Tag: city

Campaigners condemn city council budget decision – Notts SOS press release – March 2012

Campaigners condemn city council budget decision

Download Press Release: Notts SOS Nottingham City Council budget decision press release March 2012

Campaigners from Nottinghamshire Save Our Services (Notts SOS) have condemned the budget, voted through by councillors on Monday 5th March.

Councillors overwhelmingly voted for the budget which included a 3.49% council tax increase; the sell-off of Portland Leisure Centre; the closure of two centres for older people, Marlstones Elderly Person’s Home in Bulwell and the Willows Centre in Beechdale; the closure of the Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard; the ending of food waste collections and closure of nine recycling centres; and a reduction in funding to Connexions, a support service for young people.

There were only four votes against – the city’s few remaining Tories voting who have no particular objection to cutting services, but opposed the council tax increase.

Notts SOS held a joint protest with Nottingham City Unison outside the Council House at lunchtime and another for people coming from work at 5pm.

The group also handed in a petition to the council calling on the council not to implement a cuts budget. This was presented by Councillor Alex Norris during the budget meeting.

Tom Unterrainer from Notts SOS said, “Labour councillors made a lot of speeches, all of the ‘with a heavy heart’ variety. Piffle. If they had any heart – or backbone – they’d have set a no cuts budget and taken their fight to the government with action not hot air.”

Richard Smith from Notts SOS said, “This is not the end of the campaign. This is the fourth year in a row the city council has cut its budget and they already expect to slash a further £24m by spring 2015. Sooner or later, something’s going to give. Hopefully it’s some of the local Labour councillors rather than any of Nottingham’s residents.”

Contacts

Website: https://nottssos.org.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nottssos
OStatus: https://indy.im/nottssos
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/nottssosfb
Email list: http://goo.gl/uT89q

Notes for editors

1. Notts SOS was set up in the autumn of 2010 to campaign and oppose
all cuts to services in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. We have been
fighting council cuts on many levels since then, including organising
a 1,200 strong march to the city centre in November 2010.

ENDS

—
Nottinghamshire Save Our Services (Notts SOS)
Sign up to our email list for regular updates:
https://groups.google.com/group/notts-sos-announcements

Campaigners to protest at city council budget meeting – Notts SOS Press Release – join the demonstrations on Monday 5th March

PRESS RELEASE Notts Save Our Services 1st March 2012

Campaigners to protest at city council budget meeting
On Monday March 5th, Nottinghamshire Save Our Services (Notts SOS)
will protest outside the Council House when Nottingham City Council
meets to vote on its budget for 2012-13.

From 12.30pm-1.30pm, campaigners from the group will join with members
of Nottingham City Unison, demonstrating against the cuts to jobs and
services being voted through.

There will also be a protest for people coming from work at 5pm-7pm.

Protesters hope to present a petition against the council’s cuts
during the lunchtime demonstration.

The budget being discussed at the meeting includes a 3.49% council tax
increase alongside 195 job cuts.

The council are looking at selling-off Portland Leisure Centre;
closing two centres for older people, Marlstones Elderly Person’s Home
in Bulwell and the Willows Centre in Beechdale; closing the Museum of
Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard; cutting food waste collections and
closing nine recycling centres; and reducing funding to Connexions, a
support service for young people.

The council had also propsed reducing redundancy payments for laid-off
staff to the legal minimum, but has subsequently withdrawn this
proposal.

In total the council hope to save £20m to cover a shortfall arising
from reduced government funding as a result of the coalition
government’s austerity drive.

The council has also said that this will not be the end to the cuts,
with an additional £24m of cutbacks required by the end of the spring
2015.

Notts SOS believe that the cuts agenda is ideologically driven and are
urging councillors to stand-up to central government.

Claire Taylor from Notts SOS said, “Council Leader Jon Collins and
Deputy Leader Graham Chapman have been vocally critical of central
government and often with good reason. Now it’s time for them to put
their money where their mouth is and refuse to pass the cuts onto the
people of Nottingham. Even a single council refusing to implement a
cuts budget would shake the coalition government.”

Contacts

Email: nottssos@gmail.com
Website: https://nottssos.org.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nottssos
OStatus: https://indy.im/nottssos
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/nottssosfb
Email list: http://goo.gl/uT89q

Notes for editors

1. Notts SOS was set up in the autumn of 2010 to campaign and oppose
all cuts to services in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. We have been
fighting council cuts on many levels since then, including organising
a 1,200 strong march to the city centre in November 2010.

ENDS

Last weekend for petition signing against Notttingham City Council cuts before 5th March 2012

Please see attached amended leaflet Notts SOS supporters will be handing out this Saturday 3rd March 2012, from 12 – 2pm in the Market Square, Nottingham. Saturday will also be a last chance to get names on the petition so if you haven’t already signed or if you have completed petition forms to hand in, please come along and visit the stall.

