On Thursday 19th March Jon Cruddas MP and the people of Dagenham, alongside the women from the 1968 strikes at Dagenham Ford will be making a final stand in the fight to Save the Dagenham Civic Centre. Candles will be provided and the vigil will start on the steps of the Civic Centre at 6.30pm.
Jon Cruddas is calling on the whole community to come together in solidarity in a bid to not only protect the 550 jobs at stake, but also to ensure that the most iconic part of the community's heritage isn't callously sold off.
Plans to convert the building into a school have been put on the table to combat the Tory implemented cuts to local government. However Jon Cruddas has said that "some things are more important than money" ? last year in Jon's consultation over 500 residents described the building as ?the heart of Dagenham' and 2,000 more wanted it saved. Jon describes the building as "a symbol of our civic virtue" and hundreds of local campaigners are determined to retain the building in its current capacity with improved services.
There are over 3,000 signatures on the petition which will be presented at the Barking and Dagenham Public Accounts and Audit Select Committee in late March.
The candlelight vigil is a solemn protest against the Tory implemented cuts to local authorities across the country. Highlighting the five year decline of good public services, the loss of frontline staff and the impact of the cuts on local communities.
For this protest to be a successful one we need support. If you support Dagenham's plight and want to join Jon Cruddas to save the iconic Dagenham Civic Centre, please get in touch for more details and to register your attendance by emailing: jon@jon-cruddas-mp.net or calling on: 020 8593 7126
This is a once in a lifetime chance to protect the heart of a community.
When it's gone, it's gone.