Let's make our communities safer ahead of this winter

Dear
John
,

The government SAYS they're not privatising our NHS that we all love but Matt Hancock handed track and trace in England to private companies like shady Serco for big money.

Their failures put us all at risk of coronavirus, as yesterday's headlines show the system is not enough to stop a second spike.

We've been working behind the scenes to find out what's going on. Now we know that the contracts with private companies Serco and Sitel END on August 23rd. This is HUGE!

If you have an English address, we need to call on your council leader today to appeal to Matt Hancock: give experienced public health teams funding for track and trace instead of outsourcing companies.
Email your council leader to get safe track and trace now ([link removed])
Matt Hancock has allocated £10 BILLION to test and trace but local authorities have only been given £300 million of this.

It's a joke that strapped local authorities aren't getting help when THEY'RE the ones doing contact tracing best, while private companies are potentially getting billions to fail again and again.

They should get this money to grow their vital work IMMEDIATELY. You can help to get a safe track and trace system in England, one that could allow us to keep coming out of lockdown for good, and avoid a “long and bleak winter”.

We haven't got long to make sure that Hancock ends the contracts and gives money to local teams instead. Council leaders and the Labour Party have joined the call, so now it's time to ramp up the pressure.
Take two minutes to help make our communities safer ([link removed])
If you live in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, you probably know that public health teams are leading the response, and this is a far better way of running contact tracing, however we still hugely appreciate your solidarity - you can take action right here. ([link removed])

In England, Public health teams in Sandwell and Blackburn with Darwen are so concerned ([link removed]) about the national privatised track and trace that they have set up their own in house contact tracing systems.

One Director of Public Health said "we're having to deploy resources that we don't really have...to try and do it ourselves. And essentially, the taxpayer's paying twice". It's ludicrous.

The next few weeks are crucial to changing the coming months and we need your help.
We haven't got long. Write to your local council leader now. ([link removed])
Thank you so much for everything you’re doing every day to keep people safe.

Please email your council leader today if you have an English postcode to send the message on to Matt Hancock: we want locally led, safe, public track and trace system. ([link removed])

With you, we can win this fight. We'll keep running campaigns to protect our communities and our health services from the privatisers over the coming months and years. We know that there aren't many things more important.

All the best,
Cat, Alice, Pascale, Chris, and Ellen - the We Own It team

P.S. We've also got big plans to protect our NHS in the Lords stage of the trade bill and you're our BEST chance of winning. Look out for an email later this week!
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