HeadlineSub head

Copy

www.citizensuk.org

In association with

Citizens take action

Page 4 and 5

www.citizensuk.org

reweaving the fabric of society

Issue 2 December 2014

In this issue...

Welcometo Citizens UK p2

The Road to 2015p6 & p7

Update on theLiving Wage p2

Cardiff & Vale of Glamorgan p3

Why I’m involvedp8

The home of community organising inthe UK. Building powerful communitiesthat work together for the common good.

promoting civil societyIn association with

2www.citizensuk.org

reweaving the fabric of society

Welcome......to our Newsletter and thanks to Aviva for their generous sponsorship and support.

We approach the end of Citizens UK’s 25th year with confidence and anticipation of even better times ahead. We are developing Local Alliances in Leeds and Newcastle & Gateshead and welcome interest from many others. We have a new diverse Board of Trustees to oversee our governance and management of resources, whilst our dynamic Council of 50 delegates from our eight alliances is powering our ‘Manifesto for Civil Society’ and countless actions before May’s General Election.

We are taking our Manifesto to local communities across the UK and working with the NUS, Bite the Ballot and 38 Degrees to ensure as many people as possible are registered to vote by May 7th. This work culminates on May 4th at our second ‘General Election Assembly’ with the main candidates for Prime Minister invited.

None of this would be possible without the participation, talent and ownership of our 350 member institutions, myriad borough and city teams, leadership groups, local action groups, funders, corporate supporters, our Board and Council and the hard work of the staff team.

As the year draws to an end, we take quiet satisfaction in the 1,000 accredited Living Wage Employers and the outstanding work of our Living Wage Foundation lifting thousands out of poverty wages since the campaign was launched in 2001; the confirmation that the UK will cap bank interest rates after we proposed this in 2009; and that it is now illegal for children or families to be locked up in immigration detention centres thanks to the campaign we initiated in 2010. Meanwhile, St Peter’s Church, Bethnal Green has won a pedestrian crossing and will share their experience with St Charles School, Ladbroke Grove who want one; member schools in Birmingham have launched five new CitySafe Zones, and the LGBT and Muslim communities in Nottingham have united to reduce hate crime under the sponsorship of Nottingham Citizens.

On behalf of our Trustees I wish you all warm Seasonal Greetings and a great and well organised 2015 for you, your familiesand communities.

Neil Jameson,Executive Director, Citizens UK

#LivingWageWeek 2014 marked a significant milestone in the Living Wage campaign as the 1,000 accredited employers target was broken!

During the week, Citizens UK leaders took part in celebrations and actions across the country to say thank you to those responsible employers who pay the Living Wage, and encourage others to consider paying the rate to their staff.

In Nottingham, Citizens leader, vicar Nigel Rooms, embodied two of the city’s most famous sons, by dressing up in a bespoke Paul Smith designer Robin Hood costume, to call upon the famous menswear brand to accredit as a

Living Wage employer and help tackle growing inequality and in-work poverty in the East Midlands.

South London Citizens took their Living Wage campaign to the Southbank dressed as penguins, waiters, waitresses and butlers to encourage high profile employers in the area to talk to them about the Living Wage.

Meanwhile, Milton Keynes Citizens co-hosted a business event with partners KPMG to celebrate accredited employers like the Open University and support Network Rail in their accreditation process. The group went on a Living Wage Walk to promote the scheme to other local employers.

The Living Wage Foundation team thank everyone from Citizens UK member institutions for their support in making the weeka success.

Updateon the Living Wage campaign

Welcometo WalesOn October 22nd around 700 people from over 100 churches, schools, mosques, synagogues, temples, union branches, universities and community organisations gathered at Tabernacl Welsh Baptist church in Cardiff for the Founding Assembly of two new alliances: Cardiff Citizens and Vale of Glamorgan Citizens.

Local leaders have already chalked up a number of campaignwins which were celebrated on the night. These include persuading Cardiff University to accredit as a Living Wage employer, serenading the head of Cardiff Bus on Valentine’s Day to make bus routes and timetables more pupil-friendly, and the ‘Chicken Run’ action which led to Nando’s creating the first mainstream chain restaurant in Cardiff where Muslims andnon-Muslims can eat together.

Cardiff Citizens and Vale of Glamorgan Citizens published the results of their #10kStories listening campaign, and set five goalsfor the next five years:

1. Tackle Poverty & Inequality We want a society where everyone has the opportunity to

participate and prosper.

2. Ensure a Fair Day’s Pay for a Fair Day’s Work We want good quality Living Wage job opportunities for

our workers.

