Category: Demo

Kick out Capita!

Join the lobby of the P&R committee
Monday 17 June, 6pm
Hendon Town Hall 
Following the scandals of the £2million fraud, a report was commissioned by the council (the Grant Thornton report). This report found that there were  “significant financial control weaknesses…“poor accounting controls”. There are also other scandals such as of the overspend on the Capita contract by £145.9 million and the excessive and expensive use of agency staff. All this leads to continuously deteriorating services and the waste of public money.

John McDonnell Shadow Chancellor said: “The Grant Thornton (GT) review of the two Capita contracts in Barnet provides yet more evidence of the folly of privatisation of public services. When I read “significant financial control weaknesses…“poor accounting controls” in the GT review it summed up what I have been saying about the current Tory government.

External Auditors in May also reported that Capita “don’t have a particularly strong control environment”, the auditor reported, and then stated that Capita were “not minded” to provide assurance over systems running processes on Barnet Council’s behalf.

As a result of all these indictments, Barnet’s P&R committee agreed to review the Capita contract including the option of bringing back services in-house. Despite the failure of the contract with Capita, The report for the P&R committee meeting on 17 June accepts the current relationship with Capita  and accepts that there is no alternative but to carry on with a failing contract. It is Barnet residents, and council staff, that will continue to suffer as a result of the Tories’ illusion that privatisation works.  In Barnet, the evidence of the Capita contract shows that it does not.

For a full analysis of the report to the committee and of the Capita contracts so far, read Mr Reasonable’s latest blog here.

Kick out Capita!
Join the lobby of the P&R committee
Monday 17 June, 6pm, Hendon Town Hall 

11 June – No Silence Please! It’s Barnet’s Library Review

Please join us on Tuesday 11 June 2019 at 6:30pm at Hendon Town Hall. We are holding a short protest prior to speaking at the Communities Leadership and Libraries (CLL) Committee meeting at 7pm. Please invite your friends and neighbours to come along too – children are welcome!

As you may have heard, the Minister for Culture recently refused our complaint about the Barnet Library Service. Unfortunately, his decision shows a blatant determination to ignore the evidence of Barnet residents and let the Council off the hook.  You can read our response here.

In spite of this, the Council wasn’t able to get away completely unscathed: one important outcome of the complaint process is the Council’s long-awaited “Library Review”. In this, the Council must explore the impact of the library cuts on groups protected by the Equalities Acts – including children, older people, and those with disabilities. Not suprisingly, these are the groups most affected by unstaffed libraries, reduced facilities and locked toilets.


The process for the review is due to be announced at the CLL meeting. We need your support to put pressure on the committee to carry out a meaningful review that listens to residents’ views and really looks at the impact of the cuts. Please help us to get all our voices heard. 

The review is timely: you may have read about the recent report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty which finds “unheard-of levels of loneliness and isolation” and links this to austerity policies, including shrinking library services. 

We will be organising speakers for the meeting – reply to this email by Monday 3 June if you want to participate. We are also collecting your stories about the library service – email us or share them via our facebook page or website.

Wed 5 June – Protest at the Council’s attack on Independent Living

URGENT ….. LOBBY AGAINST CUTS TO INDEPENDENT LIVINGWEDNESDAY 5 JUNE, 6.30pm. Hendon Town Hall
Over 50 people attended a meeting on Tuesday organised by BAPS and UNISON to hear about the latest callous attack on those most in need in Barnet. Local disabled residents explained at the meeting the devastating impact this will have on their lives.
Even though the council social services budget is underspent, Barnet Tories want to make a saving. Rather than using the underspend to fill the 50-odd vacant social worker posts, the tories wants cut the budget. Is that because it will use the underspend to finance the overspend in the contract with Capita? 
The meeting agreed to lobby and protest at the Council Adult & Safeguarding Committee on Wednesday 5 June. Meet at 6.30pm outside the Town Hall, The Burroughs, Hendon.

How does Barnet Council wants to save £424,000?

Disabled resident may be forced to move into residential care against their wishes rather than being supported in their community near family and friends, if Barnet Council thinks residential care is a cheaper option. Barnet Council recognises that disabled residents, their families and carers may not like this.

