announcement that Oxfordshire County Council may need to cut a further £60 million from its budget.” Mr McKendrick, who has worked as a nurse at the Warneford Hospital since 1991, added: “The NHS is struggling in our county as the cost of living has shot up, and nurses wages haven’t.

“A lot of nurses just cannot afford to live in Oxford or Oxfordshire, so they go and look elsewhere.

“I’m one of the lucky ones as I live in social housing, but for others they just can’t afford to live here.”