Nottingham Save Our Services Campaign

In the dim light of austerity’s dawn, Nottingham finds itself at a crossroads. Grappling with the dire consequences of sweeping budget cuts and a community destabilised, the fight against the cuts has brought the city alive. As city councils nationwide contend with the fallout of austerity measures, the struggle of Nottingham’s residents epitomises the realities knocking on the door of communities up and down the country. In this guest post, Niamh Iliff discusses how in the face of adversity, grassroots movements have emerged to unify the city across a variety of local organisations against the measures and supporting those in the city who are struggling.

 

Amidst Nottingham’s Labour-led City Council issuing of a section 114 notice, the Conservatives have been fast to point fingers at Labour. The reality up and down the nation is, however, that the Conservative’s austerity agenda has not just faltered, but catastrophically failed. It’s failed our communities at the most direct level, and now, as local governments nationwide teeter on the brink of crisis, the very nature of our democratic representation hangs in the balance.

 

Nottingham City Council, stripped of £100 million in central government funding every year, for the past 10 years, has reached its breaking point. With this year’s budget passing to make up a £53 million shortfall, the repercussions are dire, particularly for the most vulnerable in our community. The cuts disproportionately target services crucial to marginalised groups, imperilling the little progress toward creating a fairer, more inclusive city. Already, we witness the grim realities unfolding before us: once bustling city fountains now stand empty, echoing the hollow vacancies of bare shop fronts. Nottingham, once vibrant with its community spirit, fades into the shadows of its former self with each passing day.

 

As one of the coordinators with the Save our Services campaign, I can attest first hand that this vibrant community spirit will not, I am pleased to say, go quietly. From lengthy public meetings, emotionally charged protests and the orchestration of brilliantly powerful demonstrations across busy weekends, it is abundantly clear that the people of Nottingham oppose these cuts. Throughout the campaign, I’ve had the privilege of listening to stories far and wide of motivations for joining our cause. Some marched to defiantly challenge the Tory status-quo, while others come forward to share poignant stories and poetry reflecting on their upbringing in our city. Still, a few find themselves here as a last resort, terrified what the future of these cuts will bring for Nottingham. Witnessing the optimism and camaraderie blossom within our local rallying cries, neighbours supporting one another in such trying times, and the remarkable strides we’ve made in grassroots organisation through this campaign serves as a testament to our resilience and unity.

 

The next question, I suppose, is what’s to be done? With the next six months threatening the closure of our libraries, community centres, and the loss of 500 jobs directly – a mere fraction of the cuts in sight - our residents look to each other for solutions. At the grassroots level, our campaign is mobilising to provide the direct assistance to the individual crises gripping our city, left neglected by a council that has turned its back on its people. On a broader scale, built from the resilience of our local communities, our campaign is joining with similar movements across the nation, such as the Save Birmingham campaign, to unify the struggle across the country. As a locally based campaign, we recognise the invaluable contribution of the arts and creative sectors to our city’s vibrancy – a sector directly targeted by the new budget. Through entrenching local union branches and activists from our campaign within local venues and creative sectors, our efforts as a city are coordinated to stand in solidarity against the assault of the budget on our communities and culture.

 

As the spectre of austerity looms over city councils nationwide, Nottingham stands at a critical juncture in the ongoing national debate on austerity measures. Mobilising our campaign and engaging residents, particularly as we unite with other anti-cuts movements across the country, into a unified national movement demanding more meaningful devolution, is not just an aspirational goal; it’s an eminently achievable one. The devastating cuts to local government funding and the subsequent erosion of community power have pushed our city to a breaking point, and working communities are paying the price. Nottingham’s residents have had enough of bearing the blame and cost of our government playing politics with real lives, real communities, and real futures.

 

If the city of Robin Hood, whose residents managed to burn down their own castle, can’t turn the story on Tory austerity, whoever will?  

The post was first published by Labour Outlook on 25 March 2024. 

Niamh Illiff is an organiser with the Nottingham SOS campaign and delegate to the Nottingham Trades Council. She also studies for a BA in Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham.