As part of his Real Change to Win tour, Ed Miliband was in Walthamstow today to see how Labour and Movement for Change activists are working within local communities to take practical action on the issue of ‘legal loansharking’.
As a community organiser at Movement for Change, most of my time (like that of my colleagues) has been spent on the ground in communities, training and developing local activists to take action on issues of real concern to them and other residents. One of the most often-recurring concerns has been lack of access to affordable credit – and the devastating consequences that can result from using high-cost credit companies in desperation. One man I met in Walthamstow told me how he struggles to support a family of four and works two jobs just to make ends meet. His and other similar stories inspired the successful living wage actions Movement for Change ran with Labour Students last year. But his story had a more depressing detail. He told me that much of the income from those two jobs is spent on servicing debt and interest from his high-cost loans.
One of the key principles of community organising is that political action is developed through building relationships in order to find shared interests on which to act. As such, in each community where we work our organisers seek to build collective power by bringing together individuals who feel deeply about an issue and share a self-interest in working to tackle it. At a large-scale community event in Preston last week, led by Movement for Change’s chair Mike Kane, some 120 activists agreed that taking action on personal debt will be their shared focus in the coming months. Meanwhile, in north London Movement for Change activists have started organising an action day on debt advice for local churches, youth and community groups who share this same concern.
It is because this issue has recurred so often, and with such urgency, that Movement for Change is making a national training offer to activists who want support in kickstarting action in their own communities. The training will introduce the principles of community organising as a model for achieving political change; and focus on activists on mapping out a strategy for running local actions with specific ‘asks’.
While the lack of regulation of high-cost credit is a national problem that, ultimately, demands a national response, I believe that building power and acting collectively at a local level will be a catalyst to more far-reaching change. Today’s demonstration of community strength in Walthamstow is an important step in that process … so, where next?
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Kathryn Perera is chief executive of Movement for Change
Kathryn, with all due respect, I have read a lot today about this. I am a Labour Party Member and totally outraged that the Summerfest 2012 – the Co-operative Party National Training Event is charging people £270 for so called training when I have informed Stella Creasy MP for Walthomsta
ow MP months ago about a forum in which over 20,000 are members and using proven methods to get out of debt lawfully and beating the banks, the debt collectors, and payday loan companies. I asked her to contact me and that I would provide her the info but she did not. How can the co-op justify people being charged when their methods are not proven and those that are being given free of charge. If ind it quite shocking that people in debt are not being advised to reduce debt buit being told to use the credit unions. All money is created on screen and the credit unions may offer low interests compared to payday loan companies but there is no real money, so its unlawful.
Some people need to look at themselves and be ashamed at the way people are being exploited. There has been a lovement for change which has started years ago lookiing at how fraudulant the money system is in this country. Charging somebody £270 for non proven results is robbery.