1. STAND UP FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
2. STOP THE CLOSURE OF KINGSLAND AND LABURNAM SCHOOLS
3. HAGGERSTON POOL UPDATE
4. MESSAGE FROM HACKNEY TRADES UNION COUNCIL including update
on DEFEND THE HACKNEY ANTI-RACIST THREE and INDRO SEN
campaigns


1. STAND UP FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING

There will be protest called by Stand Up for Affordable Housing at 6pm on 11 February, 179 Haggerston Community Centre 179 Haggerston Rd, E8.

On Tuesday 11th of February, unelected and unaccountable board members of Metropolitan Housing Trust and Community Housing Association are coming to Hackney.

Their decisions mean:
- Raising rents for new tenants of 'Canalside' by £10 a week - breaking the rent guarantee made before privatisation
- Taking away 47 homes which were to be used for the Canalside and Hackney Waiting lists
- Ripping off key workers by raising the rents on these 47 flats to over £500 a month for a 1 bed flat.
- Making millions of pounds from property speculation
- Refusing to guarantee appropriate rehousing for all Canalside tenants [at the moment 11 households on the waiting list will miss out]

Hackney Council has now caved in to their demands without talking to tenant organisations. Other Housing Associations are proposing similar schemes which will mean the loss of hundreds of affordable homes across Hackney.

Come and show Hackney Council, Community Housing Association and Metropolitan Housing Trust that tenants in Hackney stand up for affordable homes for all!

Called by Suspended tenant representatives from the Canalside Board Endorsed by Hackney Tenants Convention Executive and Haggerston Ward IWCA Meeting

No Loss of Social Housing Don't Rip off Key Workers
Housing Justice for Hoxton and Haggerston


There will also be leafletting in Hoxton Market on Saturady 8 February. Meet at Haggerston Community Centre, 179 Haggerston Rd E8 at 10.30am.


2. STOP THE CLOSURE OF KINGSLAND AND LABURNAM SCHOOLS

Stop the Closure of Kingsland and Laburnum Schools
Demonstsration Saturday 1 February. Assemble 12 noon Kingsland School, Shacklewell Lane
Called by Hackney NUT. Contact 0208 985 6606


3. HAGGERSTON POOL UPDATE

POOL MEETING
Next public meeting of the Pool Users Group is on Thursday 13th of February at 7pm in Fellows Court Community Centre which is on the corner of Kent St and How St in the estate opposite the pool. More details of this meeting nearer the time. (Meetings ongoing on 2nd Thursday of each month).

HAGGERSTON COMMUNITY CENTRE FUNDING
Some members of the Haggerston Trust have suggested that the activities in Haggerston Community Centre could be moved into Haggerston Pool as part of the local estate development. This would release a large amount of capital funding towards renovating the pool building and some revenue subsidy for the pool. The idea is that the community centre space could be used to increase the size
of the new development and so release funding for the pool. The appointment of a housing association to manage the estate development is taking place this month, so this is an idea at a very early stage.

BUSINESS PLAN
The contract for writing the Business Plan, funded by Shoreditch New Deal (ShOW), looking at options for the pool, has been awarded to Strategic Leisure who are based in Manchester. They are using half the available funding to produce an initial viability plan and will be talking to interested parties and groups in the time before they
present their report in April.

SHORT TERM WORK ON HAGGERSTON POOL
The Council have started the short term work on the pool. There is currently scaffolding up outside the building and the immediate work is being done to the roof, clearing gutters and rubbish and making the building secure.

LONDON POOLS CAMPAIGN
Representatives from 6 of the pool campaigns around London met with the London representative of Sport England to talk about swimming provision in London and our campaigns. We have decided to launch the London Pools Campaign to highlight the closure of pools around London and loss of facilities. We're going to link this to the government's recent announcement of its plans to combat what they
call the 'Couch Potato Culture' (see  http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/page6873.asp) by increasing
participation in sport.

