Thursday 5 September 2013

Bedroom Tax Direct Action in London by People Before Profit & Other issues

Dear Members and Supporter of People Before Profit,

Thanks to those who came to the very productive meeting on Monday at the Dog & Bell in Deptford.

We decided on a few actions which you can all join in with:

Bedroom Tax petition will be handed in at the council meeting on 19th September.  If you would like to come to the Town Hall in Catford at 7.30pm you can bring a placard and any completed petition forms you have.  The blank petition is attached for you to print out.

We will be gathering signatures THIS Saturday in Downham and Whitefoot areas.  Please meet on the corner of Bromley Road and Downham Way at 11am.

On Wednesday 18th September we will visit the offices of some of the Housing Associations asking them to follow the lead of "Bolton At Home" which has guaranteed people a smaller home if they are getting into arrears because of the Bedroom Tax.  Meet in Sydenham at the offices of Hexagon Housing, 136 Sydenham Road near the corner with Trewsbury Road at 1pm.  We will also visit Hyde Housing, and L & Q, both in Lewisham so bring your bikes or bus passes. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bedroom-tax-housing-association-promises-2189111

Save Lewisham Hospital campaign there will be a "Victory Parade" on Saturday 14th September from Lewisham's Grassy Knoll at 12noon to Ladywell Fields.  We need people to give out our leaflets on the march and at the stall in Ladywell Fields.  We are opposed to the merger of Lewisham Hospital and the indebted Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich.  The campaign has not taken a position on the merger but we are calling for the cancellation of the PFI debts of over £700m for the QEH alone over the next 17 years.

Party Conference on Sat 21st Sept - 12 noon to 6pm   We will have three parts to the conference - discussion of the manifesto for the local elections next year, workshops and introducing some of our candidates and giving them a chance to speak about their vision for Lewisham.  We will be inviting representatives from similar local parties and from other parties we feel we can work with.  It will be open to the public but only people who have joined the party by midnight on the day before will be allowed to vote on issues.

Demonstration and leafletting of Labour Party conference Sunday 22nd Sept - 12 noon in Brighton.  We decided to organise leafletting and placards and banners on the issue of the Labour Party's continued support for PFI and Milliband's statement that he will stick to Tory spending limits.  A dozen people have already said they'll go but we could do with more!  Contact me if you can go and say whether you have a car and are willing to drive with others.  We may look at booking a group ticket on the train.  Save Lewisham Hospital campaign may be doing something at the same time but it doesn't look certain.

Demonstration in Manchester at Tory Party conference Sunday 29th Sept. Tickets for the coach to Manchester are available from Helen Mercer.  Price is £20 if waged, less if poor.  If you can't go because of other commitments, maybe you can help someone else by making a donation.  Labour Party seem reluctant to support this demonstration, so we need it to be a big success.

Next meeting will be October  9th, probably in Catford but venue uncertain as the Catford Bridge Tavern will be closed for refurbishment.  Suggestions are: St Laurences Church Hall, Catford or The Golden Lion in Sydenham.

I hope to see you soon at one of these events.

John

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