February 2011 – Page 2 – Notts Save Our Services

Anti-cuts diary dates – UPDATED for Feb 16th onwards – Nottingham & Notts

PLEASE RECHECK UPDATES BELOW – NEW DATES AND DETAILS ADDED. See also NO CUTS IN NOTTINGHAM – BUDGET SETTING EVENTS.

Here are anti-cuts events coming up. Also take a look at our Recent Events, Comments and Twitter feed columns for more info and comments. Join Notts SOS Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=129772307075242

Anti-cuts diary dates from Monday 7th February 2011

Running at least until 10th Feb Budget consultation events: Nottingham City Council from 31st Jan until 10th Feb.

Monday 7th Feb Regular Notts SOS planning meeting, at ICC/YMCA, 7.30-9.15pm.

Saturday 12th Feb – Pre-Valentines day ‘We love Nottingham Services – Cards against the cuts’. Nottingham City Centre. Nottingham, Old Market Square in front of the Council House, 1pm until 3pm. Giant cards. Here are a couple of designs:

Saturday 12th Feb – Anti-academy schools stall in Rushcliffe. Details to be announced. Previous meeting in Broxtowe: https://nottssos.org.uk/2011/01/05/fighting-academies-in-nottingham-and-nottinghamshire-broxtowe-meeting-thursday-6-january-2011/

Saturday 12th Feb – Mansfield SOS demo. March/Protest/Rally. Starts ‘Feather’ 11am. Short march finishes Mansfield Market Place for rally, 11.10am. Download leaflet [Word] [PDF] & poster [Word] [PDF]

Monday 14th Feb Extra Notts SOS planning meeting, at ICC/YMCA, 7.30-9.15pm.

Tuesday 15th February 2011 Budget Consultation Meeting for St. Anns & Dales will take place on Tuesday 15th February 2011, 5.30pm – 8pm at Carlton Road Library. Organised through Neighbourhood Action Officer for the St. Anns Ward; working as part of the Neighbourhood Management Team for Area 6 – St. Anns & the Dales. Download: Your City Your Services, R3 consultation meeting agenda – 15.02.11

Saturday 19th Feb – Keep The Post Public. CWU demo. Date: Saturday 19th February 2011. Assemble from 1pm (march will commence at 2pm). Place: Mail Centre, Padge Road, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 2RR. Details: http://www.cwu.org/keep-the-post-public-march-and-rally-in-beeston-nottingham.html. See also: http://www.eclectech.co.uk/savethepostoffice.php in case anyone forgets privatisation started under Labour. Notts TUC event listing: http://www.nottstuc.org/p/keep-post-public-demo-19-feb.html

Tuesday 22th February Nottingham City Unison is organising a public protest at 12.30-1.30pm in the Market Square, in front of the Council House. This is the day that the City Council Executive Board discusses and recommends the 2011/12 budget to the full council. All welcome. Public demonstration with speakers. Download leaflet: Budget cuts protest 22 Feb 2011 Nottingham City Unison

Wednesday 23rd Feb – Mencap Big Cuts Event, Nottingham Racecourse. One of a series of roadshow events across the country to tell people about the cuts happening in their area, and to look at ways we can work together to fight them. Details: http://www.mencap.org.uk/page.asp?id=20547. However – their aim to engage as a workfare provider as ‘Disability Works UK’ consortium seems problematic: http://wheresthebenefit.blogspot.com/2010/12/disability-works-does-it.html. If you are going to this event maybe this issue could be raised?

Thursday 24th Feb – Nottinghamshire County Council Lobby. Major lobby of County Hall, West Bridgford on the day the full council meets to set its Council Tax budget. Download Lobby flyer: Alternative to Notts County cuts lobby 24 Feb 2011. Assemble Embankment, 10am for an 11am start of a march to County Hall. It will set off from the war memorial which is about half a mile down the embankment from Trent Bridge. The lobby will finish at 1pm. There are free coaches laid on from round the county. Details are on the notts unison website: http://www.nottsunison.org.uk/coachtickets.pdf

Friday 25th March – mass woodland walk on Fri 25th to highlight the potential privatisation of the forests. Facebook event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=181968331845270. Mind you, the same MP who is organising this voted for foundation hospitals.

Monday 28th Feb Regular Notts SOS planning meeting, at ICC/YMCA, 7.30-9.15pm.

Saturday 5th March Notts SOS rally in Market Square against the City Council budget. 12 noon. All welcome. Bring banners, placards & things to make noise including yourself!

Monday 7th March – Demonstrate at Nottingham City Council meeting, starting at 1.00 pm (meeting starts 2.00pm). The City Council’s budget for 2011/12 will be considered at a meeting of the full City Council to be held at the Council House, Old Market Square, Nottingham. The agenda for the meeting will be published a week in advance and agendas for Council meetings can be viewed by following this link http://open.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/comm/goto.asp?Type=1|32. Previously, from Unison: previous article on Notts SOS. See also: http://www.nottinghamcityunison.org.uk/.

Tuesday 8th March Anarchists Against the Cuts meeting, 7.00-9.30pm. Venue to be confirmed.

