Wensum Lodge was once well-known as a thriving Norfolk County Council-run arts hub for the Eastern region. It is still the only place in the region, and certainly in Norwich, to offer accredited qualifications in many of the creative courses run there. These are all due to be cut in September 2017, with only 3 months notice. The recent numerous managerial staff changes and funding squeezes have caused problems at the Lodge, which might be ameliorated were they able to attract more paying students - something which they can do if their online presence and communications strategy improved, and if they continued along the accreditation route. Current students enrolled on courses at Wensum Lodge are often making career changes, or are developing skills in the creative industries which they then plan to use to undertake freelance work - all of which add to the creative life of the city. The value of hosting accredited courses is significant: they are instrumental in training individuals that have allowed our region to develop a strong reputation for the creative arts, and they facilitate the development of careers in those areas. This makes a positive impact on multiple levels: for the creative economy of the area - financial and reputational, not to mention the mental health of students taking these courses. Cutting courses that are poorly advertised and administered makes very little sense when the courses themselves are highly subscribed. On a practical level, some classes could be relocated to more appropriate providers, but the arts courses that are offered cannot. For example, the nearest places offering accredited Ceramics courses were in London, and then almost exclusively in the northwest of the UK. What Wensum Lodge should be doing is investing in publicity and learning support networks (computing, and online presence, amongst other things) in order to encourage more paying students rather than cutting classes that are popular and a valid part of the Eastern region's creative artistic ecosystem.

This is such an important part of our community and vital to the health and well being of older members of our community.We all know someone who has used the services and are using the services and to let this go without even a whimper is a disgrace. They provide advice, enable independence and combat loneliness.

This surgery is used by over 5000 people, other surgeries are also full to capacity. Forcing them to take on the extra patients caused by the closure of folkestone east family practice will have a detrimental affect on the healthcare the residents of folkestone recieve. Closing this surgery may even lead to people not seeking a gp due to being unable to travel far

We, the Leicester public, are rapidly losing our green spaces – 6 acres of allotments off Saffron Lane were sold last year. The Western Park golf course has been closed down, Oadby golf course is for sale as are 14 acres off Loughborough Road, 5 acres on Abbey Meadows and now 5 acres in Western Park. Without parks, where will our children learn to play football or ride bicycles? Will they have to pay an entrance fee? Where will we walk our dogs and breathe unpolluted air? We see our heritage privatised or gentrified, too. The Castle and its gardens, Wyggeston House, the City Rooms, the Pavillion in Western Park, Belgrave House, Braunstone Hall and now the rare surviving example of an Open Air School in Western Park. Heritage City, accessible only to those who can afford it? We say enough! Both the EcoHouse and the Open Air School are our heritage. Both were shining examples of progressive thinking, highlighting 'the way forward' in terms of public wellbeing and the health of the planet that sustains us. Clean air is a human right. The Council has Clean Air and Low Carbon policies. We want to see these put into practice - meaning the sell-off and building up of our green spaces has got to stop. As things stand, 20 houses will be constructed on the EcoHouse site. The heavily used carpark will be lost. Years of building upheaval will follow, as will the permanent transfer of our assets and park land into private pockets. This short term thinking - papering over the cracks of outdated 'economy first, people second' politics - is harmful to our rights and to the long term future of our city. Leicester City Council have no management plan for Western Park beyond 2016. Does this bode the sell-off of all of our beloved park? We, the people of Leicester, say no more selling off of our crown jewels! Our Mayor has pledged to build strong, resilient communities – how will he do this, if no space remains where those communities can come together? There are long term alternatives that put people and the future of our city before short term cash. Leicester City Council, put your pretty policies into practice, please.

Medway council want to cut support for children in Medway to pay for an elaborate 10 day celebration and re-enactment of a 350 year-old naval battle - the Battle of Medway. £60,000 will be taken from children’s services to pay for the celebrations - which include jet ski demonstrations, fireworks and over-the-top battle reenactments. This money should be ring fenced for children's services. As a Medway council tax payer I know where I want the money to be spent - on children! Find out further information via: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-39802511 Please share widely across your social networks.

We are 2 weeks into a 6-week (tokenistic) 'consultation' period to downgrade our Post Office in Finsbury Park. We have 4 weeks left to ramp up our response. The petition needs to reach 2000 signatures to trigger a debate in full Council Meeting. We all know that Crown Post Office provides important services that feed into the social and economic vitality of the area it serves. Our Post Office is under threat of being downsized into the corner of a store. Here are just a few reminders why we need to keep it viable and serving our community: 1. There is massive regeneration and development of Finsbury Park: our Post Office should be expanding rather than reduced within a franchise. 2. . Franchises depend on profit; franchise takeovers of Post Offices show a track record of low pay and conditions; high staff turnover; less experienced staff; long queues; people becoming irritated... 3. Big picture is that Crown Post Offices process 40% of financial services mail so are a crucial component of London’s economy. Track record of franchises is loss of experienced staff who are able to deal swiftly and efficiently with complex queries so business users suffer loss of time and money. 4. With a strategy of downgrading services, Post Office Limited’s own branding to serve the ‘heart of the community’ would appear to be a nonsense! Could those highly paid PO Ltd Board executives have signed up to such a policy without researching implications for Finsbury Park? We have massive development! Rapid population growth! Increasing demand! 5. A franchise will lose experienced staff who provide a patient, knowledgeable and polite service. Our PO is used by local businesses, hard-working families; small traders, disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals, (including people with issues of mild dementia; people whose first language is not English, people with disabilities, people with hearing or sight loss. 6. Finsbury Park Post Office serves an area of super-diversity. We need a commitment to promoting social cohesion. The strategic planning policy of National and local government (we have three bordering London boroughs - Hackney, Islington and Haringey) has made this commitment. Reducing Finsbury Park Post Office service by squeezing it into the corner of a store would undermine opportunities for social cohesion. 7. Downsizing to franchise of our PO would erode choice, limit access across our whole community, impact negatively on social cohesion and serve no-one's best interests. - KEEP FINSBURY PARK POST OFFICE VIABLE!

