Leicester is facing severe cuts to its fire services - with the city's Labour councillors accepting the cuts without a fight. The directly-elected Labour Mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby, sits alongside a Tory as vice-chair of the local fire authority which is pushing these cuts through.

A sham 'consultation' exercise is currently being carried out to axe fire services by £1.5 million a year. In concrete terms, this represents a one-third reduction in firefighters and the closure of two local fire stations: Leicester Central, the busiest fire station in the city, and Kibworth, which serves a more rural and isolated population.

Response times would be at least doubled and with the fire service unable to provide an effective emergency response in the case of a large fire, lives will ultimately be lost if these cuts go through.

Southampton council meets on 18 November in the next round of council budget consultations. Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) supporters will be lobbying the council to defend jobs and services and back Jeremy Corbyn's call to stop cuts.

Services currently under threat include six libraries in the city. Just £250,000 would keep them open and protect librarians' jobs. NHS walk-in services in Bitterne have recently closed, despite a five-year long TUSC campaign. Just £120,000 would fund the nursing staff to re-open services there.

While these essential services suffer, Southampton council has found £2 million to complete its corporate arts centre project, now home to a new Nandos restaurant.

Lincoln Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) made the local media headlines this week when they condemned the city's Tory MP, Karl McCartney, for opposing the abolition of a 5% VAT charge on sanitary products.

The Tory MP, having previously voted to cut the top rate of income tax and corporation tax, was challenged to explain "why he voted to maintain the 5% tax on essential sanitary products, but is happy to vote to cut taxes for big businesses and the wealthiest people in our society".

The full story in the Lincolnshire Echo can be found at http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/Karl-McCartney-criticised-voting-proposals-change/story-28071204-detail/story.html

The call from Warrington TUSC councillor Kevin Bennett for the town's Labour-controlled council to back Jeremy Corbyn's anti-austerity stance and vote against new cuts to council services has picked up positive coverage in the local media.

Kevin, described as Warrington's 'rebel councillor', points out that he was the only councillor in Warrington who endorsed Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership.

He is then quoted as saying "TUSC believes that in the new situation opened up by Jeremy Corbyn's victory, there really is no reason why Labour councils should not combine together and refuse to implement the Tories' brutal austerity agenda.

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) today announced that it would officially register as an exit campaigner in the forthcoming referendum on EU membership.

TUSC, which stood the sixth largest number of candidates in May's general election (after the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UKIP and the Greens), was co-founded by the late Bob Crow, the RMT transport workers' union leader who was well known for his opposition to the EU as an agency of anti-worker and pro-austerity policies.

Dave Nellist, the former Labour MP who is now the chair of TUSC, said:

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition National Election Agent Clive Heemskerk introduces the debate at the September 26th TUSC conference on TUSC's core policies for the 2016 local elections, and outlines the vital role TUSC can play, building on Jeremy Corbyn's Labour leadership victory, in helping to organise the resistance to the new round of local council cuts that are coming.

The president of the RMT transport workers' union, Peter Pinkney, addresses the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition conference in September 2015.

The president of the RMT transport workers' union, Peter Pinkney, addresses the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition conference in September 2015.

Last Saturday saw over 200 people assemble in London for the autumn Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) conference.

The opening session on the role of TUSC in the new situation was introduced by platform speakers from the main constituent organisations of TUSC, headed up by an address from the president of the RMT transport workers' union, Peter Pinkney.

Other sessions agreed TUSC's core policies for the 2016 local elections (see http://www.tusc.org.uk/17112/09-09-2015/the-tusc-2016-local-elections-draft-policy-platform) and, in a separate debate, that TUSC would campaign against EU membership in the forthcoming referendum, while guaranteeing the right of TUSC participating organisations, members and candidates to present an alternative position.

Saturday 26 September, 11am to 4.30pm

Student Central, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HY

Chaired by the TUSC national chair and former socialist Labour MP, Dave Nellist

Sky News interviewed Dave Nellist, chair of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition on 13 September 2015 the day after socialist Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour Party in a landslide victory for socialist ideas. Sky wanted to know what TUSC's reaction was.

Sky News interviewed Dave Nellist, chair of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition on 13 September 2015 the day after socialist Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour Party in a landslide victory for socialist ideas. Sky wanted to know what TUSC's reaction was.