Lambeth town hall occupied

Local trade unionists and community campaigners occupy Lambeth town hall 23/02/2011

400 protesters demonstrated in Lambeth town hall tonight. The Labour councillors, supported by the Lib dems and Tories, wanted to vote in their package of cuts. The people of Lambeth demanded that they should be in the public gallaries. Despite filling one public gallery, the protesters were denied by council officers the right to fill the second gallery. The protesters then called for opening of the second gallery to the public. Despite requests from the people of Lambeth the councillors refused to allow the public into the second gallery.

Anti-cuts campaigners address demonstration against the cuts

Protesters outside of the Town Hall

Lambeth anti-cut activists then occupied the council chamber both upstairs and downstairs and debated the cuts. We heard from people who would actually be affected by Lambeth council's cuts package. There were children from Loughborough play ground, workers from housing and social services, teachers and teaching assistants, library workers, local residents and pensioners. Many speakers called for more demonstrations, protests, occupations against the government cuts and put forward the case for a general strike to stop the cuts and bring down the government.

Two votes took place tonight. One in secret by the councillors to push through £43 million of cuts; the other in the open by people in the council chamber to oppose every cut that the council wants to make.

There are loads more photos and video at the Lambeth Save Our Services website. You can see how people were angry and determined to fightback against the cuts

Join our campaign, build the 26 March demo in London, come to the next Lambeth Save our Services meeting on the Thursday 3rd March at the Vida Walsh centre in Brixton at 6.30pm.