Horizontal hydraulic fracturing, ‘fracking’, is a way of extracting oil and/or gas. Water, sand and toxic chemicals are injected at high pressure into underground rocks to shatter them. This releases the gas/oil which can be collected. But investing in carbon-intensive fossil fuels is a distraction from the need to decarbonise our electricity supply. And it's hazardous. Studies show that fracking pollutes water supplies (with arsenic and lead), causes earthquakes, and spoils local communities. And there are nightmare stories coming form the States. Like in the town of Dimock, PA, residents have reported their water turning so brown that it stains crockery. Their water was later found to contain methane, and a host of toxic chemicals. But it gets worse. "My son had sores up and down his legs from the water." " My daughter... would have to get out the of the shower and lay on the floor." Those are the words from Greg Saunter, a local resident, whose water supply was shut off for his own good. He cannot shower in his own home. Or drink water out of his taps. Fracking has ruined his life. It cannot happen here. We call on the council to preserve the quality of life of its residents, and reject all planning applications for fracking.

On the 23rd of May this year it was decided by a Sefton council cabinet meeting that Orrell, Ainsdale, Churchtown, Litherland, Aintree, Birkdale and Crosby libraries would close. Whilst community proposals to save Aintree and Birkdale are under consideration, the closure of all seven libraries is still going ahead. These libraries are focal points in our communities and are used by people of all ages. They introduce children to books and the wider world and help everyone to stay up to date on local affairs. They are a vital resource for every single resident of Sefton. The council say that they’re still open to community takeovers - but time is running out. We want Councillor Moncur to halt the closures of these local libraries, and ensure that these services are available for generations to come.

Global warming petition Global warming is causing extreme weather events around the world, costing an increasing number of lives each year. And unless drastic action is taken, at a local, national and international level, it is going to get a whole lot worse. Michael Gove has been forced by public outcry to keep climate change on the National Curriculum. But we need to keep the pressure on. The Global Warming song includes specific actions, such as “Stop oil, gas and coal being mined”. By promoting the song in schools, the Government could show that it is serious about taking constructive action, rather than just being full of greenwash. You are invited to sign the following petition, to keep the pressure on: “We call upon the Department for Education to promote the singing of the Global Warming song (see link and words below) in primary and secondary schools as a way of showing that the Government is serious about shrinking the national carbon footprint” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9g_Ucr4twQ&feature=youtu.be Global Warming Song (to the tune of ‘What can we do with the drunken sailor?’) Chorus: What can we do about global warming? What can we do about global warming? What can we do about global warming? Shrink our carbon footprint! 1. Walk, cycle, bus and train Car share, avoid the plane Holiday at home, learn to love the rain Shrink our carbon footprint! 2. Insulate homes and get them lined Stop oil, gas and coal being mined Use tidal, solar, wind and find we’ll Shrink our carbon footprint! Chorus: What can we do about global warming? What can we do about global warming? What can we do about global warming? Shrink our carbon footprint! 3. Organic, local, seasonal eating Recycle, mend, turn down the heating Share, cooperate, stop competing Shrink our carbon footprint! Watch out! The seas are rising Cry out! The seas are rising Bale out! The seas are rising Save our lovely planet! 4. Don’t believe the greenwash, keep on prying Tax millionaires, stop envy buying Climate change deniers, they’re all lying Shrink our carbon footprint! Chorus: We can do a lot about global warming We can do a lot about global warming We can do a lot about global warming Save our lovely planet! Lyrics by Oliver Swingler and Making Waves choir, Cullercoats, UK – Version 3 March 2013”

There is an organised campaign to email the minister to cut subsidies to wind just when we need to expand development and installation of this clean energy source. Nimbys across the UK will be adding their voices to make this appear like it has large support, but it doesn't and we need to show the minister that the majority want wind energy to be expanded, and for subsidies to be retained. The Nimby rentacrowd is on the case, we need to oppose them as strongly as possible if we are not to further lag behind the rest of Europe and the world in switching to renewable energy.

The petrochemical industry in Grangemouth already severely affects the climate in Falkirk and the surrounding districts. The cutting, treating, replanting and transporting of the raw materials is simply exporting the carbon emissions to the supplying nation/s. The super fine ash WILL escape to the atmosphere, a proven fact over years of working in the chemical industry. The massive structure will become an eye sore for generations to come. A wood dust explosion, will be more devastating than any we have seen so far in the history of Grangemouth.