Leaflet: Know the Cuts Notts SOS March 2012

£20 MILLION CUTS IN NOTTINGHAM!* Many city residents will be unaware of yet another year of further proposed cuts to our vital public services, increased costs to pay for them, and axing of local jobs. Below we highlight 10 headline proposals in the City Council budget for coming years. When they tell you “We’re all in this together”, …..you can see its not true.
* Council Tax up 3.49%
* Selling Portland Leisure Centre
* Closing two Older People’s Centres;
1) Marlstones Elderly Person’s Home, Bullwell
2) Willows Centre, Beechdale
* Closing the Museum of Nottingham Life, Brewhouse Yard
* Stopping food waste collections
* Closing nine recycling centres
* Reducing funding to young people support group Connexions
* Ending grant to the International Community Centre that provides facilities for 114 voluntary groups
* 195 Council job cuts
£24 MILLION MORE CUTS BY SPRING 2015!

Also join us in our lobby of the Council meeting on Monday 5th March that will set its budget, at either 12.30 – 1.30pm or 5pm – 7pm, or both if you can make it.

* All figures taken from Council Budget Proposal for 2012-13

And it’s happening all over the country… read this report from London

Haringey Alliance for Public Services
www.hapsnews.net

Press release, 28.2.2012

Haringey residents and workers march to defend local public services under threat

On Tuesday February 28th 150 residents and workers from a wide range of local concerned organisations marched to the Civic Centre to defend vital local services and jobs under threat. The demonstration, co-ordinated by the Haringey Alliance for Public Services, demanded Councillors reject proposals for another £21m of savage Government-driven cuts.

After assembling at 6pm at Wood Green Library, the anti-cuts protestors then marched to the Haringey Civic Centre. From 6.45 to 7.30pm there was a noisy rally outside the windows to the Council Chamber where Councillors at the full Council session were discussing the latest unfair, unnecessary and unacceptable cuts proposals. The rally included an ‘open mike’ session with a range of heartfelt and powerful speeches – and chants of ‘No Ifs, No Buts – No Public Sector Cuts’ and They Say Cut Back, We Say Fight Back’. Members and reps of the following organisations spoke: The 684 Centre Users, Haringey Defend Council Housing, Haringey UNISON, Haringey Federation of Residents Associations, Day-Mer, Defend Haringey’s Health Services Coalition, Haringey Friends of Parks Forum, Wards Corner Community Coalition, and a range of individuals.

The speakers described how the latest £21m cuts come on top of the scandalous and destructive £40m cuts pushed through last year resulting in a wave of closures of centres, loss of front line services and jobs, and more and more ‘outsourcing’ and privatisation. This year’s cuts continue in the same vein, with all departments suffering reduced budgets. On top of the Council cuts the local NHS faces massive underfunding and privatisation threats, and welfare benefits are being cut causing increased hardship and homelessness among vulnerable sections of our communities.

Many speakers pointed out that this avoidable tragedy for Haringey residents is due to the Government’s determination to underfund and undermine public services as they seek to force them to close or be privatised. Anger was expressed that vital public services are being sacrificed to bail out the bankers and banking system which caused the current economic crisis – yet massive ‘fat cat’ bonuses and over £100billion corporate tax avoidance scams continue.

However, many speakers also took heart from the many local and national protests and strikes over the last 12 months, including the recent 1.5 million-strong public sector pensions strikes, the growing chorus of opposition to the Government’s threats to the NHS, the successful use of picketing and direct action to defeat pay cuts in the construction industry, and the growing disarray of Government ‘workfare’ forced-labour schemes.

‘This local Haringey demonstration was one of hundreds of similar protests and mobilisations this week at Town Halls throughout the UK. It shows that the fight back against the Government’s ideological assault on our vital public services continues. We demand adequate resources for Haringey and pledge to continue to defend Council services, the NHS, welfare benefits and all the other rights and services fought for by previous generations.’
– Dave Morris, Haringey Alliance for Public Services

For more information check out our webpages or contact: haps@haringey.org.uk

Know the Cuts – Notts SOS campaign against City Council cuts in 2012-13

Notts Save Our Services (Notts SOS) is campaigning against council cuts in both the City and County.

Download our flyer against City Council cuts: Know the Cuts 2012

£20 MILLION CUTS IN NOTTINGHAM! (All figures taken from Council Budget Proposal for 2012-13)

Many city residents will be unaware of yet another year of further proposed cuts to our vital public services, increased costs to pay for them, and axing of local jobs. Below we highlight 10 headline proposals in the City Council budget for coming years. When they tell you “We’re all in this together”, …..you can see its not true.

