Saturday’s Bedroom Tax Protest March Route

A demonstration against the bedroom tax will take place on Saturday in Birmingham, in memory of Stephanie Bottrill who committed suicide, blaming the government in her suicide note. Like many facing the bedroom tax, Stephanie was not able to find a smaller property to move to, and was only offered one six miles away from her support networks, friends and family.
The demonstration on Saturday meets in Chamberlain Square at 12noon. The march will proceed down New Street onto High Street, up Union Street and Cherry Street to the Cathedral, down Temple street to New Street and back to Chamberlain Square. There will be a shortened route that stops at the junction on New St and Temple St, waiting for protesters to complete the long route before heading back to Chamberlain Square.

12noon, Saturday 15th June
Chamberlain Square.
Long march route: approx 1 mile.
Short march route: approx 0.4miles / 700meters
The march returns to Chamberlain Square so anyone who does not want to or cannot walk the short route can remain in Chamberlain Square.

Birmingham City Centre is step free. Accessible toilets are available in Paradise Forum by Chamberlain Square, and a single person accessible public toilet is located in Victoria Square, less than 100m from Chamberlain Square.
Various accessible toilets are available along the march route in the Pallisades, Bullring and Pavilions shopping centre, and in restaurants and pubs.

Birmingham Benefits Justice Campaign Bedroom Tax Demo Report and Photos

The campaign against the bedroom tax continued in Birmingham yesterday with a demonstration in the city centre attended by around a hundred people. Called by the Birmingham Benefits Justice Campaign, this followed action last week that saw the council chambers occupied by activists calling on Albert Bore and the Labour council to commit to no evictions over bedroom tax arrears, and the demonstration last month which saw hundreds protest in Victoria Square.

Hundreds Turn Out For Bedroom Tax Demo In Birmingham

Hundreds of people came out to demonstrate against this coalition’s unpopular bedroom tax policy. One of the biggest anti-cuts demonstrations in the past couple of years saw the two sides of the Labour party speak in between amongst community activists and people affected by the bedroom tax, as John Mcdonnell MP and Liam Byrne MP both addressed the crowd – to rather different receptions.

You can read more about the bedroom tax, and the “spare” rooms that aren’t spare in these posts – More concessions show we can defeat the bedroom tax and Birmingham bedroom tax demonstration.

PCS Budget Day Strike And Rally – 20th March

The civil service union, PCS, will be on strike on Wednesday 20th March, as the start of industrial action against cuts to pay, pensions and working conditions. There will be pickets and strike rallies across the region, with workers from Birmingham, Shropshire, Dudley, Worcester, Coventry and the surrounding area meeting at the Conservatiore in Birmingham for a lunchtime strike rally. The union has asked the government for talks on the key issues affecting the lives of civil servants and the services they are able to provide to the public, but the government has refused to negotiate.

Wednesday 20th March

In the morning: pickets at government and DWP offices, including job centres.

12:30pm Conservatoire (off Chamberlain Square). Directions

Wednesday 20th March is budget day 2013. It is the day that George Osborne will announce to no-ones surprise that he is continuing with the austerity agenda that is failing so badly. It is also going to be a day of 1%s. 1% rise in benefits and public sector pay. 1.4% average pay rise. One you won’t hear is that benefit fraud is just under 1%. 1% is the proportion of the population that will benefit from the cut in the highest rate of tax.

Of course not everything is around 1%. Growth, for instance, that’s way below, and looking like the economy has shrunk again in the last quarter. Or inflation, that’s way above 1%, as Britain’s average wages fall in real terms to 2003 levels. Or unemployment rate, over 9% in Birmingham, and falling only because people are moving to lower paid jobs, part time work, self-employment and of course forced unpaid workfare.

So PCS are taking action against one part of this – the attack on their pay, terms and conditions, and pensions. This should not be seen as an isolated action but as part of a collective response to austerity with different groups taking action in the way they see fit and in full solidarity with others fighting austerity.

We offer our solidarity to PCS members and encourage anyone who can to attend the rally to support the fight against austerity. PCS have been outspoken against welfare reforms, against pay freezes and pension cuts and have taken action they can and offered solidarity where no action has been possible. We say that an injury to one is an injury to all and that the 20th should be a day of mass resistance against austerity.

Occupation and Demonstration Greet Labour Councillors Meeting To Vote On Budget Cuts Proposal

The Labour group met yesterday to agree internally their budget proposal which accepts the £110m of cuts to the council budget as a result of the Tory coalition slashing central government grants. The full council meets on Tuesday 26th February to discuss and vote on the proposals put forward. In protest at the cuts and the Labour group’s decision to implement them on behalf of the Tory coalition, 20 people occupied the council house balcony from lunchtime until 6pm, and a demonstration of around 200 people marched up New Street to the council house where the meeting took place. There was coverage of these actions in The Birmingham Mail and BBC Website.

2012 Photo Review of the Year

In the third year of this Condem coalition, austerity began to fail, with the budget deficit rising as we entered a double dip recession. The triple dip recession may already have started. The council here announced huge budget cuts spelling the “end of local government as we know it“, the attacks on our welfare system accelerated and the fightback continued with 200,000 marching in London on October 20th, thousands in Birmingham for the Tory conference, companies and charities withdrawing from workfare, Charles House saved from closure, Redundancies stopped at Connexions (at least for now) and more words (though still little action) on tax avoidance.

Click on the photo to read about the event or campaign.

Demonstrations in Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield as Osborne Announces Autumn Statement

Demonstrations took place around the UK yesterday as Osborne gave further details of how austerity is going to increase the budget deficit over the next 5 years, whilst screwing low paid, unemployed and disabled people by cutting real terms benefits and removing the link between benefits and inflation.

Austerity: No Gain, Just Pain – Demonstrate Tomorrow, 5th Dec.

Tomorrow is the day that George Osborne gives us his autumn budget statement, laying out the increased cuts he will be making next year. Austerity is supposed to be about dealing with the budget deficit, but as cuts start to take effect, we have seen the economy drop back into recession. This has caused the deficit to start rising again, with October’s borrowing over £2bn higher than last year. So far this year, the government has borrowed around £5bn more than last year (data up till the end of October). When we get to the end of this year, it looks pretty certain that the government will have borrowed more in 2012 than in 2011. (This all excludes the one off payment in April 2012 of around £28bn from the transfer of Royal Mail pension assets. Sometimes when someone wants to make it look like they are doing a good job, they include this money – don’t be fooled).

14th November Sees Strikes and Demonstrations Across Europe

14th November was a European wide day of action, called by the European Trades Union Congress. General strikes were held in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy, four of the countries worst affected by austerity, whilst solidarity demonstrations were held in towns and cities across the continent.

Autumn Budget Statement Demonstration – 5th December

George Osborne’s autumn budget statement will set out huge cuts for the next financial year, with an extra £10bn-£16bn to be lopped off the welfare budget expected to be the big headline. Austerity is failing but as the deficit begins to rise the government’s only answer is more cuts. We need alternative economic policies to solve this problem.