Post to this forum if you have any stories of the effects of cuts and resistance to them.
Congratulations to civil servants in the Public & Commercial Services (PCS) union on leading the way again with their solid strikes for decent pay & against privatisation & attacks on terms & conditions!
Now let’s bury Thatcherism!
No Bedroom Tax evictions! Halt the privatisation of education & the NHS!
*** BRISTOL TRADES UNION COUNCIL, MAY DAY MARCH AGAINST AUSTERITY – SAT 4TH MAY – ASSEMBLE 11AM, COLLEGE GREEN – DETAILS HERE – POSTER HERE ***
BRISTOL ANTI-CUTS ALLIANCE
www.bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
BULLETIN: 17th May 2013
2nd BRISTOL BEDROOM TAX PROTEST! – 1pm Saturday 1st June – College Green 
BADACA Open Meeting – Tuesday 28th May – 7.30pm – Tony Benn House
SAVE OUR NHS!
Bristol CCG try to privatise Adult Mental Health services while in North Somerset, Clevedon’s new hospital is cancelled and it has now been officially announced that newly appointed NHS bosses are trying to sell off Weston General Hospital!
Andrew Lansley’s dream of privatising the NHS is now coming about. They are planning to skim millions of taxpayers money for his dodgy mates in the private healthcare sector then force anyone who can to afford to pay, to top-up second rate ‘NHS’ services. The ‘Clinical Commissioning Groups’ set up to carry through the privatisations are made up mainly of doctors but many of them have financial stakes in private healthcare providers themselves! Watch this space for a major local demonstration soon to demand that our NHS locally stays public!
BBC Story (Bristol Adult Mental Health) – The Post (Weston General Hospital)
*THIS SATURDAY!!!* Saturday 18th May: Defend London’s NHS – Coach from Bristol leaves 8am Anchor Rd.
With all the vigorous London campaigns this will be massive. Let’s make this a national demonstration!
BOOK to be sure of a place. All welcome, including children.
Free to UNITE Health Branch members, their family & friends, low paid, unwaged. (Donations may be requested from others in case we need to put on a second coach.)
Keep Our NHS Public!
The full effects of the Health and Social Care Act only came into effect last month so the struggle must continue.
The Bristol and North Somerset Protect our NHS group
(blog at: www.protectournhs.wordpress.com) meets every fortnight and is now affiliated to the national Keep Our NHS Public campaign (www.keepournhspublic.com)
NEXT MEETING OF ‘PROTECT OUR NHS’ IS ON MAY 21st AT 7.30pm IN THE ROBIN HOOD PUB ON ST MICHAEL’S HILL
To get on mailing list contact:protectournhs@gmail.com
Bedroom Tax campaign
BADACA have called a second Bristol Bedroom Tax protest for 1pm College Green on Saturday 1st June. Axe the Tax! No Evictions! Details – click here!
Tragically, last week saw the first suicide directly attributed to the Bedroom Tax – more here.
Ujima Radio had a discussion on the Bedroom Tax recently. Listen again – click here. (FF to 31:00)
Leafleting for the 1st June protest will be taking place in Southmead this Saturday – details here.
Downloads / Links Petition Poster Leaflet Website
Unison lobby: South Gloucestershire Council – Hands Off Our Pay, Terms & Conditions!
South Gloucestershire UNISON and other trade unions are calling on South Gloucestershire Council to scrap their plans to attack the pay of 800 staff of which a large majority are already the lowest paid in the council. Lobby – 5.30pm, Weds 22nd May – Kingswood Civil Hall – Details – Flyer
500+ Attend May Day Rally to Defend the Right to a Decent Life from Cradle to Grave!
Congratulations to Bristol Trades Union Council on organising a very colourful and lively May Day Rally in what is now clearly a re-established annual tradition.
Report – Photos – Video – ITV Report – The Post
Bristol Unite the Resistance Conference
Bristol and South West Unite the Resistance will be holding a local conference in Bristol on Saturday June 8th. The Conference will run from 12 noon to 4pm and will be held at Ashley Down Centre, City of Bristol College, Refectory, Ashley Down Road, Bristol BS7 9BU. More details.
