Name: Coventry Peoples Budget Conference
Start: 2026-01-17T14:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-01-17T17:00:00+00:00
Location: Coventry Methodist Central Hall

Coventry Peoples Budget Conference
Saturday 17th January,
2pm @ Coventry Methodist Central Hall
Coventry City Council is drawing up plans for next year's budget and no doubt once again they will be seeking to implement more cuts to jobs and services.
The need for an alternative
Supporters of Your Party in the Coventry area to invite you to take part in a People's Budget conference on Saturday 17th January, 2pm at Methodist Central Hall to bring together trade unions, community groups, campaigns and others affected in our city to start a discussion on developing and fighting for an alternative budget for this area - one that seeks to provide what is desperately needed and could form the basis of policies to be fought for in the 2026 Local Elections.
A local People's Budget could set a different agenda, based on what the community needs.
Such a process we hope can draw together a local set of demands and campaign issues to take to the council ahead of their 2026 budget-setting meeting, which will take place in February 2026.
We want you to take part and bring your ideas and proposals based on your experiences and struggles in the city and if you are a member, organiser or officer in a local trade union, campaign organisation, charity, community group, residents group etc (the list is endless!)’s bring your members views and experiences for what is needed in the city!
We want to hear what your members think is needed in this area!
Whether that's directly related to the sectors and areas of work your members work in or wider community issues like housing, care, youth and children's services etc
For example:
How many jobs have been lost amongst your membership?
What issues and problems do you members raise or report?
What issues and things do your members think are needed to improve the lives and ordinary people in this area?
If you would like to take part in the conference, support it and or help be part of its organisation email [email protected].
Also email for further info, material to circulate wider etc.
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition supporters that have have built Your Party and fully supports its development have produced the two following documents to aid the discussion and help give an idea of what could be don ahead of the local elections in 2026
Ideas about the next local elections Opportunities and challenges for a new working class party in May 2026 - https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Ideas-about-the-2026-local-elections.pdf
TUSC Steering Committee briefing: What the Your Party founding documents might mean for the 2026 elections - https://www.tusc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Your-Party-the-2026-elections.pdf
The next set of local elections will be crucial. Every seat in Coventry will be up for election, and with Labour nationally putting forward policies that are gaining the approval of Tommy Robinson and Reform, alongside years of Coventry Labour Cllrs implementing central government cuts on behalf of the Tories and now Labour, there is an urgent need for trade unions, campaigning groups and all those opposed to cuts and divide and rule policies to develop an independent, pro working class voice and candidates to take on the establishment political parties.
Do Cllrs have a choice?
It is not true, as is often put forward, that councillors have no choice but to carry out cuts.
Coventry has been decimated in terms of our public services - how many libraries and youth centres have been closed with the resulting loss of opportunity for ordinary people in our city? Councillors could develop a budget based on what we need, and then help to organise a campaign to win the funding that has been stolen by central government.
As the majority of councillors are refusing to do this, then it is about time we worked to develop our own working class programme. To begin this work, the Coventry People’s Budget conference will aim to draw up a plan of action based on what our city needs, as part of a programme to present to the people of Coventry in the 2026 local elections. But this is not only about the elections. We need to step up our campaigning across the board to put forward pro-working class policies to answer the crisis faced by people in Coventry. If we in the union movement do not do so, then we know Reform and others will fill the gap.