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Local Councils

Local councils and local services


Aspland & Marcon estates

An estate in central Hackney, east London, whose residents are campaigning from improvements and against the Council's plan to demolish it and redevelop the site as private flats.


Lambeth Council bans Trade Union from Staff Conference

Local Councils
Author: 
AWL

Lambeth Council bans trade union from Staff Conference


Lambeth Unison Public Meeting - Privatisation of council services: the true costs

Local Councils
8 May 2008 - 6:30pm
8 May 2008 - 8:30pm

Location: 

Lambeth Town Hall (Brixton tube)


Description: 

Speakers include:

John McDonnell MP – Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group
Ted Knight – ex-Leader of Lambeth Council
Derek Wall – Male Principal Speaker of the Green Party
Sarah Tomlinson – Branch Secretary of Lambeth NUT
Jean Kerrigan – ex-Chair of Tenants’ Council

Lambeth Council is proposing to give massive private companies ten-year contracts to run housing services. They call this “Partnering” – really it is a licence for contractors to line their pockets and decimate the services tenants and leaseholders receive.

Come to this meeting to hear the truth about privatisation.
Help organise the action that is necessary if we are to prevent the end of council housing.

Supported by:

Lambeth and Southwark Labour Representation Committee
Lambeth Trades Union Council
Lambeth Defend Council Housing

For more information please email stopprivatisation@yahoo.com

What is Lambeth Council proposing?

Not content with going ahead with an ALMO despite massive opposition from tenants, Lambeth Council is pushing through plans to privatise the services provided to tenants dressed up in the harmless sounding name “Partnering”.

Private companies will bid for ten-year contracts to carry out all manner of services, some which are already privatised under smaller contracts (such as repairs and maintenance, graffiti removal and garbage collection), and others which are currently carried out in-house (such as grounds maintenance, out-of-hours repairs and the Lambeth Service Centre).

What will this mean for services?

Even if "Partnering" were to save money, it seems likely that this would be at the expense of the high quality services tenants and leaseholders need and deserve, with contractors seeking to cut corners wherever possible in order to keep costs down and maximise profits, rather than investing in high quality materials and the high level of service which would provide the greatest value for money in the long run. Standards for works on empty properties have already been cut, going against even the minimum void standards agreed by the council.

Among the most worrying proposals is that the council will get rid of technical officers who visit tenants’ homes to specify what repairs need to be done. In this way the contractor could be responsible for specifying, carrying out and monitoring all repairs – a sure recipe for disaster. The council are also considering moving the call centre to a private company out of the borough – or even out of the country! When Westminster council went through a similar wave of privatisation, for example, their call centre was transferred to Dingwall in the north of Scotland!

“Partnering” will mean public services being taken even further away from public control. It will mean less accountability and make it much harder to pick up the pieces when things go wrong.

What’s the alternative?

The extensive experience we have in Lambeth of contractors carrying out sub-standard work and charging for work they haven't carried out suggests that we should be moving away from working with private contractors, rather than handing them the entire budget for service provision.

By directly providing services through a Direct Labour Organisation we could stop profits being taken out of the borough to line the pockets of private contractors. A DLO would also provide jobs and training for local youth. Lambeth officers refuse to even come up with costs and plans for this option – we must press them to at least consider it!

Who decides?

Tenants' representatives are being consulted on the content of the specifications but there is no suggestion that residents will have a say on whether the council goes ahead with this privatisation or not. Following on from the council's recent decision to form an ALMO, despite there not being a majority of tenants in favour of the idea, this could strike another serious blow for the future of council housing in the borough.

We call upon all Lambeth Councillors to reject officers’ plans for “Partnering” and to choose instead to keep the delivery of services within the borough under direct local control.

We demand that the residents have the final say – a ballot of all tenants and leaseholders would be the only fair way to decide whether to privatise services or not.


Birmingham council workers to strike 23-24 April

Local Councils
Author: 
Steve Bagal

Birmingham council workers to strike 23-24 April

It's clear that Birmingham City Council and their corporate backers want to use the "Single Status" settlement to make fundamental attacks upon the council workforce and the users of City Council services: the entire Birmingham working class.