Bristol transport for People’s Assembly (London, 22nd June)
A return coach has been booked from Bristol to London for the “People’s Assembly” in June. Details of conference – click here. Coach details – click here. A Bristol meeting of the People’s Assembly will take place at 7pm on Wednesday 29th May at the Malcolm X Centre in St Pauls – click here for details.
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/
BRISTOL ANTI-CUTS ALLIANCE
www.bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
BULLETIN: 12th May 2013
BADACA Open Meeting – Tuesday 28th May – 7.30pm
Tony Benn House
500+ Attend May Day Rally to Defend the Right to a Decent Life from Cradle to Grave!
Congratulations to Bristol Trades Union Council on organising a very colourful and lively May Day Rally in what is now clearly a re-established annual tradition.
Report – Photos – Video – ITV Report – The Post
SAVE OUR NHS!
Bristol CCG try to privatise Adult Mental Health services while in North Somerset, Clevedon’s new hospital is cancelled and there are rumours that newly appointed NHS bosses are trying to sell off Weston General Hospital!
Andrew Lasnley’s dream of privatising the NHS is now coming about. They are planning to skim millions of taxpayers money for his dodgy mates in the private healthcare sector then force anyone who can to afford to pay to top-up second rate ‘NHS’ services. The ‘Clinical Commissioning Groups’ set up to carry through the privatisations are made up mainly of doctors but many of them have financial stakes in private healthcare providers themselves! Much more in next week’s bulletin…
BBC Story (Bristol Adult Mental Health) – The Post (Clevedon Hospital)
Saturday 18th May: Defend London’s NHS – Coach from Bristol leaves 8am Anchor Rd.
With all the vigorous London campaigns this will be massive. Let’s make this a national demonstration!
BOOK to be sure of a place. All welcome, including children.
Free to UNITE Health Branch members, their family & friends, low paid, unwaged. (Donations may be requested from others in case we need to put on a second coach.)
Keep Our NHS Public!
The full effects of the Health and Social Care Act only came into effect last month so the struggle must continue.
The Bristol and North Somerset Protect our NHS group
(blog at: www.protectournhs.wordpress.com) meets every fortnight and is now affiliated to the national Keep Our NHS Public campaign (www.keepournhspublic.com)
NEXT MEETING OF ‘PROTECT OUR NHS’ IS ON MAY 21st AT 7.30pm IN THE ROBIN HOOD PUB ON ST MICHAEL’S HILL
To get on mailing list contact:protectournhs@gmail.com
Bedroom Tax campaign
BADACA have called a second Bristol Bedroom Tax protest for 1pm College Green on Saturday 1st June. Axe the Tax! No Evictions! Details – click here!
Tragically, this week saw the first suicide directly attributed to the Bedroom Tax – more here.
Ujima Radio had a discussion on the Bedroom Tax recently. Listen again – click here. (FF to 31:00)
Downloads / Links Petition Poster Leaflet Website
Bristol transport for People’s Assembly (London, 22nd June)
A return coach has been booked from Bristol to London for the “People’s Assembly” in June. Details of conference – click here. Coach details – click here.
*** THIS MONDAY NIGHT!!! ***
Permanent Culture Now, Bristol Indymedia & Bristol Solidarity Federation presents The Great Housing Rip Off – an evening of film & discussion on Britain’s housing crisis.
Monday 13th May 8pm The Cube, Dove Street, Bristol. Entry £3/£4 (But nobody turned away due to lack of funds) More Details here
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/
Congratulations to Bristol Trades Union Council on organising a very colourful and lively May Day Rally in what is now clearly a re-established annual tradition. Over 500 people joined the march including contingents from Unison, Unite, GMB, PCS, NUT & many other unions as well as NHS campaigners, disability rights activists and Bedroom Tax protesters. Bristol Radical Block marched in solidarity with the more than 1,000 Bangladeshi workers killed last month when their 8-storey factory near Dhaka collapsed. The factory supplied clothes to Primark (among other western customers) and the march paused outside Primark in Broadmead to protest the poor safety standards for workers in their supply chain.
