Kevin Meagher takes a look at the savage cuts being implemented by Tory-run Hammersmith Council, which faced protests from the Save EMA campaign today.
First we had Clint Eastwood hoping George Osborne would “make his day” by not scrapping the UK Film Council; now Hollywood icon Gabriel Byrne – Ireland’s first Ambassador for Culture – has described the plans of Conservative-controlled Hammersmith and Fulham Council to sell off the building housing the London Irish Cultural Centre as “a devastation for Irish culture in Britain”.
The council, recently described by communities secretary Eric Pickles as “the apple of my eye”, decided at last week’s budget meeting to put the building that houses the centre up for sale as part of its £130 million package of spending cuts. Just last year the council extended the centre’s lease until 2017 but has now reneged on its promise despite hundreds of protestors, many playing traditional Irish instruments, descending on the meeting to make their melodious voices of protest heard.
Former Irish prime minister, Bertie Ahern, has also lent his voice to the campaign, lauding the centre’s “outstanding work” in providing an Irish community hub and welfare service and calling for the centre’s management to be given “time and space” to mount a fundraising appeal to buy the property outright. To no avail. The centre’s lease will now expire next March, leaving the local Irish community with just 12 months – during an economic downturn – to raise the £2 million needed.
The Irish are not alone. Other council-owned buildings are to be sold off which will close a homelessness shelter and a youth centre. Funding for 10 of the borough’s 16 Sure Start centres will be slashed too. Council leader Stephen Greenhalgh has clearly now mastered the art of cutting the ground from beneath community groups’ feet after previously complaining how hard it is to “get rid of people”.
Byrne, star of the acclaimed thriller The Usual Suspects, lends star wattage to an issue that is being replicated across the country as vital community groups discover the hollowness of David Cameron’s Big Society rhetoric, with harsh and immediate funding cuts sending many groups to the wall.
But Hammersmith and Fulham’s right-wing Tory council has particular form. Two years ago they hit the headlines after plans were revealed to demolish 3,500 run-down council homes in the borough without replacing them with equivalent social housing on the same terms; although there are 10,000 people on the local housing waiting list.
Despite their faltering attempts to detoxify their brand, Hammersmith and Fulham’s Tories show that when it comes to cutting frontline services that affect the poor and needy most, the Conservatives remain The Usual Suspects.
Boris Johnson launched his campaign for London Mayor at the London Tory conference in Hammersmith today, where he was faced by protesters from the Save EMA campaign; for a detailed briefing on the true horrors of Tory-run Hammersmith, described by David Cameron as his “favourite council”, click here.
49 Responses to “Hammersmith horror: Community funding cuts from The Usual Suspects”
Stephen W
Are you seriously telling me that a former Irish Prime Minister and a “hollywood legend” and the entire Irish community of London can’t raise £2 million between them? What a load of rubbish. There’s like 150,000 Irish in London. My village managed to raise £0.6 million to repair a community centre.
Anon E Mouse
Stephen W – You make a very valid point about Ahern. He got £58k in “donations” and “presents” frpm just 25 “friends” in Manchester in the 90’s.
To suggest the money can’t be raised is complete nonsense and a typical pile of drivel from this author.
I’d be interested to know who is paying this individual for his posts and when he uses such language as “horrors” to describe necessary funding cuts what words would he use to describe the deaths of woman and children in Iraq from British and American bombs?
James Doheny
RT @leftfootfwd: Hammersmith horror: Community funding cuts from The Usual Suspects http://bit.ly/eGNixR
Henry
Blimey, the pic of that bunch of weirdos shouuld be enough to turn people off voting Tory…
David Mullen
Anon E Mouse. I think you should get a grasp of the basic tenets of logic Why post a comment just for the sake of having a go at the writer but not actually appearing to show any interest in the content of the article itself.
Secondly your comments equating celebrating with supporting the IRA can be construed as offensive particularly to people of Irish heritage. I was not accusing you either of being a racist or having racist views. The reason I used was to highlight the ignorant nature of stereotypical views.
You’re right I know nothing of the Writer or his background, but that is the case for a lot of commentators on both the left and the right of the political spectrum.
Finally where you get the idea that I am either a labour party member or supporter is a mystery. I have no problems describing myself either as a socialist or yes even a communist. But your use of stereotypical assumptions shows lazy thinking on your part.