Save Laurel Road Community Sports Centre – Public Meeting – Sat 15th Feb

Following last Tuesday’s meeting of Handsworth Against the Cuts and the Save Laurel Road Campaign it was agreed to hold another of our popular Handsworth public consultation meetings, this time on the issue of the decision of the council to put the Laurel Road Centre forward for a ‘Community Asset Transfer’. If you wish to learn more of the impact that this could have on the future of the Centre and other council run public services, come along and join in the public discussion and debate. See full details below and find enclosed a doc. version you may wish to print out or forward on to your contacts.

SAVE LAUREL ROAD COMMUNITY SPORTS CENTRE!

PUBLIC MEETING – ‘SAY NO TO COMMUNITY ASSET TRANSFER’

Saturday 15th February, 2.00pm

at Laurel Road Community & Sports Centre, Laurel Road Handsworth B21 9BP

followed by coffee and cakes!

Further important dates for you diary – it would be great if you get to any of these meetings as events are moving at some speed.

Thursday 30th January, 3.00pm – Perry Barr District Committee, Council House, Birmingham. (Briefing paper to be presented)
Wednesday 5th February, 7.00pm – St Augustine’s School, Avenue Road, Handsworth, B21 8ED. (Public meeting hosted by West Handsworth Neighbourhood Forum)

DON’T LET BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL

DESTROY OUR SERVICES!

NO CUTS! NO PRIVATISATION!

NO COMMUNITY ASSET TRANSFER!

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Handsworth Against the Cuts Hold Stall Against Leisure Centre Privatisation

Activists from Handsworth Against The Cuts (HATC) lobbied MP Khalid Mahmood’s constituency surgery about the the council’s attempt to privatise the leisure centres. Concern was expressed by the MP’s
representatives and also a willingness to have attend/ hold a public meeting. We were also told that the councillors in the ward were against the privatisation. Other HATC activists had attended a Handsworth community conference and had raised the issue there that morning as well, so the pressure is being applied.

On the same day a stall was done at the Leisure Centre, we now have 489 signatures opposing privatisation, not including the petitions that people have taken away to get friends, neighbours and family to sign. There is a great depth of feeling on the subject…

Saturday 10th March is a day of action on Leisure Centre privatisation with stalls being held around Birmingham – see here for details

Handsworth Library Petition Hand In

The petition calling for restored opening hours at Handsworth Library will be handed in by Councillor Waseem Zaffar at the Council meeting on Tuesday 6th December. Initiated by Handsworth Against the Cuts, the petition has gathered a magnificent 860 signatures thanks to the many residents and community activists who got involved. At a meeting on Saturday 26th November, residents pointed out that the library is used by people of all ages and backgrounds – by those who need to use the computers, by schoolchildren doing projects, and by elders of the community who enjoy the safe and sociable atmosphere.

Recent reports have revealed that cuts are happening to library services across the city – and these were never subject to consultation. Handsworth Against the Cuts will continue to push for proper opening hours for our own library, but not at the expense of others. We need to campaign to keep both our central and community libraries open for business.

Handsworth Against the Cuts Stall tomorrow

Saturday 5th November 11am-1pm outside the library, Soho Road.
Help us gather signatures for our petition against library cutbacks.
We will also be leafleting for the BAtC Public Meeting on November 24th and in support of the planned strikes over pensions.

NB if you live in Handsworth Wood, Handsworth, Lozells or Winson Green please sign our petition and better still get others to do so. There is a copy here. Signed petitions need to be returned to the address shown by the weekend of December 3rd so they can be presented to the full council on December 6th.

thanks

For contact details and past posts from Handsworth Against the Cuts, see their page by clicking here

Handsworth Against the Cuts – Library Cuts, Petition, Next Meeting

Dear Friends

Those of you that use our local libraries will have noticed that we are are already suffering cuts in service here in Handsworth. We have already seen the loss of the library service that was based at Hawthorne House. Then earlier this year, we lost another day’s opening at Handsworth library on the Soho Road. Now users are experiencing further closures for example early closure or lunch-time closure. The reason given is staff shortages.

We know how hard our library staff work and that the cuts in library provision and job losses has made life even more difficult for them. We want to show support for our library service and ask the council to ensure that a full service can be maintained for local residents by stopping and reversing the cuts. Attached is a petition which we are launching on Saturday. We will be outside the library on the Soho Road from 11.00 – 1.00, Saturday 15th October. Please come and help us and pick up copies to take to friends and neighbours, or download and print the petition yourself, Our aim is to give the petition to local councilors.

We will discuss this at our next meeting on Thursday 27th October, 6.30pm Shaeed Udham Singh Centre (back room) 346 Soho Road. The main item will be a discussion of Birmingham’s youth unemployment led by Rick Hatcher who has recently written a pamphlet on this topic. We will also discuss how to build support for the November 30th pensions day of action

Warm regards

Sue Thomas, for Handsworth Against the Cuts

Handsworth Against The Cuts Public Meeting

Handsworth Against the Cuts are holding a Public Meeting, this Wednesday 6th July 7.30 at St Andrews Community Hall, corner of College Road and Church Lane (opposite the Co-op).

“No to Cuts in Handsworth”

Led off by local speakers:
Pete Christie from Unison,
Alliya Stennett from City College,
Sian Ruddock from PCS and
Rick Hatcher from the Anti-Academies campaign.

Most of the time will be for discussion, questions and ideas for campaigning.
Refreshments available.

Handsworth Against the Cuts Activites

Handsworth Against the Cuts will be out campaigning again this Saturday 18th June. We’ll have a stall outside the library on the Soho Road between 11 and 1. We’ll have leaflets to help build the strikes on 30th June, as well as petitions and leaflets for our own public meeting. All welcome, whether you can stay to help on the stall or want to come and chat and take some leaflets for your workplace or community group.

On 30th June, we’ll be helping support local picket lines then strikers and supporters will come together on the way down to the rally in town. We’ll post more details nearer the date.

Our public meeting to discuss campaigning against the local cuts is on Wednesday 6th July, 7.30 pm at St Andrews Sports and Community Centre, corner of Church Lane and College Road. Our speakers include Pete Christie, local Unison steward, Sian Ruddick of PCS, Alliya Stennet from City College UCU and Rick Hatcher of the Anti-Academies campaign.

Handsworth stall on Saturday 16th

Following on from the hugely successful march in London, Birmingham Anti Cuts Campaign will be holding a march and rally against the cuts on Saturday 30 April, 12 noon at Birmingham Cathedral.

Handsworth Anti Cuts Group will be building for this event by holding a stall and leafletting session on Saturday 16 April outside the Library on Soho Rd between 11am and 1pm. We would appreciate your help on the day.

The stall will also feature petitions to Defend the NHS and to stop Free Schools in Handsworth. Two successful stalls have already been held in the past few weeks on the Soho Rd.

You are warmly invited to come along and help build the ever growing anti cuts movement in Britain. See you there!

Bernie

Stalls and Leafleting 19th February

Local stalls and leafleting Saturday 19th February

Bearwood outside Aldi 12.00 -2.00 contact Tony 07845969959

Erdington outside Coop 11.00-1.00 contact Pete 07809406973

Handsworth Clock Tower 12.00-2.00 contact Sue 07818068856

King’s Heath outside Asda 11.00-1.00 contact Bridget 07969415398

Sparkhill outside Sparkhill Centre Contact Mary 07970174167

Stichley outside Coop 11.00-1.00 Contact Nick 07828 013091

Sutton 12.00 contact Stuart 07736923865