Media Reports…
After the march to Castle Park, speakers addressed the crowd including Jayne Taylor from Unite who welcomed the defeat in the election of LibDem councillors such as Jon Rogers who forced through the privatisation of public homecare and care home services in Bristol. She also called for the defeat of the Bedroom Tax and a council house building programme to solve the housing and unemployment crises. Other speakers included Andy Robertson from Bristol Trades Council, Anne Lemon (NUT), Selena Williams (Unison), John McInally (PCS) and Tom Baldwin for BADACA.
Photos & video…
More photos here (thanks to everyone who sent them in!)
And thanks to Louise Whittle for the photos on this page… for more of hers click here!
BRISTOL ANTI-CUTS ALLIANCE
www.bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
BULLETIN: 2nd May 2013
May Day Rally – Defend the Right to a Decent Life from Cradle to Grave – This Saturday – 11am College Green!
Thanks to everyone who has put in so much hard work to make this weekend’s Trades Council May Day March happen. Our regular demonstration photographer isn’t able to attend so if you get any good shots on Saturday, please email them to admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk (or a web link to them.) Thanks in advance! If you haven’t done so already, please also invite all your Facebook friends to our event page for the rally. (Click the Facebook logo above). See you on Saturday!
SAVE OUR NHS!
Let’s feel our strength! The numbers on demonstrations supporting local health services just keep getting larger. You may have heard about the 25,000 who marched through Lewisham in January. Last Saturday (20th April) 50,000 people marched on a local demonstration in Stafford. (Yes despite the problems a few years ago, analysed by the Francis Report, local people support their services and their NHS)
http://www.supportstaffordhospital.co.uk/
Saturday 18th May: Defend London’s NHS – Coach from Bristol leaves 8am Anchor Rd.
With all the vigorous London campaigns this will be massive. Let’s make this a national demonstration!
BOOK to be sure of a place. All welcome, including children.
Free to UNITE Health Branch members, their family & friends, low paid, unwaged. (Donations may be requested from others in case we need to put on a second coach.)
Keep Our NHS Public!
The full effects of the Health and Social Care Act only came into effect this month so the struggle must continue.
The Bristol and North Somerset Protect our NHS group
(blog at: www.protectournhs.wordpress.com) meets every fortnight and is now affiliated to the national Keep Our NHS Public campaign (www.keepournhspublic.com)
NEXT MEETING IS ON MAY 7th AT 7.30pm IN THE ROBIN HOOD PUB ON ST MICHAEL’S HILL
To get on mailing list contact:protectournhs@gmail.com
Bedroom Tax campaign
A small local anti Bedroom Tax meeting was held in Southmead this week and we are keen to facilitate others across the city. We are also provisionally looking at another Bedroom Tax demonstration in Bristol on 1st June – more in next week’s bulletin.
Ujima Radio are having a discussion on the Bedroom Tax this Wednesday between 12 noon and 2pm. Listen again – click here.
Downloads / Links Petition Poster Leaflet Website
Bristol transport for People’s Assembly (London, 22nd June)
A return coach has been booked from Bristol to London for the “People’s Assembly” in June. Details of conference – click here. Coach details – click here.
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/
BRISTOL ANTI-CUTS ALLIANCE
www.bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
BULLETIN: 26th April 2013
May Day Rally
Supporters who need leaflets for their workplace/neighbourhood can collect them from the Unite offices, Tony Benn House, Victoria St. during office hours.
Leafleting – please help leaflet for this important event at:
12.00pm – Saturday 27 April - East St, Bedminster (meet outside Asda)
“Don’t let them bury the NHS”
Demonstrate
Monday 29th April
6.00pm
Bristol Royal Infirmary
Please bring placards / banners. There will be a piece of “street theatre” and appropriate dress will be available.
