'Scandalous...', '...callous and unimaginative...'

 

 Bromley Times (23/2/12)

...and here is a personal account posted by an observer at Bromley's full Council meeting on Monday, February 20th 2012 

The budget was passed with an overwhelming majority.  In fact one Conservative Councillor stood up smirked, and said it is about time that we ALL lived within our means.  They did say that consultations with the elderly day services are on going, but the cuts are happening.  No one got a chance to say anything.  They spent most of the time talking about grammar schools and how crap secondary education is.  So the cuts to the young, vulnerable and disabled are going ahead.  Something they are looking at under the environment department, is thinking of bringing in a charge to use the refuse collection dump sites, and the cardboard/paper recycling boxes to go bi weekly as well, although that looks as though it will be in the future.

These cuts are done behind closed doors with a small group of people who have never met people who use the services under threat or the people that care for them.  £800,000 off the supported housing budget to help people live independently is a joke.  The Gateway club is having to move to a Monday because Crofton Halls said they are not paying enough money for Friday Nights which is a prime night to rent out.  Councillor Arthur once said at a meeting i went to over a year ago before the local elections happened that he would be quite happy to get rid of the people who are disabled from the PCT and not using services at all.  With these cuts it is happening.

On one case of Benefit Fraud the council spent £218,000 fighting the case which most Councillors conceded was crazy, the person ended up with 40 hours of unpaid work.  They rubber stamped the budget last night.  I have to go back to community options and tell them that mental health day services provision will be cut by £75k year on year and support services as well, and cab will be losing £32,000 with £75k the year after.  Scandalous.  Not much else to say than that.

Worrying new round of cuts planned by Bromley Council

In her capacity as founder/supporter of Bromley Cuts Concern; Ann Garrett is posting this letter for the attention of local media and all borough residents -

Dear Editor

It is worrying to see that a new round of cuts of £13.5m is planned by Bromley Council. This will include support for children with educational needs, disabled people, the elderly, and street cleaning and will mean further loss of jobs. Funding for the Citizens Advise Bureau - a valuable service for many people, especially those who are disadvantaged will be cut by £32,000.

Once again the council will no doubt refuse to use their high reserves, and with public morale at a low ebb after so many job and service cuts last year, this will further impact on the most vulnerable, and those generally trying to make ends meet.

Many people have stated during last year's consultation meetings with Bromley Council  that they would rather see the council tax raised in order to save and re-instate essential public services and create new jobs. With banker's bonuses and tax evasion still prominent in the news, the public has little sympathy for cuts.

Be at the Bromley Civic Centre  by 7.00pm on Monday February 20th when the cuts which have been outlined in the draft budget will go before the full council for approval.

Ann Garrett

Bromley Cuts Concern

Letter as published in Bromley Times, 16/2/2012

London boroughs and the 'Occupy' movement

Occupy Local Communities'

Starts: 4:00 pm

Ends: January 25, 2012 - 5:00 pm

Location: TCU

Description: The purpose of the meeting is to carry on the discussion about actions that Occupy London can take in the near future to join with local communities in the movement towards an equal, just and free society for all.

There have already been discussions going on about this subject in different working groups. The point of this meeting the existing discussion points together into one focused and perhaps regular meeting. Ideas for actions that have been discussed in meetings and GA's include: FLASH MOB OCCUPATIONS that would arrive in London neighbourhoods for set durations, and an 'OCCUPY LOCAL COMMUNITIES' LONDON WALK which could visit local communities in all 33 boroughs of London. Clearly there is a lot of scope for ideas.

All events are free, open to anyone, and take place in the ‘University Tent’, (next to the ‘Info Tent’), at the OccupyLSX camp, outside St. Paul’s Cathedral.

More about Tent City University here

Breakaway borough of Beckenham argument "retweeted"

In RT spirit (Twitter's retweet application) this post is a kind of "retweet" of 6/1/12. Bromley Times (January 19 2012) have published Rod Reed's update of Beckenham Civic Society's report.

Local media appear to find 'new borough' argument persuasive enough to rebroadcast. 

Beckenham as new breakaway borough?

Following last year's launch of Beckenham Civic Society: former Councillor Rod Reed, critic of his Conservative colleagues and active Beckenham resident sympathetic to Bromley Cuts Concern - argues in The Bromley Times this week (January 5 2012) for Beckenham to break away from Bromley's disinterested governance of the town.

Bromley's public sector workers strike back

A section of this week's letters column in the Bromley Times, December 15, 2011

Socialist organisation Workers' Liberty  have produced a series of industrial bulletins here

Where next after N30?

Although recorded it seems during J30 this video featuring Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) speaker Janice Godrich in St George's Square, Glasgow continues to be relevant.

 

More up-to-date this week's Bromley News Shopper, December 7, features November 30 picture story 'Unions won't rule out more industrial action' (link to NS online which will require page scroll to feature on p22).

Last week's Bromley Times, December 1, came out too early for full N30 story but it did publish Kate Nelson's report 'Striking town hall workers threaten further walkouts in pensions dispute'.

Socialist organisation Alliance for Workers' Liberty (AWL) have produced a series of industrial bulletins. Post-linked here is Workers' Liberty Industrial Bulletin PDF Public Disorder (Pensions Special written by and for local government workers).