IRON MONGER ROW BATHS NOT CLOSING
There have been various rumours that Iron Monger Row Baths near Old St are closing. According to Aquaterra who are contracted to run the swimming pools in Islington this was a rumour aired by participants in the council by-election in the area. Aqauterra say they have just signed a renewed contract with Islington Council to run their swimming pools for 10 years and have no plans to close any of these pools.

YORK HALL BATHS TO CLOSE
Meanwhile it seems York Hall Baths near Bethnal Green are to close.
Tower Hamlets are planning a large new facility at Mile End funded by the lottery. Sounds familiar?


With best wishes from Liz Hughes
Haggerston Pool Community Trust

If you would like to receive these bulletins (by email or post) :
Contacts :  pool@hced.co.uk
Phone : 0207 690 6662 Write to : Liz Hughes, Haggerston Pool
Community Trust c/o HCD, 62 Beechwood Road, London E8 3DY


4.
MESSAGE FROM HACKNEY TRADES UNION COUNCIL

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 4 February at the Marcon Community Hall at the junction with Marcon Place/Amhurst Rd at 7.30pm.

Please note that childcare is available, provided by a professional childcare worker in her own flat, very near the meeting venue.
Please let Janine Booth (07957-217639) know by Wednesday 30 October if you would like a creche place for your child.

AGENDA
The meeting will be discussing current disputes affecting trade unions in Hackney, including the Firefighters, Kingsland School/SEN, the 3 Unison officers suspended for challenging racism, etc.

Proposed campaign initiatives include; a 'noisy protest', a
conference on institutional racism, and a concert at the Ocean.


DEFEND THE HACKNEY ANTI-RACIST THREE

The Hackney Beating Racism Forum was held on Monday 20 January at the Bullion Rooms, Mare Street. Speakers include Simon Woolley, Glenroy Watson, Raph Parkinson and the Hackney Anti-racist three.

To all of you who have sent messages of support, thanks very much. Particularly to those who have put the issue through their branch committees, and have written to the CRE.

Unison's London Regional Local Government Committee has already taken a stance in support of the Hackney anti-racist three and a motion is going to the Regional Council in a few weeks. In the meantime the following public statement has been made by Geoff Martin (regional Convenor), Dave Eggmore (Chair Regional Local
Government Committee) and Candy Udwin (Deputy Regional Convenor):

'As senior lay activists within the London Region, we wish to convey the wholehearted support for Hackney Branch in its campaign against Institutional racism, and its defence of the three branch officers currently suspended. We call on all trade unionists, anti-racists, community activists, and people of good will to unite in a campaign to demand that the commission for racial equality enforces the non
discrimination notice, and that trade union activists are not victimised for challenging racism.'

What you can do?
Even if you cannot attend the forum, please visit the campaign website.  http://www.blink.org.uk/subcat.asp?key=314&grp=2

Many thanks to the 1990 trust and the Black Information Link for creating this site.

We understand that the CRE commissioners are going to meet and discuss what to do about Hackney in the next two weeks. It is therefore more urgent than ever, if you have not already done so, to send emails demanding that the CRE enforce the non- discrimination notice to. You do not need to be a representative of a group to write to them, as all opinions count. Email the CRE at  info@cre.org.uk.

Financial support
Donations can be sent to 'Hackney Trades Union Council' and sent to Hackney Trades Union Council, Box 11, 136 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2NS, or you can make a bank transfer
(08-60-01. Account no: 59109570)


INDRO SEN
This is to let you know of a picket for the re-instatement of Indro Sen which is taking place outside Kingsland School on Thursday Jan 16th from 7am to 9:30am. The teachers at the school are on the first of a series of one day strikes for Sen's reinstatement in a campaign which is linked to the closure of Kingsland school and Laburnum school. Teachers at other Hackney schools are holding ballots.

All support welcome on the day - or messages of support to
 senkingsland@hotmail.com

Jane Holgate
Acting Secretary, Hackney Trades Union Council Centerprise, Box 11, 136 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2NS.
07960 798399  j.holgate@unisonfree.net