DPAC 4th of July 2014 ‘Independent Living Tea Party’

From Disabled People Against Cuts
http://dpac.uk.net/
Event in London at Dept. of Work and Pensions.

DPAC is delighted to extend an open invitation to celebrate Independent Living Day with us on the 4th of July at the ‘Independent Living Tea Party ‘. 
 
The party will begin at 2pm at the DWP, Caxton House in Tothill Street SW1. There will be fun & games, and entertainment; and of course, some civil disobedience. 
 
We have come a long way since the demand for Independent Living was first made nearly 50 years ago. Then, as now, IL was our solution for how society supports disabled people to take our place as equals. For how society addresses inaccessible institutions, structures and process it created, which do more to disable people than their impairments ever could. 
 
There are many strands of Independent Living, and all are under threat. Cuts to:
·                                 Support funding – such Social Care, the ILF & Disabled Students Allowance; 
·                                 Education – in areas like the wholesale destruction of SEN Statements and the continued segregation of disabled children into ‘special’ schools;
·                                 Transport – the withdrawal of Taxi-cards, freedom passes and the halting of planned works to make infrastructure more accessible, amongst a host of other cuts combine to make disabled people second-class citizens in society.
 
But we have fought this fight before – and won. Our Disabled Peoples Organisations, legal gains and the policy victories we have won previously are testament to the power, know how and skills disabled people have to develop solutions to problems created by society.  We must celebrate these achievements and remind ourselves that each of these successes have had to be earned, no-one ever gave them to us without a struggle. 
 
So celebrate with us, or alternatively create your own party. Get together with friends and supporters, and create the kind of vibrant, positive spaces we have always created. Bring the noise – bells, whistles, drums, pots & pans etc. Bring food to share. Bring your enthusiasm.
 
if you are planning your own party, here are some suggestions:
 
1) Choose your target –
focus on the important issues locally; support, education, transport etc – its up to you. Identify what you want to celebrate and who represents the biggest threat to that locally. Is it your local council or Uni? Is it a transport provider? Or is it someone else?
 
2) Tell everyone –
yes, EVERYONE. Media, campaign networks, activists, local people. DONT FORGET TO TELL DPAC so we can list and support your action!
 
3) Be heard, be seen –
make your event loud and proud. Bring music, choirs, drum, bells, whistles. Remind everyone out there that we won‘t be separated from society, we are society. We won ‘t go quietly.
 
4)  We’re also holding a Twitter Party on the Hashtag
#IL4JULY so that people at the DWP and at other events round the country
can tweet in pictures of their events and we can all join in. Further
details to follow, watch this space.
 
The famous Boston teaparty led to a revolution against the British government let’s see where our teaparty leads…..
 
 

Trade Unions Unite For Militant And Sustained General Strike Len McClusky Announces

In a genuinely historic move, every trade union in the UK has signed up to a sustained general strike against austerity which could begin in the next few days Unite leader Len McCluskey has confirmed.

Read more: http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/trade-unions-unite-for-militant-and-sustained-general-strike-len-mcclusky-announces/

Council Tax Don’t Pay campaign meeting on Wednesday, 14th August 2013 at Sumac Centre, Nottingham + reports

Here are some reports of the court appearance of Council Tax protestor Ross Longhurst:


http://www.nottinghampost.com/Pensioner-told-pay-council-tax-protest/story-19634230-detail/story.html

http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/5876

http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/other_medias/5880

Also see this report on rent arrears brought about by the Bedroom Tax:

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Bedroom-tax-blamed-council-house-arrears-hit-2m/story-19641981-detail/story.html

There is a rising tide of mass resentment against the Government’s austerity programme.

To take the Council Tax Don’t Pay campaign further, come to the meeting at 19.30 on Wednesday, 14th. August at the Sumac Centre, 245 Gladstone Street, Forest Fields, Nottingham.

CAN’T PAY, WON’T PAY! CANCEL YOUR COUNCIL TAX PAYMENTS TODAY!

Background from the ANTI-AUSTERITY ACTION campaign:

DON’T PAY COUNCIL TAX, SUPPORT COUNCIL TAX PROTESTOR!

Thousands of people in Nottingham are not paying the Council Tax because they can’t afford it. The policies of the Coalition Government are forcing millions of people into poverty. The cuts in vital local services imposed by Labour-controlled Nottingham City Council are making worse the problems faced by people on low incomes.

CAN’T PAY, WON’T PAY!

