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Welcome<br />
www.islington.gov.uk<br />
Cllr Catherine West,<br />
Leader of the <strong>Council</strong><br />
Top right<br />
Clerkenwell fire station is at risk of<br />
closure due to proposed cuts by the<br />
Mayor of London.<br />
Bottom right<br />
Catherine with students at the brand new<br />
Ashmount Primary School.<br />
Nothing matters more than people’s<br />
safety. We all hope we won’t need to<br />
call on the emergency services, but<br />
if we do we want to know our brave<br />
fire fighters and police officers will<br />
be there quickly to protect our loved<br />
ones and our community. However,<br />
the Mayor of London is proposing<br />
cuts to the fire service that would see<br />
the loss of 12 London fire stations,<br />
including Clerkenwell in <strong>Islington</strong>, and<br />
520 jobs.<br />
All <strong>Islington</strong>’s councillors are<br />
united against these potentially<br />
dangerous plans and we’ve launched<br />
an information campaign so local<br />
residents and businesses are fully<br />
aware of what the Mayor’s plans<br />
might mean for them. Find out more<br />
on page 6.<br />
Despite massive government<br />
cuts, we are once again freezing<br />
council tax and continuing to offer a<br />
£100 discount for pensioners. With<br />
the government cutting a third of<br />
our budget it isn’t easy, but we will<br />
continue to focus what money we do<br />
have on those who need it most and<br />
provide advice and support to those<br />
most affected by the government’s<br />
welfare changes.<br />
The budget passed at our <strong>Council</strong><br />
Meeting on 28 February provides<br />
funding for £300 bursaries to keep<br />
young people in education, support to<br />
extend the Living Wage to low paid<br />
workers in social care, £300,000 to<br />
save the Energy Doctor service for<br />
residents struggling with fuel bills, and<br />
£1m for much needed improvements to<br />
Finsbury Park town centre and Archway<br />
Park. Read more about our priorities on<br />
pages 16-17.<br />
Cllr West said:<br />
“Last year <strong>Islington</strong><br />
achieved its best<br />
ever GCSE results.<br />
We want to make<br />
sure all <strong>Islington</strong>’s<br />
young people get the<br />
best start in life and<br />
the first class new<br />
Ashmount School gives<br />
children growing up in<br />
the inner city fantastic<br />
facilities in wonderful<br />
surroundings.”<br />
Other formats<br />
If you would like<br />
<strong>Islington</strong>Life in large<br />
print, audiotape, or<br />
another format, please<br />
call 020 7527 3416.<br />
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