Feb 7th 6pm - Demonstrate against the Lambeth council budget

[One_Stop_Shop]

Lambeth Save our Services are protesting against the proposed council budget by holding a demonstration at the next council cabinet meeting at 6pm on Monday 7th February outside Lambeth town hall.

We want as many people to come to show the council that we are serious about fighting their proposed budget from which the South London Press estimates a quarter of council staff will lose their jobs. Invite friends and colleagues, bring kids and family, make posters and banners – this is going to be huge!

Lambeth’s Labour run council has already asked all staff to consider voluntary redundancy which shows how desperately they want to cut staff and services. They claim the budget will hardly affect front line services by cutting unnecessary services and slashing back office staff yet all school crossing staff and park rangers are likely to lose their jobs as well as many staff who work hard behind the scenes to support front line services. There cannot be such deep and drastic cuts without huge consequences to our local community – we need to fight these cuts and now.

We call on the council to refuse to carry out the Conservative-Liberal Democrat cut in council funding and deliver the services we actually need. Not only does the current budget impose many cuts, it does nothing to tackle enormous senior management pay (£220,000 for the chief exec!), wasted money on expensive consultants, badly negotiated external contracts and a housing ALMO (arms length management organisation) that desperately needs to brought back in-house to save money and jobs. This budget will be bad for Lambeth!

So please get involved with Save our Services and come and demonstrate on Monday 7th.

Leaflets and more info at the website: http://lambethsaveourservices.org/

 

[nick h.]

How could they refuse to carry out the cut?

 

[netbob]

How could they refuse to carry out the cut?

In theory the council could draw up a budget that didn't balance and then say to the government they need more money.

Part of me would love it if the council had the balls to do it, but in practice that would mean a council officer (or maybe the auditor?) would be legally obliged to draw up an alternative budget that did balance, but without political considerations about which areas should be cut.

So you would end up with unelected officials making decisions that will effect a large number of people (rather than elected ones who at least will be accountable at the next election).

There's a bit about it here: http://www.labourlist.org/daniel-blaney-should-labour-councils-pass-illegal-budgets

I guess they could draw up two budgets as a 'here's what you could have won' PR stunt.

Or they could all resign and go to the people with an illegal budget, but I doubt there is time for that before council officers would be obliged to enact the cuts (which are front loaded for the coming financial year).

In short councils don't really have any power. Central government decides what they get in terms of a grant and they can't even put up Council Tax because of the cap.

Rock and a hard place

Oh, and for a bit of historical perspective: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poplar_Rates_Rebellion

 

[nick h.]

Do they have any grounds for saying that the cuts wouldn't allow them to fulfil their statutory duties? I suppose not, given that the amount of housing benefit they are obliged to pay has also been cut by central govt. (I'm assuming that HB must be one of the biggest items in their budget.)

 

[One_Stop_Shop]

Please make this if you can, it's really picking up momentum!

 

[editor]

I'll be there!

 

[One_Stop_Shop]

Bumping this again!

 

[editor]

Well worth a bump!

 

[editor]

And that's a very familiar photo on the flyer too!

http://www.urban75.org/blog/lambeth-save-our-services-march-demo-and-rally/

 

[Tricky Skills]

Love having a *ahem* Lambeth Labour Councillor on the flyer protesting against the proposed Labour cuts as well

 

[Belushi]

I'll try and make it along this evening.

 

[Gramsci]

There's a bit about it here: http://www.labourlist.org/daniel-blaney- should-labour-councils-pass-illegal-budgets

QUOTE]

Interesting link that argues the pros and cons of not cutting services. Especially interesting are some of the responses.

As one person commented they didnt see setting an illegal budget a wise political option. But he then said we ( the Labour party) must offer people something different rather than just saying we have to cut because the Tory/ LD government are cutting our money.

Unlike members of Labour list most people have learned that the Labour party isnt reallly for them whilst its in power in central government.

As the latest issue of Private says Ed Balls was praising the city and light touch regulation when he was in government.

And there is Iraq of course.

Attacks by the Labour party on civil liberties.

so called Faith schools and other sucking up to religous fundamentalists.

Hard line on law and order. Blunkett was more right wing than some Tories.

So if the Labour party needs to cut to live another day and represent the people who need it. I think there is an argument for that. But is there vision for a better society?

 

[Tricky Skills]

The whole point supposedly of the Co-operative Council is to find new ways of delivering cuts in Lambeth around a reduced budget from central government. Even the right of centre Ed Balls (and member of the Co-op party) doesn't think that this latest wheeze from Nu Labour in Lambeth will actually save any dosh. He actually thinks the opposite - the Co-op Council will cost more money.

 

[Belushi]

Bump

 

[editor]

I'm hoping we'll get an urban massive down for this one!

See you there!

 

[Onket]

There's people down there already, apparently.

I can't make it though, unfortunately.

 

[linerider]

Heading down there now

 

[tufty79]

heading down now in a late sort of way.

 

[Blagsta]

Attempts to occupy according to Twitter

 

[dynamicbaddog]

just seen on twitter -
protesters blocking the road

 

[editor]

Just got back. Photos coming up soon!

 

[Belushi]

Well that was fun

 

[Streathamite]

hope it went well-sorry I couldn't make it

 

[weepiper]

just seen on twitter -
protesters blocking the road

*likes*

 

[killer b]

different chants needed imo.

 

[editor]

More here: http://www.urban75.org/blog/brixton-anti-cuts-demo-outside-lambeth-town-hall-feb-7th-2011/

 

[netbob]

Regular updates from one of the (Labour) councillors here: http://twitter.com/CllrMarkBennett

 

[Gramsci]

The whole point supposedly of the Co-operative Council is to find new ways of delivering cuts in Lambeth around a reduced budget from central government. Even the right of centre Ed Balls (and member of the Co-op party) doesn't think that this latest wheeze from Nu Labour in Lambeth will actually save any dosh. He actually thinks the opposite - the Co-op Council will cost more money.

I quoted from your article in my submission to the Cooperative Commission. Ed Balls makes a good point. It would be a mistake to use the idea of Cooperation to help replace cut jobs with some kind of voluntary run on Coop principles. This would potentially put people off the idea of Coops. They would see it as part of a cuts programme.

 

[Gramsci]

And its not just cuts that are the issue.

It looks like the Council is looking at selling off assets. See here for fate of Stockwell studios:

http://www.stockwellnews.com/2011/01/stockwell-studios-change-of-plan-it.html

 

[Gramsci]

I thought this was good comment from link that memespring put up.

It's an important question, and one that shouldn't be loftily swatted aside by the instinctive left-bashers. The fact is the Coalition's 'austerity' measures are going to pit Labour people against Labour people. If my local Labour council puts members of my local trade unions, and people who work in our services, out of work - whose side should I take? How easy will it be for me, as a Labour member, to go out and exhort people to vote for Labour councils that have just sacked them, or closed libraries and other services? And the LRC's motion also asks the wider Labour party to ask itself where it stands on the question of resistance to the disingenuous, dishonest and cruel ToryLib ideological agenda. So where DO we stand?

http://www.labourlist.org/daniel-blaney-should-labour-councils-pass-illegal-budgets

Unfortunately the danger is that the Labour Administration start to justify cuts by setting different groups against each other- the more and less deserving.

Im also concerned that ( as memespring and myself saw last week at planning. See related threads on Popes road car park) that even when it could legitimately stand up against the powerful -Tescos- it doesnt. And tries to dress up its decision as being good for Brixton.