Tuesday 24 February 2015

Lobby Southwark Council budget meeting!

Southwark Trades Council

Lobby Southwark Council budget meeting!

FIGHT THE CUTS!
Wed 25th Feb
160 Tooley St, SE1 6 -- 7pm

Southwark Trades Council stands firmly against ALL cuts. We will fight for decent jobs, services and homes. We understand that a ConDem government set national cuts which do impact on local decisions, however we can not accept cuts should be made locally and we urge all councilors to vote and campaign with us to fight these.

No more job cuts, no more selling off of housing and land!

Southwark Trades Council supports NO council tax increases or Budget cuts. Thousands of residents have been dragged through courts with over 10% more people are forced to pay more despite very low incomes. This council is implementing welfare cuts whilst sitting on reserves and not fighting for our community. With the addition of rising housing costs, and job cuts are plunging more of our communities into unnecessary poverty. Over 7000 residents in our borough are using foodbanks, this is wholly unnecessary.

Southwark Council’s budget was cut by £25 million in 2014. The council meeting sets the Council Tax budget and includes a proposed £31 million cuts:
    •    200 jobs cuts
    •    Elderly will be 'encouraged' to say in their homes rather than going into care homes. Monitored by technology rather than people!
    •    Closure of all Cash offices and cut in call centre hours

We have already lost 600 jobs since 2010. This has left excess workloads on a far smaller workforce. Those left in the council, many who are also local residents, have also experienced a 16% cut in wages. With that sort of cut, its no wonder more people in work are claiming Housing Benefit. Controlling rents would make more sense to our community lifting insecurity and cutting the HB bill which is making landlords richer. We just can’t afford any more cuts especially whilst we see land and homes sold off to multinationals who then provide little to nothing in terms of secure social rented accommodation.

What can councils do?
• Work with the trade unions and local community, who in consultations wish to see council services protected and in many cases an increase in funding. Use
more reserves & campaign with us for more government funding
• No cuts to jobs and support the campaign for £1 an hour rise pay rise
No cuts in services such as the £17.9m in children’s & adult services. Bedroom tax & Council tax cuts – Immediately award Discretionary Housing payments to claimants affected by bedroom tax and cancel all possession and bailiff orders for those effected by welfare cuts.

What can YOU do:
1. Join the lobby
2. Contact your local councillor ahead of the meeting or call your local councillor or contact them online https://www.writetothem.com/
3. Use your social media Tweet #NoCuts @lb_southwark & @peterjohn6
We will be holding a general election hustings meeting focusing on who will fight austerity on Monday 30th. Venue to be confirmed but keep in touch via southwarktuc@gmail.com and https://southwarktuc.wordpress.com/

Get involved in a trade union: find out more from the Trades council or Southwark UNISON, (0207 525 6030); UNITE Community (0333 240 9798) or Unite Housing workers: www.housingworkers.org.uk

Organised by Southwark Trades Council
Supported by Southwark UNISON & Unite Housing Workers LE1111 E: southwarktuc@gmail.com W: https://southwarktuc.wordpress.com/

Monday 9 February 2015

How can we solve the housing crisis?

Join the discussion hosted, by Defend Council Housing

7pm, Tuesday 10 February
Walworth Methodist Church
54 Camberwell Road
London 
SE5 OEW
Speakers:
Diane Abbott MP
Cris Claridge, Chair Southwark Group of Tenants Organisations
Jerry Flynn, 35% Campaign Gerlinde Gniewosz, Save Cressingham Gardens
Chair: Tanya Murat, Southwark Defend Council Housing
More information from southwarkdch@gmail.com

Sunday 1 February 2015

Radical housing network week of action 14th - 23rd February

Dear All

With elections looming and more and more of us fighting high rents, evictions, gentrification and destruction of their homes and communities, the Radical Housing Network is calling a week of action to give a warning that we intend to force politicians to respond to what Londoners really need:

HOMES FOR PEOPLE NOT FOR PROFIT
Mayor Boris Johnson is the most powerful politician in London when it comes to decisions about housing, with control over a £1.8bn budget for delivering new homes and hundreds of hectares of public land.

His budget goes to the vote on 23 February and if passed, will mean more sky-high rents, sell-offs of the public land we need to build council housing and ‘affordable’ housing that most people can’t afford. It’s a recipe for bigger profits for landlords and developers, and more social cleansing and homelessness for ordinary Londoners.

Details of local actions already being planned as part of the week of action are listed below. The week will culminate in a family-friendly mass action on 23 February to
BLOCK THE BUDGET and demand SOCIAL HOUSING NOT SOCIAL CLEANSING

Monday 23 February, 9am
City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA
https://www.facebook.com/events/828141947231932/?source=1&sid_create=2710301415

We would love you to be part of the week of action. There are lots of ways you can get involved:

Come along to our next organising meeting on Monday 2 February at 7pm at Unite Moreland Street, EC1V 8BB (nearest tube: Angel or Old Street) to help shape our plans.

Organise an action as part of the week. We’ll help promote it on the Radical Housing Network website and social media.

Help us spread the word. Tell all your members/contacts, mention in on your website, promote the week on social media or contact us to get flyers.

If you’re involved in a trade union, contact us for a draft motion in support of the week.

Come along on the 23rd and help us block the budget!

Let us know if you have any questions or need more information by email to housingnetwork@lists.riseup.net.

Week of action

Events already planned as part of the week of action include:

Sat 14 Feb
Lambeth Housing Activists are holding 'love council housing' stalls around Lambeth during the day. In the evening they’re screening Utopia London with a Q&A with retired council estate architect Kate Macintosh. See housingactivists.co.uk for more details.

Lewisham People Before Profit are holding ‘love council housing’ actions. See Facebook for more details.

Campaigners in Tower Hamlets are holding a banner drop, tour of Britain's first Council Estate and a screening of Chocolate City on how developers carved up Washington. Contact Glyn on 07411 557097 for more details.

Thurs 19 Feb
Digs (Hackney Renters) are holding a screening of great films on housing struggles across the ages (and maybe even a Hackney-based quiz after)! 6.30-9pm at PEER Gallery, 97-99 Hoxton St, N1 6QL.

Sat 21 Feb
Digs (Hackney Renters) are holding an action prep workshop for the week of housing action. Stick around for a surprise and catch the rest of the action. 2pm at PEER Gallery, 97-99 Hoxton St, N1 6QL.

More actions being planned, including private tenants action against high rents (contact southlondonrenters@gmail.com for details).

 Best wishes
 Liliana Dmitrovic on behalf of Radical Housing Network