On Wednesday 21 July Hackney Unites is holding an informal gathering of our supporters to thank people for their support and to focus our minds on ‘what next’.

The event: ‘Thank you, feedback and discussion’ will be from 7pm – 9pm, on Wednesday 21 July at:
Cafe Mostra
86 Stoke Newington High Street
N16 7PA

As part of the ‘thank you’ we will be providing a buffet meal (Turkish cuisine, including vegetarian). If you want to attend, please register on-line so we know how much food to order: http://hackneyunites21july.eventbrite.com

The event is very much your opportunity to tell us about what you felt about what we have already done, including the Celebrate Hackney event, our Workers Advice Project, and our contribution to isolating and defeating the BNP when we twinned with Barking and Dagenham.

However, it is also an opportunity to look forward, and consider ‘what next’. Our recent on-line survey tells us that the number one priority for our communities is the effect of government cuts on local public services, jobs and the voluntary sector. Part of our discussion on 21 July will be about how we respond to these concerns.

While we are determinedly not a ‘party political’ organisation, we will not shy away from seeking to defend our communities from the damaging effects of proposed cuts in our services. The proposed cuts are unacceptable, by way of example, Matthew Waterfall, the Unison Branch Secretary for local government employees met with the chief executive of Hackney Council, this is his report of the conversation:

'I did indeed meet with the chief executive yesterday and was informed that although they did not yet know where the cuts would fall or exactly how much they would amount to they did estimate that they would amount to a cool £80 million by 2014. This is a truly staggering figure and will mean that services will be cut.

The CE gave an example of just how huge this figure was by saying that if the Council was to cut all back office staff by 50% and also shut a swimming pool and library this would only save £16 million although please note this is not a plan and just an example.'

This is not a ‘trimming of waste’ but will see the devastation of local services. Similar budget cuts are proposed across the public sector.

Already on London Underground there are proposals for 800 ticket office and platform staff job cuts. Such cuts will mean that ticket offices are routinely closed when the stations are open, and will lead to an increase in routine lone working and on occasions stations operating with no staff whatsoever.

At the same time voluntary sector grant budgets are being slashed; just when the voluntary sector will be needed the most.

Part of our discussion on the 21st will be about how we can respond as communities. Hackney did not benefit greatly from the ‘good years’. Hackney already has an excess of poverty, unemployment, disability and mental illness, a disproportionate number of young people in the criminal justice system as well as higher morbidity and mortality rates than its wealthier neighbours. We are not a community for whom public services are an ‘optional extra’, we need our services.

We did not create this crisis, and we cannot accept that our communities should pay for it by sacrificing the already insufficient jobs and services available to us.

Hackney Unites is not a protest group, but we will be looking at ways in which we can help our communities to respond effectively to protect services.

We are already exploring working with academics and students to develop an ‘evidence base’ to challenge the moral and legal consequences of these cuts.

We are considering developing a training session for community groups on ‘mobilising their members’ in other words efficiently engaging with members and supporters to take effective steps to defend services (and to consider how we respond if they are cut).

We will consider exploring the roots of this crisis, and the alternatives to the budget cuts that are being proposed.

Finally, we need to be networking across communities so that rather than competing for an ever shrinking grant pot, we work together to protect what little we have.

If you want to be part of this discussion, then please come along on the 21 July and don’t forget to sign up so that we can order sufficient food for the buffet:

http://hackneyunites21july.eventbrite.com

Agenda for Wednesday

Jane in the chair

7pm Welcome etc (Jane)

7.05 Introduction to Hackney Unites (Andrea)

7.10 Everyone introduces themselves (name and group only)

7.15 Feedback from Celebrate Hackney (Carys)

7.45 Workers Advice Project (Arpita)

7.50 Borough of Sanctuary (Cathy)

7.55 Green forum (to be confirmed)

8.00 The cuts and how we can respond as Hackney Unites (John)

8.10 One fund (Wilf)

8.15 Food served (informal discussion)