Communities seek pledges from local council candidates at Citizens:mk Election Assembly
Non-political alliance of MK schools, faith institutions and local community groups present their key priorities and ask for electoral pledges
● Citizens:mk, a ‘chapter’ of community organising charity Citizens UK, hosts its Accountability Assembly on 24th April 2018 at Church of Christ the Cornerstone to address election candidates and ask that they pledge actions a range of social issues
● Lawrence Morgan of Transition MK will lead a call for action to create a Community Land Trust in MK.
● Dr. Fidele Mutwarisibo of The Open University will call for action on removal of hate graffiti.
● Others will call for action on Life Skills for Young People and Mental Health.
● The leaders of MK’s main political parties will respond.
Members of the local community are coming together in their hundreds at a Citizens:mk election assembly event to voice their concerns to would-be decision makers in order to improve the lives of poor and disadvantaged households including children and their families across the borough.
They are the students, vicars, Imams, teachers and community workers who make up the civil society alliance Citizens UK.
Citizens:mk is calling for:
● The creation of a Community Land Trust and a Citizens Guide on responding to homelessness, working closely with MK Homelessness Partnership
● Finance education workshops in school
● Better access to mental health services
● Restorative justice for the victims of hate crime.
Powerful stories will be heard on stage from individuals who are directly affected by a shortage of housing in the city, difficult access to mental health services, lack of finance education in schools and hate crime on the streets of MK. A school choir will sing about the city they want to grow up in.
Rev Tim Norwood, Area Dean and Co-Chair of Citizens:mk said: “We have planned this assembly to highlight the issues that matter most to people living in the borough ahead of the local elections with urgent asks on homelessness and hate crime.
“One of the benefits of being a non-political broad-based network of community leaders at Citizens:mk means we research broadly and listen carefully to what all corners of our neighbourhoods tell us they need and expect from their elected representatives. We hope our asks will be accepted by candidates in the spirit we are sharing and put into action with promises.”
Arif Master of Zainabiya Islamic Centre, said: “Recently I experienced a series of hate incidents directed at me and my staff at my practice. It was an unpleasant experience. For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like going to work in the morning. Thanks to the leaders of the Citizens:mk Fight Against Hate campaign, the Police and local politicians began to respond and the young people were caught and made to apologise.”
Citizens:mk will call for pledges on
Housing and homelessness:
● Research feasibility of creating a Community Land Trust
● A Citizens Guide on responding to homelessness, working closely with MK Homelessness Partnership.
Life skills for young people
● Finance Education workshops in school.
Mental Health
● Research needs of mental health sufferers who do not access services for wider evidence of need for improvement.
Hate crime
● Restorative Justice for victims of hate crime
● Prompt removal of Hate graffiti.