* Council Tax up 3.49%
* Selling Portland Leisure Centre
* Closing two Older People’s Centres;
1) Marlstones Elderly Person’s Home, Bullwell
2) Willows Centre, Beechdale
* Closing the Museum of Nottingham Life, Brewhouse Yard
* Stopping food waste collections
* Closing nine recycling centres
* Reducing funding to young people support group Connexions
* Reducing redundancy pay for council staff to legal minimum with proposals for 195 Council job cuts
* £24 MILLION MORE CUTS BY SPRING 2015!

The council intends to set this budget on March 5th – join our campaign against these proposals

Notts SOS protest city council cuts budget

Notts Save Our Services

PRESS RELEASE – January 21st, 2012

Anti-cuts campaigners protest Nottingham City Council cuts budget

Anti-cuts campaigners today (Saturday 21st January) launched a campaign calling on city councillors to vote against Nottingham City Council’s proposed budget for 2013-14.

Nottinghamshire Save Our Services (Notts SOS) held a stall in the Market Square to raise awareness of what the council is planning and collect signatures for a petition calling on the council not to impose further cuts.

Notts SOS is also calling on people concerned about the impact of the cuts to attend consultation sessions being run by the council to challenge councillors to reject the proposals.

Earlier this week, Nottingham City Council announced budget proposals which foresee a 3.49% council tax increase alongside 195 job cuts.

The council are looking at selling-off Portland Leisure Centre; closing two centres for older people, Marlstones Elderly Person’s Home in Bulwell and the Willows Centre in Beechdale; closing the Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard; cutting food waste collections and closing nine recycling centres; reducing funding to Connexions, a support service for young people; and reducing redundancy payments for laid-off staff to the legal minimum.

In total the council hope to save £20m to cover a shortfall arising from reduced government funding as a result of the coalition government’s austerity drive.

The council has also said that this would not be the end to the cuts, with an additional £24m of cutbacks required by the end of the spring 2015.

Notts SOS believe that the cuts agenda is ideologically driven and are urging councillors to stand-up to central government.

Claire Taylor from Notts SOS said, “Council Leader Jon Collins and Deputy Leader Graham Chapman have been vocally critical of central government and often with good reason. Now it’s time for them to put their money where their mouth is and refuse to pass the cuts onto the people of Nottingham. Even a single council refusing to implement a cuts budget would shake the coalition government.”

Rosemary Muge from the group added, “The same week the council announced it’s planned cuts, Goldman Sachs revealed an £8 billion pay and bonus bill for UK staff in 2011 – equating to £238,832 for every worker. The bankers who caused this crisis have avoided paying for it and instead the cost is being borne by ordinary people. Nottingham is already a deprived city it needs investment not further cutbacks.”

Notes for editors

1. Notts SOS was launched in September 2010. They oppose cuts to services, job losses and cuts in benefits and aim to support workers organisations, service users, community groups in fighting cuts in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire. They hope to inspire confidence to think, meet and act. And to be inspired.

2. Last year Notts SOS held a demonstration when the city council met to set its budget. A petition was presented to Deputy Leader Graham Chapman. Councillors were later heckled from the public gallery and Jon Collins was challenged by protesters while he was being interviewed for the BBC.

ENDS

Links:

Notts SOS website: https://nottssos.org.uk

Notts SOS Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/nottssos

Notts SOS Indy.im feed: https://indy.im/nottssos

Contact email: nottssos [at] gmail.com

Nottingham City Council’s draft Budget for 2012/13 published – public consultation meeting dates

Nottingham City Council’s draft Budget for 2012/13 has only just been published.

For a summary see http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=17124.

These include 195 job cuts and a council tax increase of 3.49%.

Additionally, the council are looking at

* encouraging staff to volunteer to work 35 hours rather than 37
* selling-off Portland Leisure Centre
* closing two centres for older people, Marlstones Elderly Person’s
Home in Bulwell and the Willows Centre in Beechdale
* closing the Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard
* cutting food waste collections and closing nine recycling centres
* reducing funding to Connexions, a support service for young people
* reducing redundancy payments for laid-off staff to the legal minimum

The budget will go before a full council meeting on 5th March.

We’ve already begun a campaign to encourage councillors to vote
against the budget. Keep an eye out for stalls and protests around the
city.

Public consultation meetings are being held as listed below. It is important that as many people as possible go to these meetings to pressurise councillors not to implement this cuts budget. Get yourself there and urge your contacts to attend.

Saturday 21 Jan 12, Sherwood District Centre, Outside Co-op., 684 Mansfield Rd., NG5 2GE, 10am -12noon. Contact telephone: 0115 883 8469.

