About 350 people attended the Friern Barnet Library party on 16 July. This, of course, clearly shows the need of the local community for this library to remain open. The next stage of the campaign is to present questions to Barnet council's cabinet on its meeting Tuesday 26 July (7pm Hendon Town Hall, the Burroughs - the public is welcome). Meeting starts at 7pm, get there early to meet the campaigners and ensure your seat! According to the council's

The campaign to keep Friern Barnet library open is stepping up a gear. This week has been nominated "Walk to the library" week; school children are encouraged to come to the library after school from 3pm, Tuesday to Friday. Special activities are being organised including reading sessions and crafts. On Saturday 16 July, 2-4pm, there will be a party at the library. Download the lovely poster here. For more details of the campaign to save the library

Barnet residents rose early on Friday morning, 8 July, to mount a protest outside North London Business Park where Barnet Council has its offices. That morning the Council had organised a "Market Day" for their planned "New Support and Customer Services Organisation" (NSCSO). The NSCSO will incorporate revenue and benefits, human resources, finance, procurement, customer services (ie, call centre), and information services. The plan is that private

Barnet Alliance for Public Services will lobby the council meeting on Tuesday 12 July; we are meeting at 6pm in front of Hendon Town Hall, the Burroughs. Nearest tube: Hendon Central. The council meeting starts at 7pm. For the full agenda click here. Important topics being discussed include the Finchley Community Festival, which was cancelled this year as a result of actions by Barnet council. To contact the organisers and for more details, visit

Capita is one of the big private companies bidding to run council services for a profit. Barnet council alone is offering contracts worth more than £1bn over the next 10 years. If these outsourcing projects go ahead, we believe that services will decline and the workers delivering them experience worse pay and conditions. Meanwhile, shareholders will make fat profits, and senior offiicers and lawyers will all get their slice of the pie. (For example,

March to defend the NHS from cuts and privatisation The Unite union and Keep our NHS Public organised march to defend the NHS from cuts and privatisation takes place this Tuesday, 5 July, from 5:30pm. Assemble at Savoy Street, Strand, WC2E Route: The Strand, past Trafalgar Square down Whitehall Finishing point and Rally: Old Palace Yard, opposite the Houses of Parliament Speakers include: Len McCluskey (Unite General Secretary), Dr Wendy Savage (Keep