Wolverhampton Council – NO cuts NO privatisation

Union campaigns 0

Wed 5th March 5.45pm 2014 protest had coverage and interviews of protesters on BBC Midlands, ITV Central, WM Radio and Express and Star.

local rappers Broken Dialect at March 26th demo, watch out for our flag at the start!

anti-cuts campaigning:

March 26th London demo – ten local coaches joined over half a million protesters, read more……..

Protest at budget-setting council meeting Wednesday 2nd March  Wolverhampton Civic Centre to protest against cuts to jobs and services

Street stalls: Saturday January 22nd Wednesfield High Street  – a 165 letters sent in protest at government cuts to NHS; 135 of which were to Emma Reynolds Labour MP for Wolverhampton NE.

Our street stall on Saturday January 15th 2011 in Bilston attracted queues again to write letters to Pat McFadden Wolverhampton SE MP, and other local MPs concerning the ConDem government’s proposals to cut funding per pupil in schools. 160 letters were sent.

anti-cuts lobby of full Council meeting Wed 15th December  2010
The petition of almost 1,800, collected against charges to day centres was presented to the council’s Petitions Committee Friday 10th December.
Anti-cuts lobby of Cabinet meeting: Wed 8th December

Saturday 4 th  December anti-cuts stall Queens Square 

Wolverhampton Con-Dem cuts

On November 1, 2010, Cabinet agreed cuts impact significantly on both services and jobs.  These will go out to consultation with the public and other stakeholders such as staff, businesses and community organisations.

So far, a total of £13.3 million of proposals have been identified over the period of the medium term financial strategy.

Among those agreed were:

  • options to deliver front-line and commercial activities through a wholly-owned company or joint venture company instead of by the council
  • establishing Pendeford Nature Reserve as a self-funding specialist environmental enterprise centre or closure
  • seeking free labour instead of council workers to maintain parts of Northycote Farm and Smestow Valley
  • handing over the management of Shopmobility to the voluntary sector
  • handing over the Ekta Day Centre for Asian elders to the voluntary sector, so soon after its successful campaign against closure
  • the introduction of staff car parking charges
  • the rationalisation of voluntary sector, local neighbourhood partnership and local strategic partnership services and functions, though significantly, any savings from the sector will come from administration and efficiencies wherever possible
  • cutting programmes at the Civic Halls, including classical concert
  • charging for outdoor events previously free – Wolvestock? City Show?
  • cutting more administration in Children and Young People Services 
  • cutting democratic (decision-making) staffing and structures.
How will the public have any say on the budget?
Consultation involves getting feedback from the voluntary sector, the Local Strategic Partnership, the general public, trades’ unions through the Joint Consultative Panel, the business sector and schools. It does not require anyone to take any notice of it, unless  working class people to get our voice heard to is show them we are here and angry.
We did not cause this crisis, so why should we pay for it?
Join the protests, bring your friends and family along. Don’t just wait to vote out the Con-Dem council next May 5th 2011.
The budget will also be considered by Members at two separate rounds of Scrutiny meetings.
The cuts mean compulsary redundancies according to Con-Dem councillors at the meeting.  A new voluntary redundancy scheme was put through.
1500 local anti-cuts leaflets were delivered by our supporters in Bushbury and Oxley on 13th November
new Chief Exec threatens demonstrators with arrest
A lively demonstration and lobby of the 3rd November council meeting was threatened by  the council’s new Chief Executive. If the chanting which had greeted him and the Con-Dem coalition councillors didn’t stop for the mayor, he would have us all arrested!!  

Needless to say the mayor was greeted with an even livelier outburst from disgruntled members of the public, UNISON and UNITE members. The mayor and his entourage beat a hasty retreat.  On their second attempt, heads bowed; boos, hisses and cries of shame drowned out any hint of distant police sirens!

 LOBBY of the FULL COUNCIL MEETING WEDNESDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2010, COUNCIL CHAMBER told the COUNCIL SAVE OUR SERVICES! SAVE OUR JOBS!

LOBBY of the CABINET MEETING MONDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2010
when Wolverhampton City Council’s Cabinet passed a number of reports including the draft budget and medium term financial strategy and a proposal for a new voluntary redundancy scheme.

service users of Oxley and Stowheath Day Training Centres helped by Labour councillors and UNISON members collected 1800 signatures for a petition to the council in protest of:
  • charges being introduced to attend their learning disability day centres
  • 83% rise in meal charges this year
  • axing of their £4 per week “wages”
The ConDem council refused to accept their original petition on technicalities so they have vowed to seek wider public support for a new petition
On Saturday 16th October in BILSTON High Street and 9th October, Queen’s Square, Wolverhampton, service users and carers turned out in force and the public queued to sign their petition against charging learning disabled service users out of the state benefits to attend the day centres they have been attending daily for up to 40 years.  BBC news coverage http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-black-country-11507774
The petition is expected to be on the agenda of the council’s Petitions committee 10am Friday 10th December Civic centre
27th, 28th &  29th September  – UNISON, UNITE, NUT, NASUWT and ATL members leafleted shoppers and collected signatures in Bilston, Wednesfield and Wolverhampton centres.
29th  September was the European Trade Union Confederation’s European Day of Action.

A Euro-demonstration in Brussels and trade union actions in the various European countries including a general strike in Spain. The European trade unions demonstrated against the austerity measures adopted recently by many European countries, and to demand recovery plans in favour of quality jobs and growth.

LEAFLET used:

Save Our Public Services – Tories & Liberals threaten massive cuts so that this year’s council tax doesn’t have to go up by a tenner. [Next council elections  Thursday 5th May 2011].

join the Meals -on-Wheels Facebook

Tories & Liberals have closed Underhill Older Peoples home despite the offer of free cash from an appalled benefactor to keep it open.  The council shamed our city by  evicting a 106 year old resident in the worst snow we’d had all winter.  Transport to Day Centres was cancelled and no dustbins were emptied that day due to heavy snow yet our council evicted Wolverhampton’s oldest citizen.  The council’s “reasons” for closure are untrue.  It is with deep regret to note that Ms Watts has since passed away.

UNISON petition stalls were held on:

1,200 signatures collected on Saturday 28th November Wednesfield High Street. 2,340 signatures collected on Saturday 5th December Bilston High Street and 3,270  more signatures were collected on Saturday 12th December Queens Square Wolverhampton. An Sign the e– petition for Meals -on-Wheels service was also collected.

UNISON lobby  Wednesday 4th November 09  civic centre – another good turnout of Meals-on Wheels workers, day centre workers and Underhill residents’ relatives. It got local press and TV coverage.

A second protest about massive cuts proposed by the Tory/Liberal council.  In an unprecedented step, Labour councillors and the public walked out the 6th October 2009 Scrutiny Board meeting as the Tories & Lib Dems voted through a stifling of democracy by voting to by-pass the Scrutiny Panels.

Previously:

6 lobbies of council meetings have been organised by UNISON and public petitions are being collected to save care homes at Underhill (1600)and Sweetman Street (2000) were handed in.        

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply