Welfare advisors whose jobs were at risk may keep their jobs.

Barnet Unison confirmed that the proposal from Barnet Council to see two welfare rights advisors at risk has been suspended.

The proposal would have seen the two roles replaced by a Financial Inclusion Coordinator role, which the union feared would turn into a "signposting" role rather than one that directly helped vulnerable people.

Branch secretary John Burgess said: "The lesson must be if you don’t challenge decisions then you will never know if you could have made a difference.

"I am proud of the “Barnet Two” who despite the incredible stress and pressure they are under have managed to stay positive and focussed.

"I can see why both of them are excellent Welfare Advisors and why they are a credit to the Council."

BAFTA award-winning film director Ken Loach, whose film I, Daniel Blake follows the story of a man who is denied benefits, weighed on the original proposal, saying the council were "colluding in this conscious brutality" with the Department of Work and Pensions.

The union will be speaking to the two advisors next week about what this means, but spoke of a number of "solidarity messages" from the community and council workers.