1974 Confrontation at Clay Cross, Derbyshire - Skinner family
Вставка
- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- In 1974 we take a look at a more rebellious age, as the Skinner family lead a struggle in defiance of the law to keep housing rents low and keep school milk.
Among the many battles that were fought against governments of both Labour and Tory during the 1970s, the one at Clay Cross stands out both for the wide range of issues it involved, and in being led by a local council.
Here the battle is followed from its beginning to its end, from council chambers to demonstrations outside law courts, with both sides of the argument getting an opportunity to fully air their positions, and with Austin Mitchell holding the middle ground.
The Conservatives became opposed in principle to council housing in the mid-1950s, well before the Housing Finance Act became law in 1972, at which time Councils owned 29 per cent of all homes in England and Wales. The Act would raise rents by 25% (on average) and remove the freedom of local councillors to set the rents. By that date the great majority of local councils were under Labour control, and it took the threat of legal action to force all but Clay Cross to back down, although there were mass protests in many other areas. The eleven Clay Cross councillors were disqualified from office and personally surcharged and new elections ordered, resulting in the return of another council pledged to resistance.
© Yorkshire Television.
My grandma was an rent rebel and she is on this Video . And I am so proud of her for standing up for what she believed in rest in place grandma xxxx
clay cross lad, lifelong resident, proud of my roots 💯👍
Whether you agree with the subject matter or not this is the stuff that used to be served up on national or regional TV to the population because back then the population could understand it and took the time to understand it. Can you imagine something as in-depth as this being on TV in our soundbite society today? They say the past is a foreign country, they do things differently there - well this certainly shows it, not just in content but style as well.
Does militancy mean taking the initiative in the interest of the electorate? So be it; I am a militant!
Two of the counsellors are related to Dennis Skinner
And now ! People just lie down and take anything thrown at them …..
Local democracy is very important to defend as there has been an unhealthy move towards greater centralisation of public administrations over the decades since 1960's, which is only now changing. But these councillors were plainly playing a militant game with local politics and not striving to build a better town. The same thing happened in Liverpool in 1980's.
Like many towns, this once proud mining community has been decimated by the closure of the pits which were its life blood. It desperately needed investment and commercial stimulation. But it certainly wasn't going to get that back in 1974 when all this was playing out and the issue seemed to be about local control over the subsidisation of public expenditure. The thinking back then at a time of chronic economic stagnation and decline, seemed isolated from the economic realities plainly going on around. It was totally self defeating . The legacy of that time lives on an this small Derbyshire town which remains one of the most deprived in the County. In fact, 22 out of 491 small areas in Derbyshire, fall within the most 10% deprived areas across England. Most of these areas are located in the North East of the county in the former coalfields areas. But I guess this escaped the attention of Clay Cross's Red Councillors who seemed more concerned about free school milk.
Which colliery is that shown in the opening part before the music of Jerusalem ends?
Looking at the sign post Derby 19.5 miles, Clay Cross 1.5 miles. it would be Clay Cross Colliery maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=17&lat=53.17637&lon=-1.40327&layers=168&right=BingHyb
It is Morton Colliery
definetly Morton Colliery
@@graham212redI don't think it's Morton because it looks like Church Hill leading down from St Lawrence's to me and the sign says Clay Cross 1 1/4 miles to Clay Cross and Morton is more that.
@@731-j9y he is driving a car so the sign post means nothing to where the headstocks are- %100 that is Morton Colliery - the headstocks stood for years after it closed because it was used as a pumping station
Is that morton pit at start
Hope it works ok.