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For immediate release.

For further information please contact: 07855 778186 or 07950 182430.

Reading  Save Our Services secure partial victory with petition urging a change to Council policy

On Tuesday 28th June, Reading SOS [1] presented a petition [2] at the full Council meeting requesting that the decision to restrict the use of concessionary bus passes for disabled and elderly people be overturned. This action has resulted in a partial victory for the campaign

UK Uncut protest at Barclays and HSBC about cuts to the NHS

On Saturday May 28^th May, activists from UK Uncut and SOS Reading protested outside Barclays bank and HSBC in Broad Street in protest against proposed NHS cuts.

At just after midday about 20 people from UK Uncut and SOS Reading marched down Broad Street and occupied Barclays bank for about an hour and a half. Then they moved down to HSBC and occupied that bank for another half hour. This was part of a national day of protest organised by the campaigning group UK Uncut and there were simultaneous protests in at least 35 other cities and towns around the country. The protesters were occupying high street banks to highlight alternatives to NHS cuts, including making banks pay for their ongoing public subsidy of up to £100bn a year. [1][2][3]

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: 8th May 2011

READING & THE NATION PROTESTS PUBLIC SERVICE CUTS AT POLLS

Voters nationally and locally have sent another clear message to the coalition government that they do not accept the radical attacks being made on public services. In Reading both coalition partners suffered losses and the Liberal Democrats lost every seat they contested, reducing the coalition to a minority in the Council Chamber. The Liberal Democrats also lost hundreds of Councillors across the country.

In response to the defeat at the polls, Liberal Democrat Councillor Daisy Benson hit out at voters on her Facebook page saying “message to people who voted Labour in Reading. Don't say we didn't warn you”. However, SOS Reading says “it’s about time politicians of all parties listened to the warning being given to them by the public: stop the attacks on public services! The Labour Party and Green Party now need to put their words into action and defend our services from unfair & unnecessary budget cuts and privatisation.

Defeat at the polls follows some of the largest and most militant demonstrations in recent British history. 500,000 marched in London against the cuts. Last year saw large scale student demonstrations including an occupation of Millbank Tower against attacks on university education. UK Uncut has been occupying stores across the country that have not been paying their taxes at the expense of the public. Locally, Save our Services in Reading [1] have played a key role in defending public services ever since it became clear that the government intended to make us pay for the banker's crisis.

The coalition government never did have a mandate to make radical changes to our public services, and the voters have given the government a clear reminder of that. Save Our Services in Reading will continue our campaign to protect our services, taking comfort from the fact that the elections showed wide spread support for our position.

Finally a quote from one commentator on the Get Reading website explaining the defeat.

“Your fall from power was easy to explain
Maybe blame your friends in blue
And twitter accounts that didn't favour you
But really blame your lack of guts
In standing up against the cuts
And standing for just what's in season
To taste some power the only reason
You could have stopped the power of bankers
But you didn't/ cos' you are......... "

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

[1] Save our Services in Reading is a broad coalition of those who rely on or support good public services and those who work to supply them. For more information on Save Our Services in Reading see www.sos-reading.org.uk