All Campaigns subcategories:
Election campaigns keywords:
Councillors
Highlight keywords |
Print this article
Search site for keywords: Hackney - London - Leisure - East London - Labour - Council - Councillors - Anti-austerity
Angry east London residents organise against threat to leisure centre
Swimming pool (Click to enlarge)
Claire Laker-Mansfield, Hackney Socialist Party
On 23 October, 50 local residents packed out an angry meeting in Hoxton, east London, to organise against the threatened closure of the area's leisure centre.
The plans, which have been laid out by Hackney's Labour mayor and council, include the demolition of the existing Britannia Leisure Centre, with its site then used to build three 24-storey tower blocks containing 400 luxury flats, as well as an academy secondary school run by the private City of London Academies Trust.
Verbally, the mayor and councillors have said that they plan to replace the existing leisure centre with a new one, built on an area currently occupied by tennis courts on the nearby Shoreditch Park.
But there have been no guarantees given as to either the size or scope (in terms of facilities) of this new centre, with many residents expressing the view that it may not even be built.
Fury
Local people at the meeting expressed fury at the plans - which are correctly understood in a wider context of gentrification, the privatisation of public land and the destruction of council run services.
There was particular disgust that - despite Jeremy Corbyn's speech at his party's conference about the need for democratic ballots to stop so-called 'regeneration' projects being used as a smokescreen for gentrification and social cleansing - this is being pushed through by a right-wing Labour mayor using executive powers.
So far, the plans have not even been taken to a full meeting of the council - let alone a ballot of affected local residents and centre users.
There was also disgust at the failure of a single Labour councillor to attend the meeting, with plans to send specific invites and build pressure for them to attend a future one.
The Socialist Party will be fully participating in this campaign - raising the demand that Labour councillors must stand up to these outrageous plans.
Should they refuse, local residents could also consider directly challenging them in the upcoming council elections in May 2018.
- Socialism 2017 (11 and 12 November, central London)
Discussions include: 'Local government - the next scene of the anti-austerity battle?'
Find out more and book tickets at socialism2017.net
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.
Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.
We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our Fighting Fund.
LATEST POSTS
12 May Stop Israeli state brutality
 |
9 May Post-election meetings
15 May Birmingham Socialist Party: How can we fight for socialist change and a new workers' party?
17 May Oxfordshire & Aylesbury Socialist Party: The role of the state
18 May Bristol North Socialist Party: Liverpool - history of socialist struggle
CONTACT US
Phone our national office on 020 8988 8777
Email: [email protected]
Locate your nearest Socialist Party branch Text your name and postcode to 07761 818 206
Regional Socialist Party organisers:
Eastern: 079 8202 1969
East Mids: 077 3797 8057
London: 075 4018 9052
North East: 078 4114 4890
North West 079 5437 6096
South West: 077 5979 6478
Southern: 078 3368 1910
Wales: 079 3539 1947
West Mids: 024 7655 5620
Yorkshire: 078 0983 9793
ABOUT US
ARCHIVE
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999