Barnet Council recognises that forcing a disabled resident to move into residential care might be bad for their well-being. Inclusion Barnet, an organisation led by and for people who are disabled, has written to Barnet Council in January 2019. They are still waiting for a reply, yet they represent Barnet disabled residents.

“Michael Nolan, a trustee of the disabled people’s organisation Inclusion Barnet, told Disability News Service: “The Inclusion Barnet board are extremely concerned about these proposals, which we fear could leave some disabled people confined to residential care when they might otherwise have been able to live independently. We believe that this could impact people least able to self-advocate, and is also against the spirit of the Care Act.”

4 June: March Together Against Trump!

In early June, Stand Up To Racism along with others are preparing to protest Donald Trump’s planned visit to Britain. 

Last year, a quarter of a million mobilised to say no to Trump’s politics of hate and division. This time, we will take to the streets in even bigger numbers!

Trump is a symbol of the new far right. This is when we take stand together against the Tories’ “hostile environment” here too.

Read article where Stand Up To Racism co convenor Sabby Dhalu explains the importance of the march HERE

Join & share the Facebook event for 4 June demoHERE

Barnet goes to the Anti-Racism Demonstation

Facebook event here.

1. Meet 11.00 on platform at East Finchley . Depart 11.15 – change Tottenham Court Road onto Central Line – to either Bond Street or Marble Arch.

2. Meet 11.00 on platform at Finchley Central. Depart 11.15 – change Tottenham Court Road onto Central Line – to either Bond Street or Marble Arch.

Then 12.15 – 12.30 go to Barnet meeting point at top of Park Lane in front of Marriott Hotel

No cuts demonstration – Enfield 27th February

Support the No Cuts Rally
27th February, 5:30pm
Outside the Civic Centre, Silver Street, Enfield EN1 3XA

Enfield North Labour Party passed a “No cuts budget” resolution on 17th January. Members are urging the Labour council to refuse to pass the catastrophic Tory cuts that are slashing public services, making an irreparable damage to our community.

The council is preparing to implement further £18 million-worth of Tory cuts, even though it has already cut £178 million since 2010. More vital services will be cut which will affect the poorest and most vulnerable people in Enfield. Already 39% children in our borough live in poverty, according to End Child Poverty coalition – how many more after the newest cuts?

The resolution calls for the council to use all the legal means at their disposal. This includes use of the financial reserves and borrowing powers as well as the demand on the central government to immediately grant funding back to pre-austerity 2010 levels.

The resolution calls for building a local and national campaign of resistance to austerity that should include trade unions, community groups and ordinary residents.

Members are planning a lobby of the council on the budget setting date on 27th February. They are inviting all community groups and residents affected by cuts to join. Austerity is a choice, and it has to stop.

Sat 23 Feb: No War on Venezuela – Stop Trump’s Gold & Oil Grab

Join Tariq Ali & other special guests at this protest against Trump’s threats of war on Venezuela – come & loudly say #NoBloodForOil !

Called by Venezuela Solidarity Campaign – Supported by Stop the War Coalition.

This is part of an international series of events against war on Venezuela. VSC is calling this protest at the Bank of England as the Bank is holding $1.3 billion worth of Venezuelan gold (31 tonnes) and is refusing to release it to Venezuela.

RMT Parliamentary demonstration & rally Tuesday 29th January 2019

Solidarity with our Tube Cleaners

RMT Parliamentary demonstration & rally

Tuesday 29th January 2019

5.00pm: (sharp) Demonstration opposite Parliament (Old Palace Yard, SW1P 3JY)

6.30pm: Rally in the Houses of Parliament

 

London Underground’s 3000 cleaners have been outsourced to global contractor ABM.

Despite working unsocial hours, in dirty and hazardous conditions, our cleaners are being treated less favourably compared to other workers directly employed by Underground.

That means inferior sick pay, holidays, pensions and travel facilities.

On top of this the cleaning workforce is set to be cut by a third from 3000 to 2000, piling the pressure on these hard-pressed workers.

RMT is holding a demo and rally at Parliament to demand:

  • No Cleaning Job Cuts
  • Equal Conditions with London Underground workers
  • Bring all cleaning work in-house.

 

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