Public Meeting: What future for the welfare state

Thursday February 28^th

2013 @ 7.30pm

Victoria Centre, Palk Road

Wellingborough NN8 1HT

Speakers:

Wilkie Wilkinson

Social Worker and UNISON shop steward

(personal capacity)

Disabled People Against Cuts (invited)

Public & Civil Services Union

(Department for Works and Pensions Branch)

(invited)

Stop attacks on the poorest

and vulnerable

Defend our welfare safety-net

STOP the Government:

·       Attacking the Disabled

Cutting Disability Living Allowance will take away

£2 billion from disabled people

·       Attacking Families

The “bedroom tax” takes 14% from the housing benefit of 660,000 families deemed to have one bedroom too many.

Council tax benefit is being abolished,

and discretionary responsibility is being passed to local councils already coping with cuts

·       Attacking the Young

Reducing housing benefit from the under 25s will condemn thousands of vulnerable young people to homelessness,

and is denounced by homeless charities

·       Sowing Division and hatred

The Government tries to set employed against unemployed, poor against the event poorer

Benefit claimants are branded “shirkers,”

but most claimants are in work but paid lousy wages

·       Cutting our Local Services

County Council cuts have hit libraries, preventive services, adult social care, the youth offending service, foster care, trading standards, fire and rescue, Police, early years, meals on wheels, education services and many more.

Council employees face unprecedented attacks on

pay, conditions and pensions.

COME AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE ATTACKS AND THE FIGHT AGAINST THEM

DON’T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT!!

An event organised by

Wellingborough Labour Party

and Independent Socialists in Wellingborough

For more information ring: 078 72 83 64 63

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Public meeting: Our NHS – the future? Proposed changes: what do they mean for you?

Wellingborough Labour Party and Independent Socialists in Wellingborough are jointly sponsoring a public meeting on the future of the national health service.

This will take place on Tuesday, September 25th at 7.00pm in the Victoria Centre, Palk Road Wellingborough, NN8 IHT.

Various speakers from the trade union movement and local health service practitioners have been invited. Confirmed speaker to date: Dr. Roger Perry, local GP and Member of Nene Commissioning (GP commissioning group for most of Northamptonshire); Chair of its Wellingborough Locality Group, and   Gerry Looker, a Unison Full Time Officer representing Health Service workers for 16 years and for the last 6 years for Unison in Northamptonshire. Originally from Birkenhead on Merseyside having worked for unions in the public and private sector for 22 years.

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Councilllors Alternative Budget to Beat the Cuts

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Speak Out! Have Your Say! A Call from Wellingborough Anti-Cuts Coalition

A Statement was issued by Wellingborough Anti-Cuts Coalition this morning:

The Resources Committee of Wellingborough Borough Council is meeting on Wednesday, 9th February at 7:00pm. The Wellingborough Anti Cuts Coalition is calling for all those who are opposed to the public sector cuts to take this opportunity to voice their opposition and put questions and speak to the Resources Committee.

Show the Council that there are people in the town that want to defend public services, do not see the cuts as inevitable, and will do what is necessary to oppose policies which punish the most vulnerable in our society.

There are alternatives to the slash and burn tactics of this administration that the local council are refusing to even countenance. It’s time we made them listen.

Protest!

Meet outside the Council offices at Swanspool House at 6:30pm, on Wednesday 9th February with banners and flags to greet the Councillors as they arrive.

To speak or put a question to the Committee it is necessary to apply by 5pm the working day before the Committee meeting at the latest. Go to link below for guidance http://www.wellingborough.gov.uk/info/100004/council_and_democracy/186/council_and_committee_meetings/9

Defend Our Public Services!
Resist Cuts!
There are alternatives!

Wellingborough Council is proposing to reduce its expenditure next year by 25% as a result of government cut in its grant. Local democracy and accountability is being destroyed. Local councillors do not want to make these cuts but are being forced to do so. The Leaders of Wellingborough Council have been trying to keep these cuts secret and to prevent the public from having their say.

These cuts will have devastating impacts

• Massive cuts in services to the people of Wellingborough. Do not be fooled by those who tell you it “won’t affect front line services”. These cuts will hurt!
• Massive Reductions in staff by up to 30%. Staff morale on the council is at an all-time low. The implications for essential services of cutting so many jobs at the council has not been disclosed by the Council nor have serious alternatives to cuts been explored and discussed with the people of Wellingborough

Just some of the additional cuts proposed:

• Cut funding to the Castle Theatre, Weaver Sports Centre, Glamis Hall and charitable/voluntary organisations - who provide vital services to the elderly, disabled, the vulnerable and the poorest
• Closing the Economic Development section - which supports local businesses and the local economy to grow and provide jobs
• Cut refuse collection
• Cut environmental health services – increasing the risks to health and safety of the people of Wellingborough

Don’t destroy Wellingborough Council

Defend local Democracy and End Secrecy

Defend Essential Services

Speak Out!!

Wellingborough Anti-Cuts Coalition (WACC) was formed by trade unionists from UNISON, UNITE and PCS with the express aims of opposing the assault on the public sector and of publicising alternatives to the spending cuts. We are open to all members of the public who are opposed to the cuts. For more information call Craig on 07855 988073 or email w.anticuts.c@gmail.com

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Cuts at Wellingborough Council will be "catastophic" say staff.

Staff at Wellingborough Council, represented by the trade union UNISON, have today issued a damning statement about the effect of cuts on "the community, employees, and the Councils future reputation". They say that the council is "close to the threshold of what (it) can achieve in terms of reorganisation, without the consequences being too severe to be acceptable... the proposed savings will have a catastrophic affect on Wellingborough Council as an organisation and indeed one that can attempt to provide services for the people of the Borough".

The statement continues "We are aware that...large scale job losses are proposed including the removal of whole services and further significant reductions in existing ones are also being proposed. We would urge the council to consider the implications of removing 25-30% of the workforce and corresponding services".

The staff also point out that the council may as a consequence break the law - as it may not be possible to even sustain services where there is a statutory obligation to provide them. They also point to fears of a workforce that is "demoralised and unable to cope".

Councillors are urged to consider other options to minimise job losses - including the introduction of car parking charges.

The full statement by Wellingborough UNISON is reproduced below.

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Huge Support for Wellingborough anti-cuts/defend public services protest today

Photos of Wellingborough Anti-cuts Protest: 15-1-11

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Fight Cuts in Public Services

Last week I was interviewed by Radio Northampton on the implications of a 25% cut in Wellingborough  Council's budget from April this year. If you want to hear this interview go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/p00cv3h5/.  You will then need to go to the point in the programme at 2hours 9 minutes. This is available on the BBC IPlayer for only a few days.

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Jayaben Desai: Inspirational leader

See Guardian obituary to this wonderful and inspirational leader of the Grunwick strike in the mid-1970s: http://tiny.cc/64pgd.


See also: http://bit.ly/eN1CP8

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Action in the New Year against cuts and in defence of public services

Wednesday January 5th at 7.30 in the Victoria Centre: meeting of the recently formed Trade Unionist in Wellingborough. All trade unionists living or working in the Wellingborough area welcome. Activities being planned to oppose cuts in public services and jobs.

Saturday, January 8th 11.00-15.00: Kettering Town Centre. Protest against Vodaphone and Top Shop for failing to pay their taxes or evading taxes. Organised by UNITE trade Union.

Saturday January 15th 11.00-1.00pm: Anti-cuts stall in Wellingborough town centre organised by Trade Unionists in Wellingborough. All welcome to help with the stall and give out anti-cuts leaflets etc.,

Tuesday, January 25th at 7.00pm: Meeting of Wellingborough Council. Possible protest action against cuts that will be announced during January in response to cuts in governement funding to the council of £1.4 million (on top of £2 million of cuts already planned by the council during this financial year). Further information about this in the new year... watch this space.

Please try to support as many of these activites as you can.

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