Anti-cuts activity in Notts
Notts SOS
brief update on some of the things we know about.
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MEETINGS
We meet every two weeks which means that the next meeting is tomorrow
(Monday 20th February).
Meetings start at 7.30pm and are held at the International Community
Centre, Mansfield Road. Meetings are usually finished before 9pm and
there's often an opportunity to carry on any discussion informally in
the pub afterwards. Please do come along and get involved.
More details: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2381
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INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CENTRE
Our campaign against funding cuts at the International Community
Centre, Mansfield Road has attracted some interest, with coverage in
the Nottingham Post.
We will be discussing this issue at our meeting tomorrow (Monday) and
have invited affected groups to come along so that we can develop a
coordinated response.
Press release: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2412
Nottingham Post article: https://imc.li/uj2zn
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COUNTY COUNCIL BUDGET
This week Nottinghamshire County Council meets to set its budget for
2012-13. This will include millions of pounds of cuts to jobs and
services.
Notts Unison are organising a demonstration outside County Hall, West
Bridgford on Thursday 23rd February from 12.30pm.
On Wednesday, the council announced that it plans to close Sherwood
Industries, a furniture factory which employs people with learning and
physical disabilities, despite 82% of the people who responded to a
consultation saying it should stay open. This closure is among the
cuts which will be discussed on Thursday.
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VOLUNTARY SECTOR CUTS
Nottinghamshire County Council is also under pressure over its cuts to
the voluntary sector. In fact, these cuts are so severe that
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has written to the Tory-run council
about the issue.
It was announced that Pickles was writing to the council in
late-January, but it was not initially picked up by the media.
That it has become a big story is largely to the credit of Jo Dean at
Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service (NCVS) who has been vocal
about the issue on Twitter (where she posts as @ncvsjo) and forced
local media to pick up the story. From there it spread and was picked
up by the BBC's Politics Show and Channel 4 News.
This illustrates, in a small way, what just one person can achieve in
the face of a huge bureaucracy like the county council. Imagine what
we can do if we work together.
List of county council voluntary sector cuts 2012: http://s.coop/vcscutsnotts
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KILL THE BILL
The Health and Social Care Bill is now in real difficult, with even
some Tories coming out against it. With some careful application of
pressure there is a real opportunity to force the government to back
down and drop the Bill.
Last week the epetition calling for the Bill to be dropped received
100,000 signatures which means that it must now be debated in
Parliament. You can still sign the petition online.
Petition: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22670
The local branch of Keep Our NHS Public will be holding a stall in
Beeston Square on Saturday February 25 from 11am. They hope to raise
awareness of the urgent need to join the fight for the future of our
NHS and ensure that Lansley's rotten Bill is consigned to the dustbin
as soon as possible.
More details: http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2416
A day of mass action outside Parliament is being organised by Unite
the Union on Wednesday 7th March. This will be followed by a rally
against the Bill in Westminster's Central Hall, organised by the TUC.
More details: http://s.coop/unitenhs
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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Monday 20th February, 7.30pm
Notts SOS fortnightly planning meeting at the ICC, Mansfield Road.
http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2381
Thursday 23rd February, 12.30pm
Rally against Nottinghamshire County Council's 2012-13 budget
http://www.nottsunison.org.uk
Saturday 25th February, 11am
Keep Our NHS Public stall in Beeston Square
http://nottingham.indymedia.org/events/2416
Tuesday 28th February, 7pm-10pm
Occupy Nottingham community outreach and social evening, Sneinton
Hermitage Community Centre, Sneinton Boulevard, NG2 4GN
http://occupy-nottingham.org.uk
Wednesday 29th February
PCS protest against closures of DVLA offices. Nottingham Business Park, Strelley
https://imc.li/zxphu
Wednesday 29th February, 12.30pm-1.30pm
Nottingham City Unison protest outside Loxley House in defence of
essential car user allowances
http://www.nottinghamcityunison.org.uk/
Saturday 3rd March
National day of action against workfare
http://www.boycottworkfare.org
Monday 5th March, 12.30pm-1.30pm
Nottingham City Council meets to set its budget. A protest is being
organised by Notts City Unison and Notts SOS.
http://www.nottinghamcityunison.org.uk/
Wednesday 7th March, 1pm-7.30pm
Save our NHS mass day of action, Houses of Parliament, London.
Organised by Unite the Union
http://s.coop/unitenhs
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.
This will include an introductory session on using Indymedia to post
your own news about campaigns
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