Tuesday, 5 November 2013
Mass Council Tax Summons
in Brent
BBC London TV
News was out at Willesden Magistrates Court
today, covering reaction to Brent Council's mass summons
of 512 people over Council Tax matters — where only 22
turned up! The protest was organised largely by Unite
Community and anti-debt charity Zacchaeus 2000, with
support from Brent Fightback, Brent Housing Action and
Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group -- one of whose
members was part of the early warning system for the
mass summons.The vast majority who did not turn
up will be subject to liability orders that will deduct
'money owed' directly from their pay or benefits and
make them subject to court costs. Will anyone
responsible for this policy take the time or
trouble to investigate why the 490 who did not turn up
did not turn up? Perhaps they were too ill, or out at
work. As someone recently tweeted, perhaps the
only part of government in the UK that is really
listening to us is GCHQ?I spoke to the BBC
cameraman outside while most of the
campaigners who remained were in court. He
told me that he had done the filming of the Friday 18
October Camberwell Green Magistrates Court mass
summons over Council Tax. He observed that
Camberwell Green was a much better site for open
air filming and perhaps the best bit of his
filming outside Willesden Magistrates Court in the
rain today as campaigners haranguing Brent
Labour Council Leader Mohammud Butt. I had
soon bored with the Butt-baiting,having heard it
all before, and told Butt that he was leading
people into quicksand with his 'only following
orders' line. The cameraman took consolation
in that his colleague was covering proceedings
inside Willesden Magistrates Court, and people
would later be coming out so he could do
more filming.
today, covering reaction to Brent Council's mass summons
of 512 people over Council Tax matters — where only 22
turned up! The protest was organised largely by Unite
Community and anti-debt charity Zacchaeus 2000, with
support from Brent Fightback, Brent Housing Action and
Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group -- one of whose
members was part of the early warning system for the
mass summons.The vast majority who did not turn
up will be subject to liability orders that will deduct
'money owed' directly from their pay or benefits and
make them subject to court costs. Will anyone
responsible for this policy take the time or
trouble to investigate why the 490 who did not turn up
did not turn up? Perhaps they were too ill, or out at
work. As someone recently tweeted, perhaps the
only part of government in the UK that is really
listening to us is GCHQ?I spoke to the BBC
cameraman outside while most of the
campaigners who remained were in court. He
told me that he had done the filming of the Friday 18
October Camberwell Green Magistrates Court mass
summons over Council Tax. He observed that
Camberwell Green was a much better site for open
air filming and perhaps the best bit of his
filming outside Willesden Magistrates Court in the
rain today as campaigners haranguing Brent
Labour Council Leader Mohammud Butt. I had
soon bored with the Butt-baiting,having heard it
all before, and told Butt that he was leading
people into quicksand with his 'only following
orders' line. The cameraman took consolation
in that his colleague was covering proceedings
inside Willesden Magistrates Court, and people
would later be coming out so he could do
more filming.
Morning Star reporter Ryan Fletcher was also
present, interviewing people present.
present, interviewing people present.
Alan Wheatley
Secretary of Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group
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