Meeting in the Market Square Nottingham at 3.00pm on Tuesday 11th January, School and College Student gathered to protest at the Scrapping of the Educational Maintenance Allowance.  Students had earlier walked out at 2.00pm

Today was to have been the beginning of a trial of a further 6 people arrested during the police Operation Aeroscope

New year, new cuts. After an unplanned two week break, Notts Cuts Watch is back with a rundown of the cuts and resistance in Nottinghamshire since Christmas. As ever this is probably an incomplete list and draws heavily on reporting in the local media.

Pay particular attention to the upcoming events, of which there are many, not the least of which is the Combating the Cuts event next Saturday.

Nottingham City Council is holding a consultation of changes to allotment tenancies, rent levels and plot allocation. They claim that the review "aims to encourage more people to get involved with growing food in Nottingham." In fact, the changes would involve the trebling of rents for allotments in Nottingham.

Final statement from the Ratcliffe defendants: post sentencing

5th January 2011



The Judge described Ratcliffe power station activists as "honest, sincere, conscientious, intelligent, committed, dedicated, caring". That they acted with "highest possible motives".

Even as Christmas approached, the cutting of public services in Nottinghamshire continued. The festivities have taken the sails out of the resistance to these attacks, but I'm sure it will be back with a vengeance in the new year. (On which note, make sure you put the Combating the Cuts event on January 15th in your diary.) Until then, why not spend some of the post-Christmas lull reading up on ex…

A confusing message from the City Council's Traffic Management department reveals more about the proposed CCTV camera installation:

Even with Christmas only just over the horizon, the cuts have continued over the last week, with the announcement of the funding settlement for local councils hitting Nottingham particularly hard. Even Cuts Watch has been cutback, this week's edition arriving late and in a slimmed down version. "Normal" service may or may not resume after the holiday period.

On Wednesday 15th December, supporters of the Gedling School held a demonstration outside County Hall to protest plans to close the school.

Press release: Activists found guilty in Ratcliffe coal climate trial

As the UN climate talks finish in Cancun, and fail once again to come up with any legally binding framework to reduce emissions, the British legal system is still upholding business as usual. This can’t continue. Burning coal has no future.

14 December 2010



All 20 defendants are found guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Trespass at Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in April 2009.

Monday 13 Dec 2010



10.00am and all back in court yet again.

The past week has seen the snow give way to freezing temperatures, but again this has done nothing to stop the onslaught on public services, nor the burgeoning fightback, with even Prince Charles getting caught up in anti-fees protests. Events haven't been quite so exciting in Notttinghamshire, but there's been a lot going on, some of which (but inevitably not all) is recorded below.

If you’ve g…

After Notts Council told Nottingham Vegan Campaigns we could no longer use the Council House for our annual food festival, we took it to the streets instead. The aim was to set up 10 stalls - five food-related and five campaign stalls - in locations across Nottingham. The event went really well, so a huge thanks to everyone involved!

Saturday 4th December 2010, 1-5pm



Day of action on student fees and education cuts in Nottingham. oh, and corporate tax evasion.

10 December 2010



His Honour Judge Teare concludes his summing up and directions.

9 December 2010



Miss Felicity Gerry for the prosecution begins her speech to the jury.

Taken from: http://ratcliffeontrial.org/2010/12/day-13-no-verdict-this-week/

On Thursday 9th December, Notts County Unison held a small protest outside County Hall.

8 December 2010

Mr Rees for the defence says that there will be no more ‘live’ evidence presented.

7 December 2010



The defence continued their case. Mr Rees called a further two defendants to the witness box.

Not wanting to let the City Council's cuts consultation exercise pass unchallenged, I attended their "We asked. You said, What next?" meeting at Forest Fields Community Centre tonight. Councillor Hassan Ahmed claimed that he and the council were opposed to the cuts but when questioned further this opposition seemed to be rather abstract. Local people deserve a lot better than him and his cronies.

6 December 2010



Mr Rees for the defences calls Prof. Ian Roberts. He is Professor of Epidemiology and Public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.  Widely published and contributed to issues on health issues and debates worldwide.  Active research interests in the links between fossil fuel energy use, climate change and human health, contributing work to the World Health Or…

Nottingham's vegan campaigners aim to hold 10 Vegan Free Food Give-Aways on December 11th, each aiming to reach 200 members of the public with the urgency of dietary change for the health of people, other animals and the environment worldwide.

Taken from: http://ratcliffeontrial.org/2010/12/day-11-defence-case-wrapped-up/

This afternoon saw the final expert witness take the stand. Dr Geoff Meaden is a Geographer from Kent, who currently consults for the UN. His evidence was wide-ranging, but began with an explanation of the difference between local weather events and the global climate.

Day 9- Epidemiology Prof warns court climate change is a “public health emergency”

It's been a sobering Monday morning in court with evidence presented by Dr Ian Roberts, Professor of Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Medicine. He explained the real and imminent threat to health posed by climate change. His warnings could hardly have been starker: we risk “generational genocid…

The news this week has been dominated by snow which has rendered the north of the Nottinghamshire and much of the country almost inaccessible. But a little frozen water isn’t going to stop the important business of cutting private services and there’s no shortage of material for this week’s Notts Cuts Watch. All of it brought to you in a new, shorter format which is hopefully easier to use an…