Update: city council, Occupy Notts, workfare and the NHS
Notts SOS
the next year, we'll be there to protest. The city council is also
beginning the process of evicting the Occupy Nottingham campaign from
Market Square. This week's email update has information on all this
and more.
We'll see you on the streets!
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CITY COUNCIL CUTS
On Monday March 5th, Nottingham City Council will be meeting to agree
its budget, slashing jobs and services and hiking council tax.
The council is planning to
* increase council tax by 3.49%
* encourage staff to volunteer to reduce their hours from 37 to 35 hours a week
* realign management and cut 195 jobs
* close the Museum of Nottingham Life (Brewhouse Yard), except for
group and school visits
* close two centres for older people, Marlstones Elderly Person’s Home
in Bulwell and the Willows Centre in Beechdale
* sell-off Portland Leisure Centre
* cut food waste collection and close nine recycling sites
* reduce funding to Connexions, a support service for young people
The council had initially planned to reduce reduce redundancy payments
for laid-off workers to the legal minimum (which would have been the
third time redundancy payments at the authority had been attacked),
but has subsequently decided against this.
Notts SOS and Nottingham City Unison will be holding a join
demonstration outside the Council House from 12.30pm-1.30pm.
There will also be a demonstration from 5pm-7pm for anybody coming from work.
More details: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2421
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OCCUPY NOTTINGHAM FACING EVICTION
On Monday 27th February, Nottingham City Council served the Occupy
Nottingham camp in Market Square with notice to leave within 7 days,
after which they will serve notice of intention to seek possession
through the courts.
The occupiers state that they “have collectively decided so far, not
to move from the Market Square, and through civil disobedience and
lawful rebellion we will stay, and prevent intimidation tactics being
used on those involved with Occupy.”
Campers are encouraging people to come down and show support.They have
also request help from anybody able to provide assistance in preparing
a court case.
A petition has been started, calling on the city council to reverse its decision
Petition: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/nottingham-occupy-camp-eviction.html
More information: http://occupy-nottingham.org.uk
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BOYCOTT WORKFARE
Yesterday saw a UK-wide day of action against workfare. Locally this
was supported by Notts Uncut and Notts Trades Council who had a
successful demonstration, protesting various companies profiteering
from unpaid labour. Both the BBC and ITV turned up to report on the
protest.
Anybody wanting to find out more about workfare could do worse than to
check out the excellent factsheet provided by the Boycott Workfare
campaign.
This provides information on all five workfare programmes;
demonstrates that none of them are voluntary; explains why they
undermine wages and replace jobs; shows the programmes don't and won't
work; and explains why people should care.
Factsheet: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?page_id=663
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KEEP OUR NHS PUBLIC
Following their successful stall in Beeston on Saturday 25th february,
the local Keep Our NHS Public branch are going to hand over the 500+
postcards to Anna Soubry MP next Saturday (10th March) lunchtime
following her surgery at Beeston Library. They are encouraging
supporters come along and join them.
They will assemble from 11:45am in Beeston Library car park and expect
to have completed the handover by 12:45pm.
More details: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2445
The next Keep Our NHS Public branch meeting is on Thursday 8 March
from 7:30pm at the Nottingham Friends Meeting House, 25 Clarendon
Street, Nottingham, NG1 5JD.
The branch have made presentation to Broxtowe Labour Party CLP,
Rushcliffe Labour Party CLP and the Nottingham Elders Forum - these
have been well received and have prompted further activity in the
fight to save our NHS. The group have also been invited to speak at a
meeting in Mansfield hosted by Mansfield SOS and are happy to provide
speakers for other organisations if requested.
Email: in...@notts-konp.org.uk
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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Monday 5th March, 12.30pm-1.30pm and 5pm-7pm
Nottingham City Council meets to set its budget. A lunchtime protest
is being organised by Notts City Unison and Notts SOS, with another
demo in the evening for those coming from work
http://www.nottinghamcityunison.org.uk/
Wednesday 7th March, 1pm-7.30pm
Save our NHS mass day of action and rally, Westminster, London.
http://s.coop/unitenhs
Thursday March 8th
International women's day
Thursday 8th March, 7.30pm
Keep Our NHS Public branch meeting at the Nottingham Friends Meeting House
Saturday 10th March, 11.45am
Notts Keep Our NHS Public will handover postcards to Anna Soubry MP at
Beeston Library
http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2445
Wednesday 14th March
National student walkout over "reforms" to higher education
http://gu.com/p/35dqz
Saturday 17th March, 2pm
Nottingham Indymedia are organising an online security skillshare at
the Sumac Centre.This will include an introductory session on using
Indymedia to post your own news about campaigns
http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2413
Sunday 18th March, 10am-12pm
Save Sherwood Forest ramble to celebrate World Forest Day and mark a
year of campaigning to keep the Public Forest Estate in public
ownership
http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2442
Wednesday 28th March
Possible national strike action over pensions by PCS and NUT (and
maybe other unions)
Saturday 12th April, 2pm
Legal observer training organised by Nottingham Defence Campaign and
run by Green and Black Cross. Held at the Sumac Centre, Forest Fields
https://imc.li/2sgsx
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Nottinghamshire Save Our Services (Notts SOS)
Website: http://nottssos.org.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nottssos
OStatus: https://indy.im/nottssos
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/nottssosfb
Nottingham Indymedia:
http://nottingham.indymedia.org/groups/notts-save-our-services