Paul Couchman, TUSC candidate in Staines ward I am standing for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) in the Staines ward by-election for Spelthorne Council. Spelthorne has over 2,500 families on its housing waiting list. Many of these are living in poor, cramped and unfit conditions, desperately waiting – often for years – for […]
Paul Couchman, Staines Socialist Party The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in Surrey has passed a motion of no confidence in the local fire authority, saying planned budget cuts will see firefighter numbers plummet. Already in Surrey, since 2010, firefighter numbers have been reduced and the FBU says that a further £10 million of budget cuts […]
Matt Clarke, the TUSC council candidate for Staines, was approached on 13 April by the Surrey Advertiser for an electoral statement ahead of the election and was also asked which Star Wars character he would be! Surrey is one of the wealthiest counties in one of the richest countries in the world. Yet apparently we […]
Almost every available Spelthorne firefighter and several from across Surrey joined Fire Brigade Union (FBU) reps, other trade unionists and anti-cuts activists outside Spelthorne Borough Council (SBC) on the evening of 23 February in Staines. Paul Couchman, Staines Socialist Party They were at a lobby organised by Save Our Services in Surrey (SOSIS), calling for […]
Paul Couchman, Save Our Services in Surrey secretary and Socialist Party member After weeks of protesting, a massive demo outside the fire station, petitions and lobbies, Surrey council was forced to organise a public meeting to explain why it needed to axe Staines Fire Station. When they realised that possibly a thousand people were going […]
A partial victory has been won by campaigners fighting to keep Heatherwood hospital open, writes Terry Pearce, the chair of Defend Our Community Services. He adds: “While there are more questions than answers, by mobilising public opinion we have forced the local NHS bosses to rethink their plan to close the hospital. “Twelve months ago […]