Barnet CPZ Action newsletter No.6 30 May 2011 As you may know, as part of our legal case we had asked the Court to set a cap on the amount of costs that David Attfield would have to pay to Barnet Council should the legal action fail. Sadly, we heard on Friday that the Court has declined to set a limit to David’s financial exposure. We also now know that Barnet have retained one of the country’s leading QCs, James Goudie QC, to defend the claim.

Barnet council has embarked on a mass outsourcing programme, named the One Barnet Programme (OBP). They envisage reducing the directly employed workforce to a small core working with councillors to commission services from (probably large) private sector companies. In recent months the Council’s poor procurement and contract monitoring capacity has been demonstrated by the MetPro, Catalyst (legionella bacterium) and SAP cases. These have all harmed

Campaigners fighting to keep Hampstead Garden Suburb library open have organised a protest on Saturday 28 May. Meet at 10am in front of the library. Please sign their petition on Barnet council's website here.

UK Uncut - Emergency Operation May 28. Transform the banks. Save the NHS. “The NHS will last as long as there are folk left to fight for it.” - Nye Bevan, founder of the NHS This is an emergency. The welfare state is in peril. Under the guise of ‘efficiency’ and ‘reform’, this government is plotting to cut the NHS and sell off what’s left. Andrew Lansley has claimed the government is in a ‘listening exercise’ about the proposed

[caption id="attachment_733" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Defend Friern Barnet library, 21 May. Photo: BL"][/caption] Friern Barnet library campaigners held a very successful read-in and demonstration at the library on Saturday 21 May. More than 200 local residents attended to protest - quietly! - against the proposed closure of the library. Please visit their blog and sign their petition on the Barnet council website.

Campaigners for Friern Barnet library, which is threatened with closure, are holding a quiet protest on Saturday 21 May, at the Friern Barnet Library, Friern Barnet Road, London N11 3DS. They say: "Just turn up just at about 1:45 with a book, preferably your favourite one, and join us for a quiet read at 2pm. And then meet up and have a chat on our little village green." See more on their blog.

Unlike other schools in the borough, Queen Elizabeth Girls' School at least is taking the trouble to consult parents and other stakeholders on whether they think it should become an academy. This has only come about as a result of the campaigning done by staff, parents and students, including hosting a public meeting recently. It is vital that such important questions about the future of education, not just in each school individually but in the

We in BARNET ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC SERVICES are genuinely distressed to hear of Lynn Hillan's illness. Our opposition to the policies which her administration has been pursuing is well-known. But we are sincere in our sympathy for her suffering and that of her family. It is for this reason that we have suspended the protest we had planned at the Barnet council AGM on May 17th. Nevertheless we think that the council's one-track policy - “cut, charge

Barnet campaigners will meet up for the March to Save the NHS at 5.30pm outside Warren Street station. Please join us if you can. The details for the march on Tuesday 17 March are: Assemble: 5.30pm, University College Hospital, Gower Street, WC1. March sets off around 6pm, expected at Whitehall at about 7pm. Nearest tube stations: Warren Street/Euston Square/Euston. More details about Andrew Lansley's Health and Social Care Bill, currently "paused",

We have suspended the picnic protest we were going to hold on Tuesday 17 May at Barnet council AGM. We don't think it would be appropriate to hold the event at this time in view of the announcement of the grave illness of the council leader Lynne Hillan. We are urging people to attend the March to Save the NHS in central London on that evening instead. Look out for the Barnet contingent and join us if you can! March to save the NHS! Tuesday 17 May