Stirchley and Cotteridge Against the Cuts, March Activities

Stirchley and Cotteridge Against the Cuts work on local issues around the south and south west of Birmingham. They have been involved in the campaigns that stopped the closure of Charles House, and saw Bournville School reject academy status. Never content to rest on their laurels, the group have a busy March planned:

1) Protest outside Kings Norton Library. (against cutting opening hours from 5 days to 4) Meet at 5pm, Thursday March 8th. Pershore Road South (near the Green).
We will go on to the ward committee at 7pm.

2) Protest at Ward Committee of Bartley Green about closure of Millmeads Childrens home. (details later)

3) Protest outside Northfield Sports and Leisure Centre over its proposed privatisation. Saturday 10th March. 11am outside the baths.

4) Protest outside Stirchley Library 15th March.

5) Weoley Castle Circle protest over Millmeads. Sat 17th March

We will update this post as full details of some of the activities are finalised, but please note the dates in your diaries now. You can get involved with this group by emailing them at StirchleyAntiCuts@Gmail.com, or by turning up to one of their events.

Action taking place on Academies

‘Hands off Bournville School – Say No to Academy Status’ were out on the campaign trail this morning at Selly Oak Festival. Managing to get a stall after a last-minute cancellation, we weathered the wind and rain with the help of a borrowed gazebo and got 80 signatures on our petition. The response from the community was overwhelmingly positive – a great start to our campaign!  Thank you to Bob Whitehead who came to the rescue with a couple of clipboards and some Anti Academy Alliance leaflets (we were using dinosaur picture-books and sellotape until then).  Now we’ve started there’s no stopping us. Watch this space!

by Sarah Barton

You can support and keep in touch with the campaign for this school by supporting their campaign on Digital Democracy or by joining their Facebook Group or by emailing bournvilleagainstacademystatus@groups.facebook.com

As well as Bournville School, Fairfax School in Sutton Coldfield is seeking to move to academy status, and the teachers there have voted to take industrial action, and will be striking on the 28th and 29th June.  There is a public meeting held by Alliance Against Birmingham Academies, about the strikes at Fairfax School, Sutton Town Hall on the 27th, from 7pm.

For more on that campaign, email faast@hotmail.co.uk or join their Facebook Group

For more information on why we oppose academies, have a look at the Anti Academies Alliance website

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_209808769058101 

University of Birmingham drops all cases against students, after widespread criticism.

Stop Fees, Stop Cuts Birmingham University has announced that the University of Birmingham has dropped all the cases that they were investigating against 15 students who they had alleged had broken university rules during a peaceful occupation held last month.

he University of Birmingham has backed down from an increasingly embarrassing attempt to discipline 15 students.

The Vice Chancellor David Eastwood received criticism from religious leaders, MP’s, unions and prominent academics including Professor Noam Chomsky and John McDonnell MP.