Vote socialist where you can on 1 May

Dave Nellist
Author: 
Colin Foster

Forty socialist candidates will be standing in the local government elections on 1 May, under the umbrella of the Socialist Green Unity Coalition.


Vote Lindsey German no. 1

Local Councils

“Red” Ken Livingstone’s campaign for re-election is being supported with a high profile statement signed by... trade union militants? left activists? anti-cuts campaigners?


Rent rises in Lambeth!

Housing
Author: 
Heenal Rajani and Dan Jeffreys

Lambeth council wants to increase council tenants’ rents by 6.5%. This is far higher than the increases in other boroughs and equates to around £250 a year extra for the average property.


No to big rent rises and privatisation in Lambeth!

Housing
Author: 
Heenal Rajani and Dan Jeffreys

Lambeth want to increase council tenants’ rents by 6.5%...

This is far higher than the increases in other borough and equates to about £250 a year extra for the average property.


Council cuts threatened

Stop the cuts
Author: 
Rhodri Evans

Councils are preparing their budgets for 2008-9. Some councils, notably Newcastle and Southampton, are planning sizeable cuts.


London socialist-feminist dicussion group: Pornography, sexual explicitness, and women's oppression

Issues and campaigns
9 May 2008 - 7:30pm

Location: 

Lucas Arms, 245A Grays Inn Road, near Kings Cross


Description: 

In this meeting we will examine and critique different feminist views of pornography Some feminists argue porn is an expression of an exploitative “male culture” and is irredeemably oppressive to women At the other extreme some say that porn as sexually explicit material can benefit women’s sexual liberation What’s wrong/right about these views and the all the others in between?

Suggested reading:

Book
Latest (against porn): Pornography: Driving the Demand in International Sex Trafficking (2007) edited by David E. Guinn and Julie DiCaro; Captive Daughters Media

On the net
http://www.wendymcelroy.com/
author of the book XXX a Woman’s Right to Pornography available on her website
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_Against_Pornography: history of radical feminist anti-pornography campaign
www.fiawol.demon.co.uk: Feminists Against Censorship
https://www.againstpornography.org: loads of stuff against porn!


Edinburgh job cuts

Local Councils

On 29 November Edinburgh City Council’s SNP/Lib-Dem coalition administration announced plans to axe a thousand jobs. The announcement was e-mailed to staff even before the City Council unions had been informed.


Just say no!

Local Councils

I work in a social services department, where we are constantly fighting to provide the best service we can to their service users, with very scarce resources.

Like most councils our department is plagued by “performance indicators” (PIs) and the “star” system. The PIs work like targets in the NHS and league tables in schools. They put forward laudable aims — giving timely services, in a flexible and appropriate way — and that is what we all want. But in practice they skew the work done so that the limited resources are put into getting the appropriate box ticked, rather than prioritising, on the basis of assessment, areas of greatest need.


Cuts protestors storm Lambeth council

Local Councils

BY Faryal Velmi, TGWU 1/1148 branch

Despite the biggest demonstration seen in Lambeth (in South London) for a decade and an attempted occupation of the council chambers, savage cuts to Adult Social Services were voted through on Wednesday 28 February.


Kelly Strikes Again

Anti-Racism

Ruth Kelly is determined to fight the rise of the BNP. The problem is the method by which she aims to do this – by treating foreigners in a way that the BNP would heartily approve of!

Kelly wants immigrants to learn English. Problem is, she intends to achieve this not by, erm, teaching them English, but by stopping Councils from providing translation facilities. How, exactly, will that magically enable someone to speak a language they can not speak at present?


Closing date for nominations, local gov't elections

Local Councils
4 Apr 2007 - 11:59pm

Elections for local gov't (England), Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly

Local Councils
3 May 2007 - 7:00am
description:

Local government elections in England, local government and Scottish Parliamentary elections in Scotland, and National Assembly elections in Wales: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/elections/election2007.cfm. See http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/elections/List2007England.cfm for list of council elections being contested in England.


