We are made up of anybody and everybody who doesn’t agree with the government and their plan to make the most vulnerable in society pay for the crisis.

UPDATE: York Press today has an article on page 2 about the loss of York’s Eye Clinic Liaison Officer, who is based at the Eye Clinic within the hospital. This has to be one of the cruellest cuts in York to date and is a result of the government’s NHS restructuring and so-called ‘efficiency savings’. For information on how to get involved with opposing this cut, please see the York Blind and Partially Sighted Society’s website.

“The price of this financial crisis is being borne by people who absolutely did not cause it.”  Bank of England Governor Mervyn King

By working together we can show that this isn’t fair.

We are a campaign group, which means we organise protests, demonstrations and meetings. We support strikes and the campaigns run by Defend our NHS York and York Welfare Campaign; these are all good ways of pressuring the government. And through them we can stop the real cause of the crisis: the fat cat bankers.

The government is starting to back off from several of its planned so-called ‘reforms’, which shows that the pressure is working! But we need them to reform the banks and stop making ordinary people pay for the failings of the financial sector. We need to keep up the pressure!

What you can do…

We are holding a public protest outside the council budget setting meeting from 6pm on 23rd February. The protest will be in St Helen’s Square in the centre of York. Please do come down and show your support, there will be speeches, poetry and more.

…but there is more you can do than attending our protest. Here is a list of more things you can do, starting with the easiest first:

1. Sign petitions.
2. Write to your MP; for example, letting them know your concern about the cuts and job losses and asking why the government isn’t doing anything to fix the financial sector.
3. Come and visit York Stop the Cuts on our stall in town. We try and have a stall every Saturday between 1:30pm and 3pm on Parliament St, and often in Acomb (11am-1pm) as well. We have plenty of free literature to give a way, and we are always up for a chat.
4. If you are in work you can join your local trade union. Trade unions help to support the rights of ordinary people, and they can pressure the government to back down on policies which don’t benefit us. We work closely with the trade unions in York and can help you find one if you are unsure how to join. Simply drop us an email yorkrighttowork@gmail.com letting us know where you work and we can send you more information.
5. Come to one of our events.
6. Come along to one of our planning meetings, or a meeting of one of our related groups:  Defend our NHS York or York Welfare Campaign.
7. Start your own campaign. This is not going to be for everyone, but if there is an issue you feel passionate about, then we are happy to support you in setting up a new campaign. This can be anything from letter writing to holding a protest. We are here to help. If you have an idea, please feel free to come along to one of our meetings, or email us yorkrighttowork@gmail.com, or post an idea on our Facebook group.

York Stop the Cuts protesters storm last year's council budget meeting after councillors failed to take into consideration concerns raised by the group.

Local campaign group York Stop the Cuts have expressed anger at today’s council budget, which will commit the City to cuts of £22 million in services over the next two years.

“This council budget represents a serious attack on jobs and local services in York. It will lead to vital services disappearing, and those that are left will be dramatically under resourced. The budget will disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable in our city, those that use and need these services most.” said campaigner Nick Smith.

York Stop the Cuts opposes the whole cuts agenda which is increasing the wealth gap, leading to a double dip recession and even more unemployment. The group demands a close in tax loopholes as well as investing in areas such as housing, renewable energy, and public transport to create jobs and build a fairer and more equal society.

“These cuts are not necessary. The banks owe us billions from the bailout, but the Conservative Government is choosing to pass the cost on to us. In turn, the local council is simply accepting the need to implement these cuts. It’s time for people to stand up and have their say.” said Mark Bentley, another group member.

The group is organising a public protest outside the council budget setting meeting from 6pm on 23rd February. They feel that there has been a lack of consultation over the budget, with no real discussion of alternative options.

Our first organising meeting will be on Tuesday the 3rd at 7:30-9pm in the Black Swan on Peasholme Green. Come along to get involved!

We will be planning for a large public meeting about the cuts to be hosted by us later in January.

Join York’s UK Uncut and York Welfare campaign at 12pm Saturday 17th by the fountain on Parliament Street for some carols with a difference, all welcome!

Featuring such classic carols as…

‘Deck The Hall With Public Money’

‘On the First Day of Christmas the Tories gave to me’

‘I’m dreaming of an Uncut Christmas’

and more…

Do let us know if you have any good carols of your own (yorkrighttowork@gmail.com). If you are a Facebook user, see our Carols Against Cuts facebook event.

If you want to get more involved, we have our organising meeting this Tuesday 13th at the Black Swan on Peasholme Green, 7:30pm–9pm.

If you would like to receive our weekly newsletter and get more involved with York Stop the Cuts, please send an email to yorkrighttowork@gmail.com

Visiting the picket lines (we were cycling round giving out tea and coffee) and asking those out doing the picketing, we found that they have been getting a good response from parsers by, with many more comments of support than negative comments. This really goes to show that the government don’t have support for the cuts they are making and that there is scope for bigger strikes and demonstrations in the future! (see this article in the Independent about our Picket Support Centre in St Laurence Church Hall)

If you use Facebook, you may be interested in our Facebook group

For some beautiful pictures of the march and rally, see Kluens Photography’s coverage, and for an hour-by-hour account see the York Press’ ‘LIVE: Strike latest from across the region’.

The government proposes to massively hike the pension contributions of public sector workers and increase their retirement age. However, many people in other sectors of the economy have a very poor pension provision. The strikers want to see everyone have a fair and descent pension.