* Falling incomes, rising prices

* Bedroom Tax, Council Tax Benefit cuts, welfare benefit cuts

* Rising Council Tax, cuts in local services

It was rich bankers who created this economic mess but ordinary people are being forced to pay.

Now is the time for us to hit back at the politicians who serve the rich.

CANCEL YOUR COUNCIL TAX PAYMENTS TODAY!

ANTI-AUSTERITY ACTION
Contact: antiausterity@talktalk.net

No Bedroom Tax evictions in Nottingham! Lobby Monday 8th July 1pm Nottingham Council House

No Bedroom Tax evictions in Nottingham!

Lobby Monday 8th July 1pm Nottingham Council House – organised by Notts Defend Council Tax Benefits Campaign.

Nine UK councils (including Broxtowe Borough) have said they will not evict people who cannot pay their rent because of the Bedroom Tax – We can get Nottingham City Council to do the same.

Under the “Under Occupancy Charge” (Bedroom Tax), the government is taking 14% or 25% off peoples’ Housing Benefit if they live in social housing (council or housing association) and have one or more “spare” bedrooms.

* The Bedroom Tax unfairly hits people with disabilities, carers, parents with part-time custody and young people who are forced to share bedrooms.

* The Bedroom Tax is a cut in Housing Benefit, which is claimed by some of the poorest in the community including part time workers, low waged and people unable to work because of their health or disability.

* It does nothing to help those who claim Housing Benefit because they are out of work, or because they are so poorly paid that they need to claim help with housing costs.

* It will not bring down the Housing Benefit bill which is big because of high rents – mainly in the private sector but now social landlords can charge 80% of the market rate.

* Even if people are able and willing to downsize, according to the Evening Post there are only 35 one bedroom properties available in Nottingham for the 6,000 people affected by the Bedroom Tax to move into. Social housing is in short supply because of a lack of investment by the government over many years.

Whilst the Bedroom Tax is a national scheme, local councils have to implement it. Nottingham City Council say they are not in favour of the scheme. We believe the only way to stop the scheme is to fight it. If all Councils against the scheme take the following action, it will force the government to re-think the Bedroom Tax:

· Refuse to evict people who can’t pay their rent because of the Bedroom Tax. The process of evicting someone from their home is long, complex, expensive (it costs £6,000 per household) and extremely stressful.

· Rather than using resources in this way, we say Nottingham City Council should use its reserves to build a campaign in Nottingham to pressurise the government to scrap the Bedroom Tax. We believe this campaign would be supported by the majority of people in Nottingham – many of whom are unaware of the changes.

· Nottingham City Council should also redesignate properties as having fewer bedrooms to limit the effects of the Bedroom Tax

· Use its influence on the boards of many housing associations to prevent them from evicting people because of the Bedroom Tax

At the Council meeting on Monday July 8, the council will be discussing how they will be implementing the Bedroom Tax.

Lobby Nottingham City Council on July 8!

For more information please contact Notts Defend Council Tax Benefits Campaign: Defendcounciltaxbenefits [at] yahoo.co.uk

Telephone 07505 135 807 / 0791 347 6905

Bedroom tax opposition ramps up in Nottingham – group now forming in the Meadows [plus benefits advice links & drop-in advice session this afternoon]

Report from Notts Bedroom Tax Campaign: The public meeting yesterday evening (10th April) in the Meadows to organise against the Bedroom Tax was well attended. There were about 7 people from the Meadows there, the rest being from the general Notts campaign, from advice centres and just people who are interested in getting involved (23 in all).

Someone from St. Ann’s Advice Centre began by outlining the nature of the Bedroom Tax and how it affects people; a member of the Defend Council Tax Benefit Campaign then followed with more information about that. The floor was then opened up to everyone to speak. Local residents told the meeting about how they were affected and why they were there, and the visitors offered their support and knowledge. It was emphasised that the role of the citywide Nottingham campaign would not be to ‘save’ Meadows people but to support them in setting up their own local group which would then liaise with the general Nottingham one – the idea being to repeat this in the rest of the city.

Read on for full report: http://nottsbedroomtax.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/meadows-public-meeting-report/

See also: http://www.facebook.com/NottsAgainstTheBedroomTax

A drop-in advice session will also be held today, Thursday 11th April at Queens Walk Community Centre, Meadows, Nottingham from 2pm-6pm which is a general benefits advice session by Meadows Advice Group, part of Advice Nottingham http://www.advicenottingham.org.uk/. Advisors will be on hand to discuss how the Bedroom Tax and other Benefit Cut Issues are affecting you and what help you can get.
Advice Nottingham was recently set up to link advice across the city: http://www.adviceuk.org.uk/projects-and-resources/resources/collaborativeresources/casestudies/advicenotts

Bedroom Tax meeting in the Meadows (10th April) and Council Tax non-payment stall in Hyson Green (13th April)

BEDROOM TAX meeting in the Meadows – Wednesday 10th April, 7.00 pm.

Come to a public meeting in the Meadows to learn more about the Bedroom Tax and in particular how to fight back against it. Starts 7pm at Queen’s Walk Community Centre, NG2 2DF. Download flyer:
Bedroom Tax Flyer – 2 April

More info: http://nottsbedroomtax.wordpress.com/
See also comment about the Nottingham City Council policy by NCC Lols:
Bedroom Tax – When Is a Two-Bedroom Flat not a Two-Bedroom Flat?

See also – bedroom tax demo in Loughborough (photos): http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/5547 and meeting tonight (9th April), details here: http://fridayroom.wordpress.com/2013/03/23/campaign-against-the-bedroom-tax/

DON’T PAY COUNCIL TAX STALL IN HYSON GREEN – Saturday 13th April, 11.00 am.

People responded positively to the ‘Oppose Cuts, Don’t Pay Council Tax’ campaigning stall held at Bulwell on Saturday, 6th. April. Around two hundred leaflets were handed out and there was little dissent.

Many people in Bulwell on low incomes already are not paying Council Tax because they can’t afford it. Some have been summonsed to court for non-payment. (These people should be supported by pickets at the Magistrates’ Courts.)

There is widespread awareness of the incoming bedroom tax and much opposition to it. Some passers-by recalled the successful Anti-Poll Tax Campaign and as a result are seriously considering withholding Council tax payments. (Leaflets were available which spelt out the consequences of not paying.)

This was an encouraging start to the campaign and there will be a follow-up stall at Hyson Green (near the market) at 11.00 on Saturday, 13th. April. Come along and help get some effective opposition to the cuts off the ground.

Contact email: antiausterity@talktalk.net

Grim Reaper Gotcha! ex-Thatcher celebration at 5pm today – Old Market Square, Nottingham [with updates]

It’s hard to believe but Margaret Thatcher is really gone for good. A long standing plan to celebrate this joyous occasion will be enacted in Nottingham today starting at 5pm in the Market Square and will go on for some time so come whenever you can. We won’t forget the rest of them but that can wait for one day (part 2 is supposed to be in Trafalgar Square on Saturday). Bring banners, placards, bells & whistles.

Update[1] 9/4/2013: Celebrations… [ http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/margaret-thatcher-dead-video-cheering-1818888 ] were had across the land. In Nottingham the Old Market Square festivities featured anti-poll tax banners from 1989-90, red and black flags and party poppers, plus a contemporary alert about Council Tax benefit changes. Partying continued at the Stage and impromptu event at the Chameleon Cafe Bar.

Update[2] 9/4/2013: Leicester Solidarity Group will be celebrating today:
http://www.leicestershiresg.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/jelly-and-ice-cream-post-thatcher-party.html

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcXi-VYy_Yw]

Council Tax and Bedroom Tax demos/meetings/leafletings

Don’t Pay Council Tax!

Bulwell Market Place, Saturday April 06, 2013. 11.00am

A campaiging stall at Bulwell Market Place to urge people not to pay Council Tax as a protest against cuts in local services, bedroom tax, council tax benefit cuts, etc. Already thousands of people on low incomes in Nottingham are not paying Council Tax.

Contact email: antiausterity@talktalk.net

Bedroom Tax: Leafleting the Meadows and Meadows Meeting

On Sunday 7th April the Notts Campaign Against the Bedroom Tax will be leafleting homes in the Meadows to which the Bedroom Tax may apply. The leaflets, maps and other details are all in hand and we already have 10 volunteers. If YOU would like to join us to do something about the evil Bedroom Tax meet in the parking lot of Queens Walk Community Centre (Queens Walk, The Meadows, Nottingham, NG2 2DF) at 2pm. It will probably last a couple of hours and will go ahead whatever the weather.

Meadows Public Meeting – Wednesday 10th April.
Come to a public meeting in the Meadows to learn more about the Bedroom Tax and in particular how to fight back against it. Starts 7pm at Queen’s Walk Community Centre, NG2 2DF. Download flyer:
Bedroom Tax Flyer – 2 April

More info: http://nottsbedroomtax.wordpress.com/

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