Glasgow City Council has announced that it is cutting all funding to the Housing Support Budget. This means that our vulnerable elderly residents of Glasgow will be without the vital warden support which they currently receive. The warden is a life line for people who have very little or no family and support, enabling them to live not only as independent a life as they possibly can, but simply to live! Without this support, many people would sit lonely for days, weeks or months with absolutely no contact. Our elderly residents will end up completely neglected as GP's do not routinely check on their older patients and are stretched to the limits themselves. Imagine sitting all alone, no one bothering with you or even knowing you exist. Just think how frightened you would feel if this was you, just waiting to die because no one cares. How dare the Council treat our Elderly people like this! Please sign this petition and help save our wardens and show our older people you care about them. Thanks for your support.

Mid & South Essex 'Success' Regime are planning to cut £400m funding to the local NHS under their 'Sustainability and Transformation Plan'. One of the options being considered is the closure of Basildon A&E department. This could mean having to travel to Southend or Broomfield for emergency treatment.

With effect from 1st April 2017 18- 21 year olds will no longer be entitled to Housing Benefit. We know that many young people rely on housing benefit to keep a roof over their heads. These young people do not choose to become homeless. They are often forced out of home because of domestic violence or family breakdown

More than 50,000 people have had specially adapted vehicles taken away from them since changes to disability benefits in 2013. Vehicles are being taken away from people with disabilities without any warning whatsoever The Motability scheme entitles disabled people to lease specially adapted new vehicles and powered wheelchairs. As a Motability vehicle user my self I am terrified that this will be taken away from me , then i would not be driven to my many medical appointments. In fact I would be devastated as I have a life limiting condition, am a wheelchair user and blind. if this was to happen, my life would change dramatically I would have no quality of life and I would be isolated from everything including my own family. Peter Bone MP for Wellingborough Northamptonshire has spoken about this and is a campaigner. DWP need to review this urgently as it affects so many people's lives. The assessment needs to be looked at from a person to person illness to illness point of view rather than trying to just do a one size fits all.We do not all fit into the same box. Every disabled person with a vehicle deserves to keep their vehicle to enable them to live there lives as normal as possible and have as much independence as possible. Motability need to stop taking these adapted vehicles away as they are required by each and every disabled individual who needs a wheelchair accessible vehicle. https://youtu.be/wjEb3R7ey3E You may also be interested in the petition below which is also related to disabled people: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/allow-wheelchair-accessible-vehicles-into-rubbish-and-recycling-centres

***5000 signatures forces the Council to discuss the issue at a Council Meeting. Please only sign this petition if you live, work or use LD services in Somerset*** The transfer of Somerset’s Learning Disability Service from Somerset County Council to Discovery was promised as a means of ensuring sustainable care for people with a learning disability, with ‘no savings targets’. It is now clear, however, that to make the £4m saving predicted Discovery plan to make staff redundant, reduce the terms and conditions of those left, and possibly close day centres. By starving funding for adult social care Somerset County Council have handed Discovery the task of implementing cuts that will hit the care provided to vulnerable people. Cuts will lower morale, risk high staff turnover, and leave staff vacancies unfilled. Service users and their families were promised a sustainable service focused on the continuity of care delivered by experienced, knowledgeable and familiar staff. The cuts proposed will be highly detrimental to the delivery of personalised quality care. We are therefore calling on Somerset County Council to give LD Services the funding that it needs to ensure continued high quality care for vulnerable adults in Somerset. If the current cuts are progressed this will not be achieved.

The new government policies that came into force yesterday have been assessed as pushing an extra 200,000 children into poverty. One of the changes effectively punishes the 3rd child and treats them differently to their older siblings. It also places unbearable pressure on the mother to put in an official form whether she has been raped or not. Given that most rapes go unreported, or do not reach court due to the high attrition rates for sexual offences, how exactly are women in this position supposed to be able to prove their rape? How many women will choose not apply rather than relive the trauma of the assault? This new approach also penalises parents who already have a 3rd child, and who may need state support in the future due to their circumstances changing. Only their first 2 children are eligible for financial support, again effectively discriminating against the 3rd child. This is blatantly unfair, and against the rights of the child and the mother. It's crucial that this change is challenged and if necessary taken through the courts and all the way to the ECHR- for the sake of children and families. This needs to be challenged by all political parties to send a strong signal to the Government that it cannot get away with treating its citizens in this cruel and inhuman way.