Bradford's public services are facing a summer of turmoil with half the Council's staff set to walk-out and many teachers about to be balloted on strike action.

Bradford Council services look set to grind to a halt later this month after union members voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action over proposed changes to their pensions.

Four local authority unions Amicus, T&G, Ucatt and Unison recorded votes of between 73 per cent and 87 per cent in favour of a walk-out. Around half the authority's staff are members.

In a joint statement the unions described their latest talks with Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott as constructive and said further talks will go ahead early next week.

However an initial one-day strike in councils across the UK will go ahead on March 23 unless agreement can be reached.

Around 9,000 Bradford Council staff are members of Unison and branch spokesman Patrick Kerry said he expected their full support.

He said: "Our members, who have paid their pension contributions week in, week out, are very angry, and they are not prepared to sit back and accept changes by a Government which promotes choice except when it comes to local government workers." A Bradford Council spokesperson said: "This is a national strike, but we will be talking to local union representatives to ensure that essential services for vulnerable people will be delivered."

The Government is also facing the threat of a pre-election strike over the same pensions issue by civil servants after massive votes for industrial action by a fifth union, the Public and Commercial Services.

The PCS announced that its 270,000 members had backed strikes by 67 per cent which could mean stoppages at Jobcentres and courts across the district.

The news came on the same day the NUT announced it is to ballot on a one-day strike over similar plans to reform teachers' pensions. Its members will be asked to back a one-day walk-out in April - just weeks before the expected May 5 general election.

Meanwhile lecturers whose teaching posts face the axe as part of a jobs shake-up at Bradford were today rallying public support from city centre shoppers.

Bradford College has a projected deficit of at least £1.3 million and is planning more than 120 redundancies among teaching and non-teaching posts as part of restructuring.

A College spokesman said: "The majority of staff at Bradford College - about 95 per cent - will still be working for the College following the restructure."