Saving Our Estates (Again)

Aspland & Marcon estates

Having saved ourselves from the wrecking ball last year, our estate - and all other estates in Hackney - now face another fight to defend the places we live. Hackney Labour has a plan for Council estates: to sell pieces of their land to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to build new 'affordable' homes on.


Seeing Thru The Hype

Local Councils

If you believe Hackney Council’s propaganda, you'd think we live under the most generous administration on the planet. Awash we are with fantastic new services.

Just the odd caveat:

  • Many are re-openings or replacements of facilities closed by Hackney's Labour Council in the past. Petchey Academy is on the site of the old Kingsland school; Mossbourne on the site of Hackney Downs – both closed by the Labour Council against opposition from students, parents, staff and the community. It closed London Fields lido in 1988!


Charging For Halls?

Local Councils

Hackney Council has a draft new policy for hiring out estate community halls, under which:

  • Residents will no longer be able to use their estate's hall free of charge for events such as kids’ birthday parties.

  • Anyone holding a one-off event must pay £150 deposit.
  • Groups hiring a hall would have to pay more.
  • TRAs will pay utility bills, currently paid by the Council.

The effects will be to:

  • reduce the service that TRAs provide to residents
  • worsen Hackney’s shortage of affordable, non-licensed venues
  • tie TRA reps in red tape.

    Does the Council want this?! Or is it an ideologically-driven attempt to marketise a community facility? (A while ago, the Council floated the idea of forcing TRAs to charge 'market rates' for hall hire.) Or maybe they are just control freaks.


  • Goodbye Green Space?

    Housing

    Hackney Labour’s election manifesto said that the Council would build 2000 new affordable homes. As the government refuses to pay for this without privatisation, the Council would need to defy the government and provide public housing. But don’t expect that from Hackney Council. They have secret plans of their own.


    Community Halls: Hackney Council Ups The Hire Charges?

    Local Councils

    Hackney Council is consulting on a new policy for hiring out estate community halls. This might not seem the biggest issue in a world of capitalist triumphalism and reactionary revivalism, but it's going to have an impact on working-class communities, so read on.


    Clissold Leisure Centre - Still Sunk

    Local Councils

    This one's for Hackney locals (including you Stoke Newington types who don't like to admit you live in Hackney), swimmers, and followers of useless local Councils and "Labour" politicians who fail working-class communities.


    Unison lobby of Parliament for local government pensions

    Local Councils
    22 Nov 2006 - 11:00am
    Location:
    House of Commons, London SW1

    Hackney Council: Seeing Through The P.R.

    Local Councils

    If you believe the propaganda department of Hackney Council, you'd think we live under the most generous and enlightened administration on the planet. Awash we are with fantastic new services. How will we ever find the time to enjoy them all or the means to thank our leaders as fullsomely as they deserve?!


    Unison emergency motion on pensions

    Local Councils

    Emergency Motion from Tower Hamlets Local Government Unison branch to Unison Local Government Service Group conference, 18/19 June 2006.


    Trade unionists slam calling-off of local government strikes

    Local Councils

    Leaflet from Unison United Left commenting on the local government unions' decision to call off the industrial action, continuing the campaign against pension cuts, due on 25-27 April.


    Local government unions call further action for 25-27 April

    Local Councils

    An official statement from the public services Unison on 30 March condemned the Deputy Prime Minister’s “provocative” action in pressing ahead with cuts in local government pensions.


    Good turnout for local government strike day

    Local Councils

    Snippets from the local government unions’ strike day on 28 March, when over a million workers struck against planned cuts in the local government pension scheme.


    Unite to win!

    Local Councils

    AWL bulletin for the local government unions' strike over pension cuts, 28 March 2006.


    Local government workers to strike on 28 March

    Local Councils

    One million workers in local government, members of Unison and other unions, are set to strike on 28 March against the Government's plans to cut their pension provision.


    Reinstate Livingstone!

    Democracy

    The decision on 24 February by an adjudication panel of the Standards Board for England to suspend London Mayor Ken Livingstone is an outrage against democracy. Livingstone should be reinstated.


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