3. Make Services More Accountable We want a city and county where businesses and services are

responsive to local people.

4. Keep a Welcome in our Communities We want our communities to be welcoming to each other, and

to those in need.

5. Overcome Powerlessness We want to nurture citizen leaders who will build the power

they need to achieve change.

Cardiff Citizens and Vale of Glamorgan Citizens look forward to working with other Citizens alliances across the UK.

Kim Day, of Action in Caerau & Ely, called for action on Living Wage jobs:

“If my partner had set hours, decent working conditions, and was paid the Living Wage, we would be able to pay our own food bills and spend time together as a family.

I am proud to say that I have been clean for 5 years now. Beating the heroin addiction was the biggest challenge I have ever faced - but getting back into work comes a close second. And it shouldn’t be that way!”

www.citizensuk.org

In association with

3

Hosted a candlelit vigil at St John’s Church, Hoxton,where 150 people were joined by Sarah Teather MP and the Bishop of Croydon, Jonathan Clark to remember those who have died in detention and call for an end to the practice of indefinite detention for immigration purposes.

Citizens have already:

If you’ve not experienced a Citizens UK action, the next six months will be an interesting time. If you’re a seasoned Citizens leader then you will be preparing to act on issues that are close to your heart and important in your community.

Manifesto Action

4www.citizensuk.org

reweaving the fabric of society

iBRODIEfoto

Signed up 230 people to their local credit union, as part of the Manifesto commitment to find 10,000 new Credit Union members. This pledge is in return for the establishment of a community finance fund paid for by fines levied on banks and pay day lenders by the FCA. Peckham Citizens launched the sign-up action by publicly handing over completed registration forms from local people, all captured on camera by BBC London!

United faith groups to call for an increase in the number of refugees welcomed into the UK from just 750 to 1,500. Iman Suliman Gani, Muslim Chaplain of St. George’s Hospital and the Bishop of Croydon joined Rabbi Danny Rich, Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism at the start of the Jewish festival of Sukkot – when temporary shelters are built to remember Jews’ flight from persecution - to launch the call. Subsequent local Sukkot actions secured a pledge from the Royal Borough of Kingston to offer sanctuary to 50 refugees in the borough.

5 www.citizensuk.org

In association with

And coming up:Voter registration:2nd Ð 6th Feb will see a week of action getting our members, friends and neighbours registered. Training will take place on 20th January to help you plan how to register people.

Mother’s Day:WeÕre asking Citizens to host an #icareaboutcare tea partywith their local care homes, MPs and prospectiveparliamentary candidates.

In the last edition we shared our Manifesto forCivil Society. Four months on, the campaigns are starting to build momentum.

● Contact Promise Knight email:promise.knight@citizensuk.orgor Marzena Cichon-Balcerowicz email:marzena.cichon@citizensuk.orgto sign-up for Voter Registration training

● For more information on the Citizens UK Manifesto,contact Citizens UK email: info@citizensuk.orgor telephone: 0207 043 9881

Members from churches and mosques in Lewisham took to the streets during October to identify potential sites to be used for Community Land Trusts as part of the housing manifesto asks. Teams from across Citizens UK will identify more sites across the UK in the lead up to the election.

Showcased the talents of Croydon’s youth to encourage Allianz Insurance to keep their base in the town, employ more local young people, and promote a work experience programme jointly developed by Croydon Citizens and the council. This is part of the manifesto pledge to build employer partnerships between skills growth sectors and our schools and colleges.

Danced to success in Nottingham during an #icareaboutcare tea dance with130 leaders gathering to secure support from the Royal College of Nursing and the City Council for our social care asks, to give dignity to care recipients and workers. These include providing better training; a consistent team of care workers; at least 30mins for home care visits; and a Living Wage for care workers.The council also agreed to trial paying the Living Wage to care workers and the group developed relationships withfive local care providers.

The first three have been delivered:

At the last general election Citizens UK supported teams to take action and engage their candidates in over 80 constituencies and proved the only organisation other than broadcast media to get the three Prime Ministerial candidates on one stage.

We know acting together like that makes a difference. We asked the candidates there to end the detention of children in immigration removal centres like Yarl’s Wood, to cap the cost of credit by introducing a limit to the amount of interest payday lenders can charge, to back the creation of the country’s first ever urban community land trust and to create an earned amnesty for people with irregular migration status who had been here a long time.

On May 7th we will go to the polls in the most unpredictable elections for a generation. With support for the two major parties at an all-time low and challenges from both the right and left of British politics there is more room than ever before for civil society to stand up and be counted.

The Road to 2015

6www.citizensuk.org

reweaving the fabric of society

the creation of permanently affordable housing in East London1

1,000 children a year spared the horrors of immigration

detention centres2 a limit tousuriouslending3

Citizens for Sanctuary Group, Stockton on Tees, 2010.

7 www.citizensuk.org

In association with

This election we’re campaigning to put dignity at the heart of public life Ð dignity for those working, for the isolated and for those fleeing persecution. Our Citizens Commitment sits at the heart of a radical 8 point agenda, with our call focussed on:

¥ Ensuring everyone has access to decent social care, care provided bya named, well trained and reasonably paid care worker.

In some cases care workers are not even paid for travel and most are paid less than the Living Wage while many have to use equipment they’ve not been trained to use properly. At the same time care recipients often have to get used to having dozens of different people working with them, damaging the relationship which is so important to providing peace of mind and high quality care.

¥ Ending the use of indefinite detention for immigration purposes and the use of pain based removal methods in the immigration system.

Terror suspects can only be held for 28 days without charge by law, but those who don’t have the right papers Ð even if they’ve committed no crime Ð can be held indefinitely. Each year 36,000 people are detained with no idea as to when they will be released or court proceedings started. Levels of self-harm are huge and two people have died this year in a system that costs over £170 million to maintain, with £12 million spent this year alone compensating people for wrongful detention. We’re the only country in Europe to do this and don’t need to.

We’ll be asking candidates to commit to work with us to see these changes delivered, and to reach out to their party leaders to dothe same.

● Members speak to your leaders and organisers to find out how you can get involved

● Not part of a member organisation? Visit www.citizensuk.org/associatemembership to join as an individual and you can then attend actions and training in your local constituency, join a diverse team of local leaders to act together, negotiate with political candidates and make a real difference.

Contact Citizens UK to find out more email: info@citizensuk.org or telephone: 0207 043 9881

Peckham Citizens launch the Credit Union sign up action, following on from the 2010 win capping the cost of credit.

Left: Sarah Teather MP signs up to support the Citizens Sanctuary Pledge, 2010.

Colin Glen, East London Community Land Trust and Mayor of London, Boris Johnson officially begin building work on London’s first community land trust site at St Clements, Mile End.

www.citizensuk.org

reweaving the fabric of societyIn association with

8

Contact us: ☎ @ #With thanks to Aviva for their support in producing this newsletter.

For further information about Citizens UKplease follow us at:● @CitizensUK● #cuknews● www.citizensuk.org● 0207 043 9881

Join us! Is your institution a member of Citizens UK?If you would like to find out more emailinfo@citizensuk.orgor call 0207 043 9881

You can help us build a new generation of civic leaders prepared to act together for the common good.Please donate at www.justgiving.com/CitizensUK

Thirza Leggteacher, Coulsdon CollegeSouth London Citizens

Seeing the development of two students who both started as shy, reserved characters now speaking out publicly about serious issues affecting them and their peers; Mental Health Awareness and Employability.

Coulsdon College has benefited greatly. The opportunities made available to our young people have had a huge influence on their social, personal and professional development. A number of students have developed into young leaders and I have thoroughly enjoyed taking action to make change in our communities.

The upcoming General Elections! I am keen to encourage active citizenship and youth engagement in politics, and create excitement amongst the young people of London, especially first time voters. I hope the students take up the opportunities to be a part of holding politicians to account.

Suresh Nesaratnam, member of MK Equality Group, Milton Keynes Citizens

When at the Citizens:mk Accountability Assembly in the summer we were able to get the main Party Leaders from our Council to agree to nearly all our demands. It was a great feeling to be part of a group making a real difference.

IÕm on the Living Wage Campaign Group and also Secretary of the Milton Keynes Tamil Forum. Many Tamils here have two jobs in order to make ends meet, for example working in a supermarket during the day and then driving a mini-cab at night. Ensuring that people get the Living Wage means parents can devote more time to their children and lead a life that is a little less stressful. We are making progress in this by working with local employers. In terms of impact on me, at a time when all around us people talk of differences, ÔthemÕ and ÔusÕ, I feel really uplifted that a group as diverse as Citizens:mk can come together and work for the common good.

Milton Keynes becoming a Living Wage City!

Why IÕm involved...... our members explain what they enjoy about their work with Citizens UK.

What’s your proudest Citizen’s moment?Q What’s your proudest Citizens moment?Q

What’s the impact of membership been on you and your institution?

Q What’s the impact of membership been on you and your institution?Q

What are you looking forward to in 2015?Q

What are you looking forward to in 2015?Q

tizens moment?t?t?

p,

izen’s momeenttnt????