Steve Score, Leicester Socialist Party

Six different campaigning groups defied Leicester City Council’s ban on campaign tables, and set up in the city centre on 7 February. ‘City Wardens’ made no attempt to stop them.

The council has enacted a ‘Public Space Protection Order’ (PSPO), supposedly to control anti-social behaviour. However, it attacks the democratic right to protest and organise, at a time when that is needed.

SEND travel removed

Leicester Labour council has slashed services by well over £100 million. More recently, the Labour council has removed the automatic travel support for SEND (special educational needs and disability) school students over the age of 16.

The council also now includes Personal Independence Payments (PIP), meant to pay for care, mobility etc, as income in assessing council-tax benefit. Some bills for low-income people are quadrupling.

Locally, Labour has ended support for adventure playgrounds, and threatened libraries, community centres, museums, and more. Massive community campaigns have won victories, forcing the council to do partial U-turns on some of these proposals. But more cuts are on the way – at least another £20 million.

Leicester Socialist Party and some trade unions have called on the council to refuse to make cuts. Instead, they could use reserves and other measures to keep services running, and buy time to build a mass campaign to force more funding from the government.

Still making cuts

Instead, the council is selling off public buildings to private property developers, and borrowing. The Labour council claims that this means it can make fewer cuts. But Labour is refusing to build a ‘no-cuts’ campaign, and is still making cuts!

Socialist Party member Heather Rawling was issued with a notice and fine for contravening the so-called ‘anti-social behaviour’ order in May. She wrote back to the council to say that she wanted to challenge it in court.

The council says that you can challenge it in court, if you do not pay the immediate £100 fine. However, the council has not given her a court date.

Heather said: “We all want to stop anti-social behaviour. But campaigning with a small table is not anti-social behaviour.

“Commercial organisations that pay a lot of money to the council have been allowed to set up large displays, gazebos, and other equipment in the city centre. How are these causing any less nuisance than not-for-profit voluntary campaign groups?

Fines and threats

“The council is infringing on our democratic rights, and should not continue fining or threatening campaign groups, while refusing to test their ban in court.”

While the event was taking place on 7 February, City Wardens walked past and made no effort to stop us. Does that mean they now recognise that this aspect of the PSPO is unenforceable?

  • The following groups of trade unionists are opposed to the ban: Leicester and District Trades Union Council; Leicester Unite Community branch EM/LE 100C; NEU Leicester City; Unite SPS Technologies; George Atwall, Midlands regional officer, Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU).