The Subs should be used by, and become an empowering hub for, ALL socio-economic groups, including vulnerable groups, community groups, the elderly and the young. The Subs can and should become a genuine community resource/space, showcasing a creative and caring community coming together to consolidate and extend what is rightfully ours, and to make available what should be accessible for all. In conversations on our High Street, it is clear how passionately Stroudies feel about this issue. Many are uncomprehending, and some even horrified, that Stroud, of all places, should be contemplating transferring this much-loved community gem into the private sector. With the active support of Stroud Town Council, the Stroud Trust has lodged an alternative bid, which would keep the centre run by, and open to, the whole community. Let's see all interested bidders and parties - including most importantly the District Council, Town Council and Ecotricity - come together with good faith and open mind to find a solution for the Subs' future that can serve and satisfy everyone's needs and aspirations. If enough of us sign this petition, we can show Stroud District Council that the people of Stroud want the centre to be publicly owned by the community, as it has been historically, and to stay open full-time for the people of Stroud and its environs.

From Tuesday to Friday, the library closes at 4pm, and it doesn’t open at all at weekends. Many children and students in local schools finish too late to to use the services after school, and residents working 9-5 jobs do not have much opportunity to access the library at all. The current opening hours seem only to serve the needs of the City workers coming into the area during the day, rather than the people living in the local community. This issue has been raised in a recent customer survey, and a consultation into a new spread of opening hours is under way. We, the residents of the City of London, want to make sure that our voices are put front and centre on this issue, rather than the corporations and City workers, which is too often the case.

On 30 October 2017, NHS Lanarkshire voted to close Douglas Ward at Udston Hospital. This decision was made without proper public or patient consultation. The ward provides crucial lifeline care to patients with complex health needs. Many of the patients have lived there for over ten years and now consider this their home, as do the relatives who visit. Its closure means that its patients will move further away from family and friends, and have less contact from loved ones and the additional support they desperately need.

Caerphilly County Council plans to close Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre in order to gain the ‘full capital’ from the land sale, following the demolition of the old school grounds. The purpose in their proposal is: “ To seek Cabinet approval to commence the closure of Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre in conjunction with the opening of Islwyn High School and support the sale and development of the Pontllanfraith High School / Leisure Centre campus.” They claim there will be no loss of services, but in fact, quite the opposite is true. Their plans will result in a drastic loss of sporting and leisure services for residents. This in turn, will result in a LOSS OF WELL-BEING in the community, an UNHEALTHIER Wales and is utterly IRRESPONSIBLE. Their own proposal clearly highlights the following issues with the closure: - There is no other Football Association Wales approved G3 pitch in the area as the one in Ystrad Mynach is prone to flooding so is frequently unavailable. The closure will result in an end to competitive fixtures in the area. - The advance booking for the non-approved pitch in Islwyn High, is already booked with NEW teams and clubs, so the existing timetable cannot be absorbed. The closure will result in local teams and clubs having nowhere to train locally - There is no funding for a FAW approved pitch to be built at Blackwood Comprehensive and if there was, the £500,000 price tag would mean the cost of closing Pont Leisure Centre is almost double the cost of keeping it open over the next five years - The Centre’s other facilities are heavily used with everything from Zumba classes through to over 50s badminton on a weekly basis, many classes will not be able to move to Islwyn High or it may be too difficult for local residents to get there. The council should be encouraging more opportunities for sports and activity, not taking them away! In addition, other issues raised include: - Local residents who use the centre for social events such as parties, classes and other events will have to travel further and in many cases, this will be impossible. This means that opportunities for social interaction will be reduced or removed completely. Many clubs will have to close with the leisure centre - The consultation process has been extremely limited to date, therefore, the views of the community have not been properly taken into account The Council has a remit to meet the Wellbeing of Future Generation (Wales) Act 2015, which is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. It requires public bodies to think more about the long-term, working with people and communities, looking to prevent problems and take a more joined up approach. The closure of Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre in no way meets the well-being goals and we urge Caerphilly County Council to stop the closure. Please share widely.

Tower Hamlets council is evicting over 100 vulnerable residents from Hopetown women-only hostel in Whitechapel. The council is closing the hostel and cutting women-only hostel beds in the borough by one third. They have issued eviction notices and are forcing residents to move to mixed gender accommodation or sending them miles away out of borough. Hopetown Hostel in Whitechapel is one of the last women-only hostels in East London. Most homeless women and non-binary people are survivors of violence or abuse. With refuges closing their doors and a housing crisis, gender specific hostel services like Hopetown provide a vital space for survivors. Tower Hamlets council are treating survivors and other vulnerable women appallingly and are putting them at risk.

This centre provides vital services to the local community that helps transform peoples' lives through providing information, advice, guidance, education, creative art and free activities. It helped save my life after my husband's suicide acting as a second family that gave me my autonomy back. I benefited from their classes, meeting new friends and now as a thank you I volunteer and fund raise for them.

