Throughout the Paralympics a light was shone on the stripping of benefits from hundreds of thousands of disabled people, many of whom are forced to defend their rights in court. Now, activists who fought running battles to protect advice and representation against massive cuts are launching a campaign to rebuild access to legal aid.
Paralympics games sponsor Atos was accused of profiteering from life and death situations by disability campaigners in Manchester yesterday, as a week of protests against the company was launched.
Not even Manchester’s Liberal Democrats were willing to defend the latest round of government cuts to council tax benefit, as Manchester City Council’s executive met for the final time before the summer.
Activists from African trade unions and third world debt campaign groups will tomorrow speak at a meeting in Manchester held to debate how we can move past charity and connect with global struggles for justice.
Attendance at work-orientated courses in Manchester has fallen since the scrapping of the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA), according to figures from the city’s largest college.
Hundreds of protestors took to the streets against cuts at Trafford General Hospital on Saturday. Around 300 people attended to demonstrate against planned closures of the A&E and ICU unit. The cuts will also affect the remaining children’s services and end acute surgery.
Town hall bosses have admitted they “can’t guarantee” that some families will not be left worse off when the council scraps its childcare service. Universal daycare in 14 centres across Manchester will end as soon as September, in the first wave of £11.6m cuts over the next four years.
