BADACA Bulletin – 24/08/12
By admin | August 24, 2012 | Categories: Weekly Bulletin
BRISTOL & DISTRICT ANTI-CUTS ALLIANCE BULLETIN – 24th August 2012
SAVE BRISTOL’S CARE HOMES AND DAY CENTRES FOR THE ELDERLY & VULNERABLE!
BADACA is working closely with Unison, Unite, GMB and other campaigning & voluntary sector groups on a campaign to force the LibDem council and/ or the new elected mayor to reverse their scandalous decision to close most of Bristol’s public care homes & day centres for the elderly and vulnerable.
CARE CAMPAIGN LATEST!! Unison, Unite & GMB have jointly financed an initial print run of our new A4 leaflet: “Care Not For Sale”
For copies to hand out in your street, workplace, union branch, voluntary group, elderly people’s home or day centre, or for petitions & posters, please email us on our new dedicated email address: carecampaign@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
At 7.00pm on WEDNESDAY 5 SEPTEMBER at BROADMEAD BAPTIST CHURCH, UNION ST., CENTRAL BRISTOL (between Tesco’s and Primark) there will be a special campaign planning meeting for staff, service users, families and supporters. Flyer here.
We are also planing three city-wide days of action on Sat 1st, 8th & 15th September with stalls & leafleting at shopping areas across the city. If you can volunteer to organise or help out at your local shops please email us on carecampaign@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
We also have a new online petition here: http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/epetition_core/community/petition/1988 and don’t forget our MASS LOBBY OF THE COUNCIL on 18TH SEPT!
“More Interested In Profit Than Care.”These were the widely reported words of Margaret Flynn in presenting the Serious Case Report on Winterbourne View where residents were seriously mis-treated by ‘poorly paid and untrained staff‘. The clear implication is that this is the result of public bodies handing over services to private providers in order to save money. The private companies look after their shareholders’ interests not those of their service users or staff.
This is precisely what Bristol City Council intend to do when it closes eight of its remaining care homes and seven council-run day centres. The services will be privatised. Service standards will decline. There will be less public accountability. Jobs will go. The private providers will pay lower wages and spend less on training. By getting these services on the cheap, the council will save money at the expense of the elderly and vulnerable. The council calls this ‘modernisation‘; everyone else calls it cuts. And, of course, in the last year the remaining council-run home care service has been privatised and grants to voluntary groups running services like lunch clubs and day centres have been slashed. See more here.
The first two care homes are planned to close before the end of this year. BADACA is working with those effected, both residents and staff, to prevent this happening. The next full council meeting on Tuesday September 18this a key event. BADACA and others will be holding the largest possible lobby of this meeting to tell the council that Bristol doesn’t accept these closures. Please spread the word about this. Details below; Facebook here. Publicity material will be available soon. If you want to get involved in this campaign pleaseemail admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk.
Please help us to distribute the new edition of BADACA’s NHS pamphlet as widely as possible. It’s available online here. You can get printed copies by emailing admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk.
More details will be available soon about the TUC’s‘A Future That Works’ demonstration on Saturday October 20th. Over the next few months we all need to do everything possible to make this a huge demonstration against the government’s economic policy – Put the date in your diary now and watch out for more details as they become available. Facebook here. Information on TUC website here.
The National Union of Students is also organising a national demonstration against fees, cuts and privatisation on November 21st. Full details soon. Current information is on Facebook here.
Please try to get involved in as many of the activities below as possible and pass the information on to others who may be interested
If you want more information about anything below, email admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
More information on BADACA and events can be found at our website www.bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk and via the link to Facebook from there
Twitter – http://twitter.com/BrisNoCuts.
If you have events you would like included in a future bulletin please email details to admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk. Our aim is to send out a bulletin every Friday. The deadline for inclusion of events is 5pm on Thursday.
National Shop Stewards’ Network Lobby of TUC in Brighton – “Call a General Strike Against Austerity!” – Sunday 9th September
Bristol coach pickup: By @Bristol, Anchor Road.
Time: 8am
Details: Here
Lobby of Bristol City Council Meeting – Tuesday 18th September
Venue: Council House, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR
Time: 5.00pm
Map: Here
Details: Here
Come to the council meeting and tell councillors what the people of Bristol think of their plans to cut services for the elderly and vulnerable. For more information email admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
BADACA Admin
BADACA links…
Website: http://www.bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BristolAntiCuts
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BrisNoCuts
Forum: http://www.bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk/wordpress/bbpress/
Affiliate: http://www.bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk/affiliate-to-us/