CUTS in public spending £2,000m; the probable thousands of public sector jobs, and complete ban building are the grim background to the Local Government in Crisis conference to be held this Saturday.
It has been called by the Labour group, LOWI hall unions, and trades council, constituency Labour Party in Lambeth, and will take place at Camden Town Hall.
Delegations are coming from trade unions and CLPs across the country, most of the The organising committee will present a joint plan of action for Labour councils and trade unions. Unions are being asked to take industrial action next January, crunch is likely to come for those councils which refuse to make cuts.
Councils are being asked to play their part in the action by refusing to make supplementarv rates and rent increases this vear. by making no cuts in jobs or services, and by refusing to run down direct labour houses.
The organising committee feels strongly that it is only by councils taking a stand and letting trade unions see that they're not expected to carry out a fight on their own that there can be the sort of joint action which was supported overwhelmingly at the Labour ParBy Dave Hudson LABOUR MPs will of over loss of on council house and together with Labour groups from big city when the or sell council Ebbw Vale, who were faced with massive jobs-loss and the closure of the local ty conference.
As Lambeth council leader Ted Knight said recently: "The options open to us have so narrowed that the onlv alternative is controntation with this government to break its policy or oust it.' He went on to sav: it mav be necessarv for the labour movement to contravene legal instructions given by Heseltine. I don't think we can consider a law designed to punish the working class movement as sacrosant and always to be obeyed.' Conflict Unfortunately Ted Knight's actions don't quite live up to his words. has decided stil council nouses presently in conflict with the local NALGO branch, which is refusing to co-operate with the sales and has won national backıng from the union.
Socialist Challenge supporters at November CULCICIE will be councils not to continue this back-sliding, but to reverse their decision to sell council homes. Heseltine's moratorium building adds to the urgency of banning sales.
Socialist Challenge supporters will also be supporting Liverpool NALGO's demand for steel fight ments, from Lambeth Lambeth council is penalised.
the 1 arguing for living standards'.
on council house no rent or rate rises to compensate for government cuts. We have consistently argued that huge rate rises are just a different way of passing on the cuts to working people.
Ted Knight now says: 'Even if we raise rates again we cannot protect certain services. such as direct labour or engineering departand it would impose burden on working class families.' We shall also be supporting amendments Trades Council, NUT, and Lambeth NALGO, all of which strengthen the calls for action.
They call for a systematic campaign after the conference to win support in the labour movement for the plan of action, including a canvan o a -our sakes an occumaons of workplaces as soon as any Labour council Barnsley CLP, which has the active participation of South Yorkshire miners, has put in an amendment urging the TUC General Council 'to prepare a plan for a general strike in protection of working class interests and The conference gives us a chance to build a strong movement of Labour councils and unions to fight the government's policies.
The best movements are built with strong leadership and we must fight for Lambeth Lambeth and every other stand alone *Vanessa Lambeth Trades For rates rises, Taranti his Labour council to be prepared to offer it, even if it means taking a Wiseman is president of Council and will be speaking at a fringe meeting on 'No rent and No Cuts' during the lunch break at the 1 November con