Tuesday 8th March Anti-Academies Alliance public meeting, 7.00pm. Friends Meeting House, 25 Clarendon Street Nottingham NG1 5JD. Download flyer [Word] [PDF].

Wednesday 16th March – Bassetlaw SOS Public Meeting at the Crossing Church & Centre, Newcastle Street, Worksop. Starts 7pm. Download public meeting flyer. Download Bassetlaw anti-cuts flyer.

Saturday 19th March Nottingham CND & Notts SOS are holding a joint stall in the Market Square, at 11.30am. The theme is ‘Cut Trident not Public Sevices/Jobs’.

Saturday 26th March – TUC ‘March for the alternative’: http://marchforthealternative.org.uk/. Put this in your diary now! London – initial details of route are here – http://marchforthealternative.org.uk/march-logistics/getting-there/.

A weekend of anti-cuts activity in Nottingham & Notts (5th/6th February 2011) – Libraries, Shelters & Housing, Vodafone

Yesterday, Saturday 5th February, as part of a countrywide protest against library closures ‘Voices for the Library’, library read-ins and other protests were taking place in Beeston, Carlton, Chilwell, Stapleford, Sneinton and Toton. In London at New Cross one library was occupied last night. Read more in Evening Post prior to Nottingham and Notts library events.

carlton library protest 5th Feb 2011 — Carlton Library, Station Road, Carlton - 5th Feb 2011

say no to cuts nottingham 5th Feb 2011 (1) — Say No To Cuts stall, Market Square, Nottingham, 5/2/2011

Also on the same day in the Market Square, Nottingham, a ‘Say No To Cuts’ stall was run by some of those involved with local homeless shelters and women’s refuges that are facing huge cuts or closure, also highlighting cuts to Refugee Action and housing support for vulnerable young people and adults. Leaflets and petitions were used to encourage more people to get involved. A set of letters written by local homeless teenagers was on display, explaining the vital importance to them of the housing and shelter facilities in Notts that are threatened by funding cuts. Campaign organisers described the cuts as ‘disgusting’ and vowed to prevent a return to large numbers of people sleeping in city centre doorways.

UKUncut
Update post-event. See some photos on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=100001814289529

On Sunday 7th February 2011 at 1pm a UKUncut protest is due to take place at the Vodafone store on Clumber Street. Vodafone was let off billions off its tax bill by HM Revenue and Customs, money which could have been used to avoid public sector cuts. This is also the next local demonstration since one week ago it became clear that police had used CS spray and hospitalised UKUncut activists at the Oxford Road, London branch of Boots (who are another subject of this ongoing campaign against corporate tax avoidance).

Today’s UKUncut protest in Nottingham makes a further link with the situation in Egypt where revolutionaries are being subjected to CS gas and worse. According to the Financial Times, both France Telecom and Vodafone transmitted pro-government text messages and “Some texts on Vodafone’s network appeared to urge Mr Mubarak’s supporters to confront the anti-government protesters.” According to Mark Steel, writing on Egypt in the Independent newspaper last week, “The Big Society taking place in Egypt means for a moment that the place has become the most democratic country on the planet.” UK UNCUT will therefore be highlighting demands that Vodafone pay their taxes and that they do not support dictators.

See also: Report from a previous UKUncut protest in Nottingham, 30th Jan 2011.

ukuncut demo photo nottingham — Previous demonstration outside Vodafone in Nottingham

Lots more photos on Notts SOS Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=129772307075242&v=photos

What’s coming up next week? Take a look at https://nottssos.org.uk/2011/02/06/anti-cuts-diary-dates-from-monday-7th-february-2011-nottingham-notts/

UNISON slams decision to ban march by Tory controlled Rushcliffe Borough Council – Press Release 3rd Feb 2011

Press Release 03/02/2011: UNISON slams decision to ban march by Tory controlled Rushcliffe Borough Council
http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2149

UNISON has commenced an appeal against Rushcliffe Borough Council, which has refused the union permission to use empty fields as a safe assembly area for a public march on 24 February against Nottinghamshire County Council budget cuts. The union has approval from the Police for the event, but is required to have a safe “point of assembly”.

Despite the land being vacant, and only used for overspill car parking for Trent Bridge cricket matches, the council claims that to allow permission might be seen as “supporting a political initiative”. The union believes the refusal to allow permission will be seen by local voters as politically motivated in itself.

Andy Belfield, UNISON East Midlands Regional Head of Local Government deplored the council decision:

“This should all be so straightforward. Conservatives in Nottinghamshire should be saying they will do whatever they can to avoid compulsory redundancies and they will make sure people have every chance to protest and have their say. Instead they are saying they intend to sack 1000 people they don’t have to, and they will try and ban people from peacefully protesting about it. It’s a sad day for the Tories in Notts.”

“Pensioners, services users, community groups and concerned local voters intend to take part in this march, and we need a safe point where people can assemble to reduce inconvenience to local residents and road users. The council must review its decision.”

The union has vowed that the planned march through West Bridgford will go ahead on 24 February 2011. The union will liaise with the police to identify an alternative point of assembly if the council will not budge. The union expects around 1,000 people to take part in the march, which will run from 11am to 12noon and end at County Hall.

ENDS.