Anti-cuts, public services

On Thursday, 21 March, a small group of noisy children, parents and library campaigners marched to the threatened local library in the Meadows area of Nottingham. That library and all the libraries in the city must remain open. On the same day a meeting of over 40 Save Our Services supporters met to discuss next steps in the wider campaign in defence of services in Nottingham, which have been decimated as a result of cuts in Government grant amounting to more than £1 billion since 2010. In collaboration with “Friends of Meadows Library”, a public meeting has been called for Tuesday 16 April in...

Introducing the term “freedom-restricting harassment” (FRH), Sara Khan, the Independent Adviser to Government for Social Cohesion and Democratic Resilience, finds that threatening, abusive and intimidating behaviour directed at people because of their views is “shockingly widespread” both online and in real life. 85% of people surveyed believe FRH takes place and 76% report having restricted their expression of personal views in public for fear of such harassment. The government published her report on 25 March. She cites journalists, arts and culture workers, teachers and local faith leaders...

On Monday 4 March, Councillor Shuguftah Quddoos, the Sheriff of Nottingham, was the only councillor in the city to vote against the Government-imposed cuts. Her speech was a simple but powerful message to her fellow Labour councillors, delivered to those outside City Hall and later in the council chamber itself. “Kids in care, people in temporary accommodation, vulnerable adults, our social workers, social housing tenants, our charities and volunteers, our artists and protectors of culture, do not have a vote. But I do, and I will vote against this budget today. It’s true that Nottingham has...

On 25 February the Isle of Man Treasury revealed its 2024 budget, including a 6.7% rise to all benefits.

On Saturday morning, February 24, an emergency protest in Nottingham denounced the imposition of commissioners to run the city council. The move for commissioners, three months after the council’s Chief Finance Officer declared the council unable to balance its budget (“section 114”) on 29 November, and a year after an external Interim Advisory Board gained “powers of direction” over the council, may show concern in government that a growing campaign in Nottingham has the potential to mobilise many people in the city against cuts. One councillor has already said she will vote against the cuts...

On 29 November Nottingham’s Labour council issued a “section 114” notice, meaning that it is legally barred from any spending beyond the already-contracted-for and work the council has to do by law. The council’s (unelected) chief finance officer issued the notice, as he is obliged to do by law if he assesses that the council cannot balance its budget. The council is now legally obliged to come up with budget-balancing moves within 14 days. That makes 12 councils since 2018 to do section 114. There were only two in the previous 18 years. There is talk of many more soon. Council leaders...

After a year in which the NHS and other public services have crumbled as never before, the Tories’ 22 November Autumn Statement responded by tax cuts for big business and no relief for public services. Even before winter starts, the NHS waiting list (on latest available figures , September 2023) is still rising, and at a record level of 7.8 million in England. It was a bit over two million before the Tories came to office in 2010. Most patients (57.6%) on the waiting list in September 2023 had been there for more than 18 weeks. 391,122 cases had been waiting more than 52 weeks and some for...

Solidarity goes to press on Tuesday 21st, the day before Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement. Speculation swirls about what tax cut the Tories will offer, and whether and how they will clip inflation-uprating of benefits to suit. The Tories have considered cutting inheritance tax (essentially, for millionaires only), but optics may push them to cut income tax or National Insurance rates instead. Tax percentages are higher than before. The Tories have not changed income-tax thresholds, so with inflation more people pay higher income-tax rates. VAT has been at 20% since 2011 (it was 10%...

Discussion at The World Transformed (TWT) festival that took place alongside Labour Party conference (7-10 October) reinforced how disoriented much of the left is on local government. The TWT session on “ecosocialism” — really more about local community organising — featured a speaker from “Cooperation Hull”, a group of activists who have organised meetings they call “People’s Assemblies” in the town and are now planning to stand in local elections there. Some of the organising Cooperation Hull has done sounded interesting and even impressive, but what their speaker said begged many questions...