If you’re in Barnet on Saturday 7 July, this event really is one that is worth attending: Barnet Council Not For Sale conference.

It’s on Saturday 7 July from 12pm to 3pm at the Greek Cypriot centre, Britannia Road, Britannia Road, North Finchley, London N12 9RU.

Something very interesting is happening in Barnet and it is worthy of serious attention. A group of extremely organised residents, bloggers and Unison members (John Burgess is branch secretary) has begun to put real pressure on (Tory) Barnet council as it has pursued much-derided plans to mass outsource council services to the private sector. There’s groundswell in Barnet and it’s worth keeping an eye on. For all the odds against them, local people, workers and writers in Barnet are scoring direct hits. They take hits, too, of course, but on they go.

Five very talented and able bloggers have delivered consistently damaging reviews of council outsourcing projects and forced very public investigations into the council’s horrendous contract failures. Burgess has taken members out on a number of well-attended and well-organised strikes. Bloggers, residents and library campaigners have managed to set up weekly pop-up libraries (their response to the council’s recent decision to close Friern Barnet library) which have been very well-attended by Barnet people and evolved into pro-democracy rallies. A local campaign to separate Brian Coleman from his London Assembly seat at the last elections delivered in a big way. A film made with local people who are having to live with the council’s care cuts decisions and monumental parking charges (the charges have slowed custom to high street businesses) has drawn full houses and the council’s ire. As I say – an interesting picture and one that continues to unfold.

A lot of the people involved in the Barnet fight for public services and against the government will be at the Barnet Not For Sale Conference. It will be worth hearing what they have to say about strong, anti-government, community-driven organising.