The Whittington Hospital Board have decided to appoint Ryhurst, a subsidary of Rydon, to co-ordinate and manage the proposed Estates Strategy. This is the company that refurbished Grenfell Tower, prior to the devastating and tragic fire, and more locally the Chalcots Estate. There has been no community consultation regarding this irresponsible, insensitive and crass decision to appoint Ryhurst. We do not want to see parts of the Whittington Estate, covering community and in-patient health care across Haringey and Islington, sold off. Ryhurst will be entitled to share the proceeds with the hospital - to pocket OUR health funds, paid out of OUR health taxes. Staff could lose jobs and health service provision could be cut.

Planned changes will leave Gainsborough ambulance station with only one ambulance. East midlands ambulance service wants to move Gainsborough's ambulances to bigger towns like Lincoln and Newmark. A town of 20,000 people can’t have just one ambulance. Waiting times for ambulances are already high and there have been numerous stories about accidents and problems arising from the shortage of ambulances. We believe this will leave the residents of Gainsborough and West Lindsey with an inadequate service that will put lives at risk.

There are currently 7 primary schools Under the NYCC care in danger of closing. We have already lost 3. In an ideal world Ings would remain open, and the heart of the community however as this now seems futile I feel that there needs to be a full investigation into why we have got into this situation, and how we are going to prevent it happening again. I would also like it to be investigated why we are closing these schools yet allowing private developers to put in planning for two new schools in the area- both of which will be owned by an academy or free school, meaning they will no longer be under any of NYCC remit- a massive safeguarding issue

The Directors of Airedale NHS Trust are about to transfer the staff who run hospital buildings, grounds and purchasing departments into a private company. This private company can only provide cheaper services to the hospital if it cuts corners, or cuts jobs, pay and working conditions. Lower pay and increased work will hit the morale of already overstretched NHS staff, making it hard for their families to make ends meet and the whole community. Hospital staff should be thinking about how to provide the best service for patients, not worrying about how they’re going to pay the bills. The NHS is not only a provider of health care for all, free at the point of need but an important provider of good quality, fairly paid jobs.

We the undersigned wish to express our profound disquiet at the roll-out of digital Universal Credit (UC). The Government’s plans will continue to replace all means-tested social security benefits and tax credits for those of working age, across Greater Manchester and beyond. We believe that we should not stand for such wilful ignorance of the impacts of the new system. We urge individuals, groups, organisations, MPs, councillors, landlords and housing associations to stand in solidarity against the Universal Credit roll-out. Signed and shared by: Greater Manchester Law Centre, GM Poverty Action, Big Issue North, Salford Mayor Paul Dennett, Salford Council Welfare Rights and Debt Advice Team, Salford Star, People's Plan GM, Coffee 4 Craig, St Mungo's Unite, Kill the Housing Bill, Cllr Gary Bridges, Cllr Bev Craig, Cllr Basat Sheik, Cllr Richard Leese, Council Labour Group, Manchester Shield, Withington Lib Dems. As this catastrophe unfolds the shortcomings and blind spots of UC have increasingly become clear. The following are the six issues, faced by individuals and families, which concern us most: 1. People are experiencing waits of six to twelve weeks (sometimes longer) for their first payment of Universal Credit. Consequently, people are spiraling into debt and rent arrears which they may find it impossible to recover from. 2. Universal Credit claims can only be processed online through a system called verify which cannot be completed without requisite ID or computer access. Some of the most vulnerable people, such as those who are disabled, precariously housed, homeless or non-UK citizens, find it extremely difficult to claim. This both lengthens the waiting period for first payments and makes it difficult for individuals to maintain their claims, putting them at risk of sanctions. 3. Sanctions are being applied erratically and arbitrarily in relation to UC. There is mounting evidence highlighting unfair use of sanctions, for example individuals have received them for being at work and missing their work focused interview. Full service roll-out will also bring housing benefit into the realm of sanctions, directly increasing the risk of evictions and homelessness. 4. Under UC many will see a reduction in their financial entitlement and will be living off substantially less money. In some cases individuals will be around £100-£300 less well off per month than on previous legacy benefits like Employment and Support Allowance and Severe Disability Premium . Disabled people and those with debilitating heath conditions will be pushed further into poverty as a result. 5. Young People aged 18-25 will be disproportionately affected by UC, . For example, those aged between 18-21 will not be entitled to housing benefit under UC unless in an exempt category. The exemptions will not cover thousands of at risk young people, resulting in mounting debt and homelessness. 6. Evidence suggests that UC is pushing more children and families into poverty. Unjust elements of UC like the two child limit do not support working or non-working families. Direct links to welfare reform, specifically UC are causing professionals to highlight the risk of more children going into care and families becoming homeless. We call on the Government to halt the roll-out while all of the problems are reviewed, to avoid creating unnecessary suffering. Universal Credit, if rolled out in its current form, is a Universal Catastrophe that will place an unsustainable burden on the finances of local authorities, charitable organisations and support services who will ultimately be left to pick up the pieces.

Changing SMI from being a benefit to a loan will mean that yet again many of our vulnerable people will end up further into debt. Also the fact that this has been done relatively on the quiet is another example of this governments rough shod ways of dealing with the most vulnerable people within our society.