I am writing on behalf of Brighton, Hove and District Trades Union Council to invite a delegate from your organisation to attend a meeting of a local anti-cuts coalition on Monday the 2nd August 7:30pm at the Caxton Arms, North Gardens.
The Trades Council is taking this step to try to bring together unions, tenants associations, local campaigns and sympathetic political groups so we can work together to protect our public services, jobs and communities from the huge funding cuts that will affect so many in our city.
This year alone Brighton and Hove Council is to cut £3.68 million from the city’s budget which include:
• Cuts of £1,580,000 to education, young people and children’s services in Brighton & Hove this year.
• The removal of ring-fenced grants this year forvital services in Brighton & Hove, including: the Youth Opportunity Fund (worth £141,000), Aids/ HIV support (worth £455,000), Stroke Strategy (worth £93,000).
• £600,000 cut this year from the Playbuilder renovation of children’s playgrounds
• Cuts of £600,000 this year from Sure Start children’s centres in Brighton & Hove.
On top of this larger cuts of 25% in budgets are promised amounting to a devastating £750 million lost funding across Sussex in the future, a public sector pay freeze, VAT rising to 20% and serious attacks on the benefits and tax credits system.
At the same time Brighton and Hove Council has employed 4 new strategic directors on well over £100,000 a year and we can already see that the cuts will be used to bring even greater levels of privatisation into our public services.
Brighton and Hove Trades Council does not accept that these cuts need to fall on the most vulnerable in society. Those responsible for the financial crisis should be the ones to pay for it, principally the bankers and speculators and money could be saved by not proceeding with useless schemes such as Trident, or paying large sums to “strategic directors”. The Trades Council will be campaigning against all cuts that adversely effect working class people and will is looking for allies across the city to organise mutual support.
We hope your organisation will be able to send a representative to the meeting on the 2nd August if you can make it please reply via email or phone on the details below.
Yours Sincerely,
Phil Clarke
Brighton Hove and District Trades Council Executive
07709696561
Email brightontradescouncil@gmail.com
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