Let’s feel our strength! The numbers on demonstrations supporting local health services just keep getting larger. You may have heard about the 25,000 who marched through Lewisham in January. Last Saturday (20th April) 50,000 people marched on a local demonstration in Stafford. (Yes despite the problems a few years ago, analysed by the Fancis Report, local people support their services and their NHS)
http://www.supportstaffordhospital.co.uk/
Saturday 18th May: Defend London’s NHS – Coach from Bristol leaves 8am Anchor Rd.
With all the vigorous London campaigns this will be massive. Let’s make this a national demonstration!
BOOK to be sure of a place. All welcome, including children.
Free to UNITE Health Branch members, their family & friends, low paid, unwaged. (Donations may be requested from others in case we need to put on a second coach.)
Keep Our NHS Public!
The full effects of the Health and Social Care Act only came into effect this month so the struggle must continue.
The Bristol and North Somerset Protect our NHS group
(blog at: www.protectournhs.wordpress.com) meets every fortnight and is now affiliated to the national Keep Our NHS Public campaign (www.keepournhspublic.com)
NEXT MEETING IS ON MAY 7th AT 7.30pm IN THE ROBIN HOOD PUB ON ST MICHAEL’S HILL
To get on mailing list contact:protectournhs@gmail.com
Bedroom Tax campaign
Saturday 27th April – activity in Southmead
This Saturday there will be a BADACA stall and leafleting in Southmead to publicise a planned local BADACA public meeting next Thursday around the Bedroom Tax (which will hit at least 150 households in the area).
Please come along to lend a hand with the petitioning and door-to-door leafleting. We will be at the shopping precinct at Glencoyne Square, near the end of Arneside Rd, from 11am for at least two hours.
Contact Dave Weltman for further details: 07917676068.
Downloads / Links Petition Poster Leaflet
On the buses
First Bus are holding a series of public consultations on the services they (or claim to) provide.
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/
BRISTOL ANTI-CUTS ALLIANCE
www.bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
BULLETIN: 18th April 2013
Bedroom Tax Campaign
Saturday 20th April – activity in Southmead
This Saturday there will be a BADACA stall and leafleting in Southmead to publicise a planned local BADACA public meeting next Thursday around the Bedroom Tax (which will hit at least 150 households in the area).
Please come along to lend a hand with the petitioning and door-to-door leafleting. We will be at the shopping precinct at Glencoyne Square, near the end of Arneside Rd, from 11am for at least two hours.
Contact Dave Weltman for further details: 07917676068.
There is a report of a BADACA meeting on the tax in Filwood, together with important information on the lodging of appeals and the spread of the campaign throughout the city and its surrounding area here.
Downloads / Links Petition Poster Leaflet Facebook
May Day Rally
Saturday 4th May
11.00am
College Green to Castle Park
Leafleting – please help leaflet for this important event at:
12.00pm – Saturday 20 April - Gloucester Road (by Amnesty Bookshop)
- Broadmead (by BHS)
Supporters who need leaflets for their workplace/neighbourhood can collect them from the Unite offices, Tony Benn House, Victoria St. during office hours.
Downloads / Links
The Anarchist Bookfair
Lots of stalls on fighting the cuts. Volunteers to help with the BADACA stall please contact admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
BADACA Organising Committee
This is an informal and open meeting which takes place on Thursdays at 11.00am in the Watershed café, Harbourside. The Committee’s job is to make sure things get done. Anyone who is available at that time is welcome to come along.
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/
BRISTOL ANTI-CUTS ALLIANCE
www.bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
BULLETIN: 12TH April 2013
(We are experimenting with formats for the bulletin. Comments welcome.)
Bedroom Tax Campaign
Filwood Meeting – the BADACA meeting held in Filwood on 11 April went well with a number of residents who will have to pay the tax keen to organise a campaign. There will be more petitioning and leafleting in the area, posters made and another meeting called.
No Evictions; Build More Council Houses – are slogans for our campaign.
Housing Associations – housing association tenants are also being hit by the bedroom tax. This is a main form of social housing in South Glos., North Somerset and BANES. We would like BADACA supporters who are HA tenants to contact us.