At the moment, disabled people are being put through a complicated procedure which often grinds down even the hardiest of claimants. It seems to be designed to deter already vulnerable people who are disadvantaged by physical and mental disabilities. I understand that there are cases of fraud, but the actual figure of 0.5% for DLA ( Fraud and Error in the Benefit System, DWP 2012) shows that a minute percentage of the 600,000 disabled people affected are making false claims.

Dungeness is the UK's only official desert. Its flooded gravel pits are invaluable nature reserves. Its unique human geography has led it in recent years to become home to a thriving artistic community. In its wider context, The Romney Marsh is a timeless haven of ancient churches and marshland farming, which gave the world its particular breed of sheep. Allowing this expansion to go ahead is perverse and completely unnecessary with Manston capable of taking passenger jets and the Marsh infrastructure unsuited to a growth in road traffic. The developer's promise of jobs is a chimera as any possibilities for locals will be limited to a few cleaning and catering posts and will be outweighed by the losses in the tourist trade. This corner of an already overdeveloped south-east deserves to be valued; for its cultural, environmental and aesthetic importance. It's beauty may be unconventional but this makes its conservation so much more vital. Please support this petition.

Our library is only open 11 hours per week and costs a mere £3-50 per head p.a. to operate. We rely on it heavily for books, internet access and as a meeting place for various town groups. This is particularly true of disadvantaged groups, especially the disabled and those without a car,. Of the 8 libraries due to close in Scotland 7 are in Moray. Cutting such a life-line service may precipitate further economic decline in a town which has lost its fishing industry.

There has in the past 12 months been several accidents on this stretch road & I don't think it will be long before we will experience a fatality.

1 - With the discovery of Richard III within half a mile of Vaughan College, Leicester is already experiencing a significant increase in tourism: this valuable City Centre site, driven past by thousands of people can become a vital shop window for the University. 2 - This centre has been used as a vital resource for many other groups, not just the University, and demographic changes mean that far more people are looking for Continuing Education. Surely some imaginative thinking could expand demand and increase revenue. 3 - Leicester is already known for its excellent multicultural track record, with people of many cultural backgrounds living in harmony - Vaughan College could become a showcase for this, in the City Centre, easily accessible by public transport, rather than being on a University Campus.

It's important that patients in England can and rightly should expect to be treated with care, compassion and that every attempt is made to preserve their dignity at the end of their life. This is important not only for the patient themselves but also their families. The Liverpool care pathway is used in situations where modern medicine is unable to prevent a patient's deterioration and where they are expected to die within the next 48-72 hours. It ensures that symptoms which are entirely predictable and a natural part of dying are assiduously looked for and controlled to ease a person's suffering at the end of their life. The loss of the pathway will effectively remove medical ad nursing staff's ability to ease patients' suffering as they are dying and will lead to futile and extraordinary measures to prolong life where there is no chance of improvement or recovery. At a time when families should be able to calmly reflect and celebrate the lives of their loved one in peace, instead patient's final days and hours will be transformed into a frenzied circus of intravenous cannulae placement, nasoenteric feeding tubes, 6 hourly infusions of fluids and antibiotics and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Allow patients to die in peace and enable our hospital staff to facilitate this as they have been doing since the inception of the Liverpool pathway.

Horizontal hydraulic fracturing, ‘fracking’, is a way of extracting oil and/or gas. Water, sand and toxic chemicals are injected at high pressure into underground rocks to shatter them. This releases the gas/oil which can be collected. But investing in carbon-intensive fossil fuels is a distraction from the need to decarbonise our electricity supply. And it's hazardous. Studies show that fracking pollutes water supplies (with arsenic and lead), causes earthquakes, and spoils local communities. And there are nightmare stories coming form the States. Like in the town of Dimock, PA, residents have reported their water turning so brown that it stains crockery. Their water was later found to contain methane, and a host of toxic chemicals. But it gets worse. "My son had sores up and down his legs from the water." " My daughter... would have to get out the of the shower and lay on the floor." Those are the words from Greg Saunter, a local resident, whose water supply was shut off for his own good. He cannot shower in his own home. Or drink water out of his taps. Fracking has ruined his life. It cannot happen here. We call on the council to preserve the quality of life of its residents, and reject all planning applications for fracking.