Join us today!
Printable version
Link to this page: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/16003
Posted on 21 January 2013 at 14:49 GMT
.
Save children's centres in Sheffield, demo 19 January 2013, photo Nigel Newton-Smith (Click to enlarge)
Stop Sheffield children's centre closures
Despite the cold and snow, around 500 protesters marched and demonstrated against Sheffield council's plans to shut half the children's centres in the city.
At the rally outside the town hall, parents and workers from the centres condemned the council plans.
Organisers pointed to the size of the protest despite the weather conditions as a sign of the anger felt across the city.
More than a dozen Socialist Party members participated, collecting signatures not just on the children's centres but also on the party's demand for the council to set a 'needs' budget and fight the government.
The next stage is a lobby of the council on Wednesday, when a petition on the children's centres will be presented. Over 8,000 have now signed the petition, forcing a full council debate.
Jeremy Short
Around 500 also marched on Saturday in north Sheffield against the proposed closure of Stocksbridge Leisure Centre. The fight against the council cuts in Sheffield has now started for real.
This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 21 January 2013 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.
Donate to the Socialist Party
Finance appeal
The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
2020