Tuesday 24 Jan 12, Clifton Cornerstone Southchurch Drive, Clifton, NG11 8EW, 6:30pm 915 3079

Wednesday 25 Jan 12, Indian Community, Centre (ICCA), Hucknall Road, Carrington, NG5 1QZ, 6pm 883 8469

Wednesday 25 Jan 12, Bentinck School Bentinck Road, Radford, NG7 4AA, 4pm 883 8469

Wednesday 25 Jan 12, Greenway Centre Trent Lane, Sneinton, NG2 4DF, 6.30pm 915 3079

Monday 30 Jan 12, Top Valley Community Centre, Top Valley Way, NG6 9DD, 6pm 915 9127

Tuesday 31 Jan 12, Loxley House LB41, (BSL interpreters will be present), Station Street, N2 3NG, 5pm 876 4955

Wednesday 1 Feb 12, Thomas Hewly’s Baptist Church, Church St, Lenton, NG7 1SJ, 2pm -3.30pm, 883 8469

Wednesday 1 Feb 12, Southwark Primary School, Park Lane, Basford, NG6 ODT, 6pm 915 9127

Friday 3 Feb 12, Bulwell Market Place Bulwell, NG6 8HD 9.30am 915 9127

Monday 6 Feb 12, Meadows Library Wilford Grove, NG2 2DR, 6-8pm 915 3079

Wednesday 8 Feb 12, Chase Neighbourhood Centre, Robin Hood Chase, St Ann’s, NG3 4EZ,4.30pm 915 3079

Wednesday 8 Feb 12, Sheila Roper Community Centre, Baslow Drive, Lenton Abbey, NG9 2SU, 7pm 883 8469

Thursday 9 Feb 12, Bilborough Market Bracebridge Drive, NG8 4PN, 9.30 -11.30am, 915 9127

Thursday 9 Feb 12, Kingswood Church Lambourne Drive, Wollaton, NG8 1GR, 7pm 883 8469

Thursday 16 Feb 12, Nottingham Salvation Army, 397 Aspley Lane, NG8 5RR, 6pm 915 9127

Resisting political policing in Nottingham – meeting at the Sumac Centre on Saturday 14th January afternoon

RIGHT TO PROTEST MEETING

Following the arrests at the Notts Uncut “Christmas Special” and in light of the continuing prosecution of the “Atos Two” there is a need for people in Nottingham to get together to work out how we can effectively resist political policing.

To this end the Nottingham Defence Campaign are inviting people to an open meeting at the Sumac Centre, 245 Gladstone Street, Forest Fields, NG7 6HX, at 2pm on Saturday 14th January to discuss we want to respond. The meeting will be relatively informal and the agenda can be shaped by the specific concerns of attendees, but likely points of discussion include legal observing and support, court solidarity, further protests and wider publicity. Wheelchair access is on Beech Avenue entrance.

Event details: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2298

Please come along or, if you can’t make it, spread the word.

Website: https://network23.org/
Indy.im: https://indy.im/nottsdefence
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nottsdefence

Notts Uncut – visiting tax dodging companies in Nottingham on Saturday 14th January 2012

Notts Uncut will be out and about again in 2012, visiting tax dodging companies in Nottingham on Saturday 14th January. They’re keen to build on the success of 2011 and show that they are not intimidated by the heavy-handed policing which they experienced during their “Christmas Special” protest in December.

Notts Uncut will be meeting outside Boots, Upper Parliament Street at 12 noon. Feel free to join.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nottssos
Website: http://www.nottsuncut.co.uk
Email: nottsuncutaction [at] gmail.com

Looking back over 2011 on Nottingham Indymedia – lots of good anti-cuts photos

A nice pictorial summary of 2011 is presented on Nottingham Indymedia. Lots of anti-cuts activity is recorded: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2294

The past year has been a particularly tumultuous one which has seen the wave of Middle Eastern revolutions, the Libyan war, the August Riots, the indignados and occupy movements, the Eurozone crisis, Hackgate, the continuing militancy of the anti-cuts movement and much more. Nottingham has felt the reverberations of many of these global events, with an Occupy Nottingham camp in the Market Square, anti-police riots, the biggest trade union march for decades and many solidarity and anti-cuts actions and demonstrations.

Come and join Notts SOS and make 2012 a year when the voices of anti-cuts campaigning cannot be ignored.

NOTTS SOS meetings in January 2012

Regular Notts SOS meetings resume in 2012 on Mondays 9th and 23rd January. These take place fortnighly at the YMCA International Community Centre on Mansfield Road and start at 7.30 finishing around 9.00pm.

Come along and get involved or if you can’t make it, contact us and tell us about your anti-cuts activities.

What cuts? In our News section we have covered the cuts in City and Council budgets:

Another round of cuts is due in 2012 and we must be ready to take action again.

Other ways to keep informed of Notts SOS activities are as follows.

Keep up to date by subscribing to this blog (scroll down and add your email address on the right of this page to receive a message whenever there is a new blog post. You can also join the Notts SOS facebook page or follow us on Notts SOS twitter.

Look out for our occasional newsletters: https://nottssos.org.uk/2011/11/16/notts-sos-newsletter-no-7-november-2011/

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