Say No to “Austerity” Bollox

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Posted on January 15, 2019 by jenny

The People’s Assembly against Austerity has circulated a short video (4.5 mins) showing some highlights of last Saturday’s demo calling for a general election.

The demo was quite widely reported. Even the BBC, which usually ignores anti-austerity protests, covered it, including an interview with Bristol People’s Assembly activist Jack Hazeldine.

BBC VIDEO. BBC news online article

The march and rally came after trade union leaders and celebrities, including director Ken Loach, signed an an open letter urging the public to

“stand up, resist and demand they (the government) step aside”.

You can read the open letter HERE.

The real yellow vests Continue reading →

Calderdale Council plans 7 day working week for street sweepers that would remove weekend overtime

Posted on November 7, 2017 by jenny

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet yesterday agreed to consult street sweeping staff and trade unions about introducing a 7 day working week which would remove overtime pay for weekend work. Continue reading →

Calderdale Council Conservative Group motion will not meet the housing needs of local people.

Posted on July 14, 2016 by jenny

The full Calderdale Council meeting at 6pm on 20th July will consider a Conservative Group motion on Meeting the housing needs of our local people, that:

“This Council:

Expresses significant concern that the Council’s own targets for building new homes since 2010 have been badly missed. Continue reading →

Calderdale Council cross party group to oversee Brexit action plan

Posted on July 8, 2016 by jenny

Calderdale Council has prepared an action plan to deal with changes resulting from the EU referendum vote to leave the EU. It will be overseen by a cross-party EU Action Plan group that will meet in public, although the Council hasn’t yet finalised membership or a timetable for meetings.

If members of the public witness or experience any racist or xenophobic backlash, either call the police on 101 (for non-emergencies) or report it to Calderdale Council’s community worker Kirsten.Fussing@calderdale.gov.uk

Here is West Yorkshire Police advice on how to report a hate crime/incident

To report a Hate Crime / Incident:

call 999 in an emergency
call 101 for non-emergencies
for non-emergency hate incidents use our online hate crime reporting form
call in person at any police station (click here to find your nearest police station)
If you would rather not speak to a Police Officer, you can : –
– contact Stop Hate UK – or
– contact True Vision – or
– contact Tell MAMA – or
– use one of the independent Hate Incident Reporting Centres provided by Local Authorities across West Yorkshire (click here to find the nearest one to where you live)

If you have been the victim of behaviour you felt was inappropriate by a police ofﬁcer or member of police staff you can report a police complaint.

Impact on “community cohesion”

If there is any local backlash against EU citizens, migrants or ethnic minorities – what Calderdale Council calls “an impact on community cohesion” – the Council said it’s important that it deals swiftly with any signs of tension and that it:

“may need to support non-UK citizens who may be directly affected by an EU exit.”

Continue reading →

Calderdale teachers to strike against huge cuts to local schools budgets and continued academisation plans

Posted on July 3, 2016 by jenny

The NUT is taking national strike action on Tuesday 5 July over savage cuts to education funding and changes to conditions of service.

Cuts will increase class sizes and reduce range of subjects Continue reading →

Report on People’s Assembly National Meeting 5.12.2015

Posted on December 13, 2015 by jenny

Calderdale People’s Assembly delegate Carol Machell reports on the People’s Assembly National Conference, held in London on 5 December 2015.

Among many other motions, the People’s Assembly has adopted the NHS Reinstatement Bill motion and will be working to build support for the Bill in time for its second reading in the House of Commons on 11 March 2016. The Bill aims to restore the NHS as a comprehensive, universal health service that is free at the point of need, fully publicly owned and run and that the Secretary of State has a duty to provide. Continue reading →

Tax Credit Cuts: Calder Valley MP tells People’s Assembly he agrees with Osborne’s ‘direction of travel’

Posted on November 9, 2015 by jenny

Calderdale People’s Assembly members and friends braved strong winds and driving rain on Saturday 7th November, to hold a mass lobby of the Calder Valley MP’s open surgery in Elland.

Their demand was for Craig Whittaker to protect low income Calderdale families from cuts to their tax credits. Continue reading →

Online-only applications for #Calderdale Council Housing Benefit & Council Tax Reductions – coming soon

Posted on October 28, 2015 by jenny

People applying for Calderdale Council Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction will soon have to use an online system to claim these benefits. The system will use e-forms and an online verification system.

The Council is planning to have this system up and running in the the next few months, and will provide more information closer to the time.

The current system of applying for Housing Benefit and Council Tax reduction through hard copy claim forms will be eliminated, and replaced by online forms for all new claims for these two benefits. Continue reading →

Calderdale people tell Yorkshire MEP to vote against TTIP

Posted on June 9, 2015 by jenny

Update – The MEPs’ vote on TTIP tomorrow has been cancelled.

The official line from the Parliament is that because more than 200 amendments were tabled the vote should be postponed to enable the Trade Committee to consider the amendments before tabling them for a future plenary session. See more here.

But Keith Taylor, Green MEP for South East England, said:

“The decision to cancel the vote on TTIP stinks of political parties in the European Parliament running scared of the huge public opposition to TTIP.

TTIP represents a monumental power grab by corporations and it must be stopped in its tracks.”