The Socialist 18 August 2010

Action now to defeat cuts!

Action now to defeat cuts!

Pakistan: Workers' solidarity urgently needed

Floods in Pakistan bring devastation - poor suffer most

Youth must fight for a future!

Student demo should be start of the fightback

No to advice service cuts

Decent pay for interns

Uni bosses say cuts will cause closures

Forecasts of fragile economic growth

Cameron sticks the boot into our council housing

Private-profit company granted 'snoopers' charter'

Private Finance Initiative: A licence to print money

Coventry Against the Cuts challenge councillors' 'legal obligation'

Northern Ireland: Belfast Stop the Cuts Alliance established

Bromley care workers fight privatisation and job cuts

Defend Our Community Services launched in Bracknell

Cuts devastate mental health services

The legacy of Leon Trotsky

Kirklees Unison strike ballot launched

CWU members accept BT pay deal

Debate how to fight back at Socialism 2010

Tube staff vote for action against cuts

Jobs under threat at Ministry of Justice

Airport workers win improved offer from BAA

Workplace news in brief

Socialist Party summer camp - book now!

Russia's raging wildfires - a crisis of government policies

Bradford must organise against the EDL

Birmingham: Community says 'No' to racist spy cameras

Previous issues, etc

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Coventry Against the Cuts challenge councillors' 'legal obligation'

Coventry Socialist Party councillor Dave Nellist addresses a Coventry Against the Cuts protest, photo Coventry Socialist Party (Click to enlarge)

"When the real impact of these cuts is felt in services for children, young people and some of the most vulnerable communities in Coventry, there will be outrage that all the other councillors were united in passing these cuts."

These were the words of Socialist Party member Dave Nellist, the only Coventry councillor to oppose cuts at an emergency city council meeting on 10 August.

Coventry's Labour council responded to the Tory/Lib Dem government's demand for £3.7 million worth of cuts by proposing cuts of £4.5 million. Labour, Tory and Liberal Democrat councillors all voted for the cuts package. This was the start of £146 million in cutbacks due over the next four years.

Coventry Against the Cuts, initiated by Coventry Trades Union Council, organised a protest outside the Council House on the day of the cuts vote. As councillors arrived protesters asked them simply if they were 'with us' or 'against us'. A few Labour councillors signed the anti-cuts petition, but when Socialist Party members asked how they could then vote for cuts their response was that they had 'a legal obligation to vote for them'.

The additional £800,000 cuts are to come from the Supporting People budget, meant to be spent on the city's most vulnerable residents, including homeless people and victims of domestic violence.

Coventry Socialist Party councillor Dave Nellist addresses a Coventry Against the Cuts protest, photo Coventry Socialist Party (Click to enlarge)

£1.64 million of the cuts are from children and young people's services, and almost £1 million from employment and 'local enterprise' budgets. A Coventry newspaper recently featured a desperate 17-year-old college student who has made 500 plumbing apprenticeship applications, without success.

80% of the £4.5 million cuts were not explained in the documents before councillors. The documents said that the 'options' for cutting £832,000 from the local enterprise and growth initiative budget would be 'reviewed'.

But Socialist Party councillor Dave Nellist obtained material two hours before the council meeting which showed that Labour councillors had already held a secret board meeting six weeks earlier at which the cuts had been decided. For example, £155,000 was to be cut from employment advisers in two of the poorest areas in the city, Willenhall and Hillfields, meaning more than 850 unemployed people lose support or help from those employment projects.

Coventry Socialist Party councillor Dave Nellist addresses a Coventry Against the Cuts protest, photo Coventry Socialist Party (Click to enlarge)

"It's no good individual councillors lamenting their role in these cuts, we need a campaign in Coventry and every town and city across the country," said Dave Nellist, who was given only three minutes to speak. Dave requested extra speaking time as he was the sole opposition to cuts, but Labour councillors voted against this.