Wirral Against the Cuts

Submitted by cathy n on 7 April, 2009 - 11:13 Author: By Elaine Jones, Vice Chair Wirral TUC

Just as the boards were going up on the first of eleven libraries due to be axed by Wirral Council, we were told that the closures would be halted pending a Government enquiry and decision by Andy Burnham MP, the Culture Secretary.

Let's be clear: this enquiry has come directly as a result of the campaigning that has taken place across the Wirral and is, despite problems to be faced in the future, a big step forward. As council cuts begin to be made across the country, it is important that we pool information, about what activists are doing on the ground in local areas.

50,000 people responded to the council consultation on the cuts, yet Wirral council voted to go ahead with their immediate closures of 11 libraries, followed by an Art Centre, Town Hall, museum, a swimming pool and 49 community resources either now or at some point in the next 2 years.

Some of the libraries are in working class estates, like the Noctorum .

The library is an important resource for the people who live on the Noctorum. It provides computer courses for all ages, the staff visit St Peter’s playgroup twice a week, is a local information point and of course provides books.

Access to books for working class people has been fought for generations so that our families and children have access to the information, education and culture that otherwise would just be for the wealthy. The elderly and young need facilities close by. If the library closes as Wendy said at the meeting last night, “to get to the nearest one will mean having to catch two buses and cost £10 if we were taking two children.” That might not sound like much if you’re the consultant brought in to make the cuts who’s on £90,000 but it is if you live on income support.

The council is also planning to close the school on the estate along with 3 others presumably to sell the land to private developers and allow private companies to make vast amounts of money through private/public initiatives.
By 2011 the Labour/ Liberal council plan to make £3.4 million in cuts by getting rid of assets, closing community facilities and contracting out 900 jobs in social care and transport.

The plans to cut vital community services have been met with disbelief and anger by local people. The consultation meetings have been packed to capacity and many more people were locked out or unable to get to venues.
The council’s response has been to treat us with contempt: they have refused to let council workers in the libraries, community centres and schools petition and leaflet against the cuts in their workplace, the ‘consultation’ period was over Christmas, they have given no explanation as to why some of the facilities due to be closed have just had expensive repairs and no explanation as to why they have been so incompetent in managing public services and finances.
‘Community transfers’ are the council’s big idea. They claim the community groups are best placed to run these facilities and are asking for bids.

Obviously allowing community groups to own the buildings mean the council is not required to maintain buildings or services. They also then stop being owned by the community as a whole and ours to decide their uses in the future. Such resources should be maintained by the council.

The closure of Byrne Ave baths in Birkenhead shows the reality of community transfer. Despite local people doing their best the cost of maintenance is too high and they have just closed. This is what will happen with all the other community resources as everyone scrambles round for ever decreasing grants.

‘We have no choice. If we don’t make cuts other services will suffer’

According to the poor Councillor Foulkes all they can do is close, privatise and sell assets’. They are trying to make out if these services don’t close then other more important ones will go but of course they’re cutting everything. This week they have started their cuts in social care; they plan to privatise care services and transport with the loss of over 900 jobs, close schools and force cuts in care budgets meaning worse work conditions and lower standards of care to some of the most vulnerable people in the area. This is a whole scale attack on jobs and services.

They also try and make out that they are doing their best in difficult circumstances. But these aren’t the actions of intelligent people trying to do their best in difficult circumstances. The political agenda of (the once) Labour Party, Liberals and the Tories is private profit before public need in both national and local politics. These usually free market politicians might agree that we can hand over billions to the banks without any democratic control and without any idea if it will do any good yet they can’t find a few million to maintain services that really affect peoples’ lives. We say the needs of the local community must come first not their attempts to make profit.

Wirral Trades Union Council launched Wirral Against the Cuts to unite all the different campaigns that were set up across the area. We have organised public meetings, lobbies of council meetings, protests at the libraries and are filing a judicial review (even though some of us think that particular tactic won’t help).

There has also been a lot of discussion about standing candidates against the Liberal and Labour councillors (not one of the Labour group voted against the cuts).They are making the cuts now because there are no elections this year but at all the meetings people are determined to stand against them next year. These discussions won’t be straight forward. The Tories have voted for and campaigned against the cuts even joining protests. Right wing independents are calling for an Independent Wirral party – yuk! Workers liberty supporters have been arguing that we don’t vote Tory or for right wing independents that the campaign should support or stand people that call for: an end to all job cuts; no closures, cuts or privatisations; for local resources to be based on public need not private profit; for any candidates to only claim necessary expenses. Amongst the activists we have been talking about the need for trade union candidates and how the Trades council should begin to organise such candidates.

The role played by UNISON hasn’t helped the campaign. They decided not to take any action over the cuts and job losses. We had been arguing for there to be a ballot for action but instead they are going to allow further cuts without a fight. If they had taken action they would have received widespread support but have done nothing not even to say that staff shouldn’t be threatened if they speak out publically against the cuts.

As the library closures started we are began planning occupations. We are also planning protests at the over stretched sports centres.

We would like to know what’s happening in other areas and maybe we can begin link up the campaigns against council cuts.

Burnham had been approached many times and asked to intervene over the Library cuts and did nothing. He obviously agrees with the Labour/ Liberal council’s cuts and privatisations as they are a direct result of government policy on how councils should continue getting rid of publically run services and facilities. “I will not get in the way of any council who wants to modernise” he has said.

We have been told that what happens in the Wirral will be used to show other authorities what services they need to provide to fulfill their statutory duties in regard to library provision.
Burnham will not want to stop the closures but I think the local Labour MP’s are worries about their seats as a result of the opposition that has been organised.

So we now hope to step up the campaign – the Wirral Against the Cuts Campaign will make sure campaign committees are set up in each library and that detailed reports are sent to the enquiry. We’ll organise protests at the enquiry meeting and a lobby of parliament is being discussed. If we can win some concessions it will be a huge boost to those people who have just become active in the campaign and will strengthen the opposition to the council’s other closures and cuts in care services.

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