The government’s program of cuts will harm almost everyone, especially the poorest. Council services face huge cuts and many low-paid workers in York are facing the prospect of losing their homes as housing benefit is slashed. But this austerity doesn’t work! Greece has faced a harsher cuts package, but their economy has only worsened.

Join the strikers as we resist the government’s attempt to make ordinary people pay for a crisis they did not cause! Cuts to public services and pensions will only mean everyone doing the same jobs for less pay and services; the only result of this is that the profit from our labour goes to the already rich. At the beginning of last year Barclays bank announced record profits of 11.6 billion with 2.7 billion put aside for bonuses. We are not all in this together!

Support the Strike: March and Rally in York

Join over a thousand people from across York and North Yorkshire for a march of unity with those on strike and those facing cuts to vital services. This will be the biggest march in York for 8 years, and we’re determined to use it as a symbol of unity against the media’s divisive messages over the strikes.

Assemble 12pm outside Clifford’s Tower, then march to York Minster for a rally at 1pm.

If you want to help out on the day, please see our Upcoming Events page.

For those who use Facebook, see our “March Together to Defend our Futures” Facebook event.

22nd November – Public Meeting: Stopping “The Great Pensions Robbery”

7–9pm, Friends Meeting House, Friargate, York, YO1 9RL

Come along to hear speakers from across the front-line battles against cuts and privatisation, speakers include:

• Marion Lloyd, from the National Executive of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) who are taking part in the strike.
• Jill Adamson. Chief Executve of the National Association of Youth Theatres, which is facing drastic cuts.
• Union members from York in Unite and UCU.
• Student activists and participants in the Occupy movement.

The meeting will also provide a chance to explore and discuss the issues around the strike on November 30th.

If you use Facebook, see our Stopping “The Great Pensions Robbery” Facebook event.

Here’s the details…

Name: The Andrew Lansley Masquerade Ball
Date/Time: Saturday 29^th October, 7pm
Location: Merchant Adventurer’s Hall, Piccadilly

You are cordially invited to a Masquerade Ball in (dis-)honour of Mr Andrew Lansley CBE, the Minister for (and Chief Wrecker of) Health, who is visiting our fair city on the night of Saturday 29^th October.

We would be delighted if you would join us in (mourning) celebrating the success of the Health and Social Care bill in decimating the National Health Service.

Entrées: Please supply snacks
Main Course: the NHS
Dress Code: Black tie/your finest evening attire and a mask of your choice*

Please present your good selves to Piccadilly for 7pm on Saturday 29^th October, 2011. Your attendance will be warmly received (though maybe not by Mr Lansley).

* We recommend Tory Ministers, but any mask will do…

It was also our demo outside Haxby and Wigginton Health Centre. Who just last week had jumped the gun (with questionable legality) and issued a letter telling their patients to go private for ‘minor’ treatments such as the removal of cysts and ingrowing toenails. Some of these treatments can cost a couple of hundred pounds and if left untreated can cause more serious conditions. This private price tag is dear to many pensioners (and anyone who is already struggling financially) and will mean many people not being able to obtain the treatment they need early on. The end result is greater suffering for those who don’t have the money, and a greater burden on what is left of the NHS when these minor ailments turn into serious conditions.

The demo was well attended given its short notice, with upwards of 40 people making it in time for the speeches. Many people gave speeches with several stirring and heart braking stories from people in the crowd. Far from losing hope the atmosphere was that of determination to resist this attack on the NHS. The new legislation isn’t likely to become law until the end of the current parliamentary session next April (in fact, it could take longer than that), so there is still time to resist these changes. (It will now be debated by committee in the house of Lords, before going back to the upper chamber and then to the commons.)

Continuing the fight – York Welfare Campaign: Stop York Mental Health Cutbacks

York Welfare Campaign is hosting a couple of events this week to stop the closure of another ward at Bootham Park Mental Hospital. We’re worried that closing the intensive care ward will mean all inpatients being in “locked wards”, and will leave no staff dedicated to caring for the less critical patients. Bootham’s wards are already running over national capacity standards, and we risk having to send patients to Leeds, away from the friends who are often important in the recovery process.

Lobby of Hugh Bayley MP this Friday 14th, 5pm outside Mill House, North Street (off Micklegate). We will be pressing Hugh for his support in stopping the closure. We will have a banner to hold and we hope to get him to have a photo taken with us!

Afternoon Tea and letter writing this Saturday 15th, 4-5:30pm at Space 109, Walmgate. Come and join us to write letters to the decision-makers behind the plan to close the ward. If writing a letter to an NHS bureaucrat sounds complicated, we’ll be providing everything from paper and pens to information and campaign letter writing tips! (Please feel free to donate some cakes!)

See our Upcoming Events page for all the details.

The protest will be held between 12.30pm and 1.30pm on St Sampson’s Square in the city centre (at the top end of Parliament Street). The primary aim is to inform the public and break through the media lies about disability benefit claimants and the treatment they are receiving from the government and contractors alike.

York Welfare Campaign was started by members of York Stop the Cuts concerned about issues directly facing people in York, especially the elderly, long term jobless and disabled. Future actions will include a lobby of the City Council over Elderly People’s Homes plans that could see private sector profiteering through PFI schemes and contracting out of services. The group is also preparing actions around the closure of the Acute Ward at Bootham Park Mental Hospital. The group will hold its next planning meeting at the Corner Pin on Tanner Row between Rougier Street and North Street from 7.30pm on Tuesday 4th October.