Downloads / Links Petition Poster Leaflet Facebook
May Day Rally
Saturday 4th May
11.00am
College Green to Castle Park
Leafleting – please help leaflet for this important event at:
12.00pm – Saturday 13 & 20 April - Gloucester Road (by Amnesty Bookshop)
- Broadmead (by BHS)
Supporters who need leaflets for their workplace/neighbourhood can collect them from the Unite offices, Tony Benn House, Victoria St. during office hours.
Downloads / Links Poster Facebook
Thatcher
You can trace the origins of the present economic crisis, government philosophy and politics of cuts to Margaret Thatcher. BADACA supporters are invited to demonstrate how overwhelmed we are at her departure on the day of her funeral next Wednesday in the following ways:
Download “Ding, dong the Witch is Dead” to get it in the charts
Wear something red (link)
Come to an informal BADACA drinks party on Wednesday: 7.00pm, outside the Old Duke, King St.., Bristol
Look out for anything else which may be happening on the day.
Protest at Homebase exploitation of Workfare
https://www.facebook.com/events/349778525143853/
“Kings, Queens and Battles We Have Won” (together with heroes, some token heroines but no foreign jonnies unless we’ve conquered them)
This is how Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, wants History to be taught in schools. A meeting to discuss how History ought really to be taught is on:
Saturday 13 April, 2.00pm, The Watershed, Harbourside, Bristol
This is an issue which should concern everyone. Details here.
The Anarchist Bookfair
Lots of stalls on fighting the cuts. Volunteers to help with the BADACA stall please contact admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk
Next BADACA meeting
Monday 22 April
7.30pm
Friends Meeting House Champion Square BRISTOL BS2 9DB
Topics
The bedroom tax and future of council housing
Save the NHS Campaign
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/
Bedroom Tax: Knowle West residents agree to meet again as campaign to lodge appeals takes off
By admin | April 13, 2013
Despite a rain storm, about 20-25 people turned up to BADACA’s first public meeting on the Bedroom Tax held last Thursday 11th April at Filwood Community Centre, mostly local residents and council tenants from nearby areas. A short introduction was given by a speaker who works in the social rented sector, followed by a wide ranging discussion about the Bedroom Tax and the other benefit changes being imposed at the moment by the ConDems. Tenants said that the council were even charging them for tiny box rooms that had boilers fitted in them so could not fit a bed or safely be used for sleeping. Others said that they were allocated their properties when they were on the ‘emergency list’ and so had no choice but to take properties with spare bedrooms and no smaller properties are available now. At the end of the meeting, the residents agreed to meet again in two weeks’ time to make anti-Bedroom Tax placards & banners for the Trades Council May Day Rally (on May 4th) and to discuss campaigning against Mayor George Ferguson carrying out Bedroom Tax evictions.
BADACA is keen to help facilitate similar meetings to this in other areas of the city where council & housing association tenants are affected as well as areas in South Gloucestershire, BaNES & North Somerset. According to Bristol City Council, housing association tenants will be hit for around 50% more Bedroom Tax than council tenants (due to higher rents) and in the other districts claimants are also being being charged a proportion of the Council Tax for the first time from this month. Are you affected by the Bedroom Tax and other benefit changes? Are you angry about the effect this is having on members of your family or your community? Contact us at admin@bristolanticutsalliance.org.uk and maybe we can work with you to build a campaign in your area.
Campaign to lodge Bedroom Tax appeals – URGENT!
One part of the campaign which has been developing recently on the internet is to encourage as many people as possible to appeal their housing benefit decisions. If you have been charged Bedroom Tax and you would like to do this it needs to be within 30 days of the notice. Much more info available via these links…
“Bedroom Tax – ONLY the tenant can get rid of it and here’s how!” (blog)
STOP THE BEDROOM TAX – APPEAL NOW!!! (Facebook group)
More information + standard letter (PDF file)
Bristol City Council Appeal form (PDF file)
Other useful Bedroom Tax links…
Housing Benefit and Under Occupancy in the Social Rented Sector (Bristol City Council report)
BADACA Axe the Bedroom Tax Facebook Group
