Security and control: the need for Living Hours
Blog by Lizzie Flew, Child Poverty Action Group, a member of Hackney Citizens
We know that child poverty in working families is rising even as employment is at a record high. Indeed 70% of children living in poverty are in working families. It’s right to celebrate high levels of employment, but it’s not right if that employment comes with high levels of insecurity and unpredictability – as it often does for those on a low income. Some parents are having to worry about whether they’ll get enough hours next week, or to deal with the fallout when they have juggled their childcare to make it work and then their shift gets cancelled at the last minute. These situations cause financial hardship and unnecessary distress. The Living Hours campaign from the Living Wage Foundation is a vital step forward in tackling this.
Law Commission visit Newcastle as part of Hate Crime Review
- Evidence Consultation held in Newcastle this week as part of review into hate crime law.
- Visit will take place at Newcastle University between 10-2pm and the commissioners will hear from over 40 women who will speak directly to the Commission to feed in their experiences of misogyny, islamophobia and intersectional hate crime.
- Community organising group - which includes groups from Newcastle Central Mosque, West End Women and Girls and Newcastle University - has been campaigning for stronger Hate Crime laws, successfully bid for the hearing to be held in the North East.
'Let Justice Spring Up Like a Mighty Water Fountain' - Greenbelt Festival and Citizens UK to launch new water campaign
Back in Victorian Britain, urban areas were devastated by water-borne cholera epidemics that killed thousands of poor city-dwellers. Ordinary people were at the mercy of the market, which saw water as a source of profit rather than a human right, and a government that said ‘there’s nothing we can do’.
Site of the 1854 Cholera Outbreak in Soho, London
Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong
In this blog, UNISON North West Organiser Conor McGurran, shares what he is taking away from Citizens UK's national training in community organising and reflects on the areas of common interest between unions and Citizens alliances around which power can be built and change affected.
Conor taking part in a role play during which trainees organise a campaign action to put into practice learning gained so far on how to effectively organise around a common interest and negotiate with power-holders.
Petition: Premier League must act on Living Wage
Greater Manchester Citizens today launched a Living Wage petition, after Premier League clubs spent hundreds of millions on players but still don't pay a real Living Wage to all staff.
Sign the petition
Working at Arsenal, Newcastle, Manchester United and other Premier League clubs are thousands of cleaners, caterers and stewards, on less than £9 an hour.
Only 4 proud Premier League clubs, Everton, Chelsea, Liverpool and West Ham pay a real Living Wage.
Brighton and Hove Alliance Update July 2019
Our Alliance has been busy this July, achieving significant wins on our campaigns and making exciting plans for the year ahead. Our highlights are our mental health campaign team's deputation to Brighton and Hove City Council, and the Jews4Loos successful event at Hove Cemetery - opening the North Side toilets for the first time in 7 years!
A new Prime Minister – and two organising opportunities
By Matthew Bolton, Executive Director, Citizens UK
Yesterday was Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s first day – and it turned out to be a significant one for two long standing Citizens UK campaigns, Strangers Into Citizens and the Living Wage campaign.
Back in 2007, we launched the Strangers Into Citizens campaign, calling for the mass regularisation of people without immigration status, who have put down roots in this country over years but are vulnerable to exploitation and hardship.
Calls For Local Employment in Cardiff Bay with the Launch of the Community Jobs Compact
By Mari Arthur, Cynnal Cymru and Nirushan Sudarsan, leader with Cardiff Citizens
Cynnal Cymru in partnership with Citizens Cymru Wales and IKEA hosted the launch of the Bay Citizens’ Community Jobs Compact back in February 2017. The event brought together large and small businesses from across Cardiff to discuss ethical recruitment and employment practices with members of the community in Butetown, Grangetown and Riverside.
The compact came out of a lot of one-to-one conversations and a listening campaign in the local community which made it clear that unfair employment practices and a lack of local employment opportunities existed, particularly in areas in and around Butetown and Grangetown.
News: The Olympics housing legacy is at risk say Newham Citizens
Take the housing survey: it will be presented to the GLA and LLDC
Newham Citizens leaders feel that affordable housing is a key Olympic Legacy commitment that has been abandoned at Stratford Waterfront with viability given as a key explanation, and in particular that ‘the construction of large, high quality cultural and educational buildings’ bears significant costs that result in significant scheme deficit in viability terms.
They also stress that 35% affordable housing is 15% below the 50% commitment on public land made under Ken Livingstone as part of the original agreement with local people. Also, a 100% shared ownership development is at odds with the Supplementary Planning Guidance and local plan guidance. The gap between local incomes and likely cost of shared ownership housing is staggering and simply not affordable for local people.
The group has asked residents of the Olympic legacy boroughs to come forward and register their views on a survey to be presented to the GLA and LLDC showing the strength of feeling on housing in the borough.
Sean Connolly, Priest of St Stephen’s Church in Manor Park and a member of the Newham Citizens Olympics Strategy Team said: “Whilst we welcome the new housing on the Park, it is clear that initial promises of 50% affordable housing have been compromised. We feel the LLDC and the GLA have missed the mark and have fallen short of Lord Coe’s claim that the Olympics ‘would be a catalyst for investment creating new quality housing, much of which would be affordable.’”
Dr Penny Bernstock, former Director of the Centre for East London Studies, and co-chair of the Newham Citizens Olympics Strategy Team, said: “The cost of shared ownership housing in Stratford bears no relationship with median or average incomes, and we do not want the Olympic Housing Legacy to become another ‘white elephant’.
“We’d like to see Stratford Waterfront have an inclusive model that meets the needs of a range of groups, taking inspiration from developments like Coin Street, which played an important role in ensuring low income groups could live on the Southbank. We want something equally imaginative for East Bank. We are asking the LLDC to work with us to deliver a meaningful housing legacy for EastEnders.”
ENDS
Merton Citizens and Merton Council celebrate refugee resettlement work
Merton Citizens and Merton council celebrate their work of welcoming refugees. Merton is quickly becoming a Borough of best practice when it comes to the community sponsorship of refugees. Merton Citizens is part of Citizens UK, an organisation that brings together schools, charities, mosques, synagogues, universities and churches. In Merton there are 16 member organisations working together on issues they care about to make change. One of those issues is welcoming refugees. The third week of July has been marked out in the UK as Refugee Week and to celebrate the partnership between the council and Merton Citizens people gathered at the local Civic Centre.
