We're going to see Iain Duncan Smith next month and we want to take this petition with us with as many names as possible. You may not get why we're so wound up about it. Let me share a few stories (all real, local people). Before I do, lets just remember what tax credits are for. They are contributions from the government towards the cost of ofsted registered childcare so that work is possible. Many users of tax credits are single parents but many are also in couples. They are for people for whom work would not be possible without assistance towards childcare (which by the way has to be paid one month in arrears and is subject to fines for late payment). One woman was told that her tax credits would stop because her daughter doesn't exist. The fact that said daughter was crying in the background whilst her stressed and bewildered mother was trying to sort it out whilst wondering how she was going to pay for childcare was irrelevant. Another woman was told that her tax credits would be cut to £85 a month (a contribution towards an £800 childcare bill for 2 children representing well over half of the whole family's take home pay.)This was because concentrix concluded that a previous childcare provider had not been ofsted registered and therefore this lady was in debt to them for falsely claiming help towards childcare that year. Of course the provider had been ofsted registered, we may never know what information concentrix used to reach their conclusion but our member had to shoulder the full responsibility of proving her case, all the while on reduced tax credits and even had to arrange a meeting with her employer to explain that work would not be feasible if she couldn't prove her case. The member is now vindicated but the stress she was wrongly put under was extremely serious and unnecessary. Another member was subject to a thorough investigation of her circumstances after which concentrix reached the bizarre conclusion that her total childcare costs for 2 children were £4 a week....totally validates any claim that the government and their agencies are out of touch with real life...if such a cheap provider exists I want their details! I could go on....case after case, story after story - already vulnerable people being made to feel desperate, hopeless and quite frankly criminalised. Please, if you agree with us, sign and share to say this is not OK. Perhaps there's a case to be made for people to be investigated as benefit fraud happens - but the way it is being done is unnecessarily negatively impacting people who could do without it!

Oxfordshire County Council is proposing to shut down all 44 of the County’s Children’s Centres, and halve the current Early Years budget of £16m. Instead the council will replace them with just eight Children and Family Centres, which would only be accessible to the most vulnerable by referral. Our well used and much loved centres in communities across Oxfordshire currently provide a wide range of early intervention support including parenting courses, support for postnatal depression and mental health, young parent groups, breastfeeding support, mobile libraries, maths and English classes for adults, midwife support, baby groups, health visitor drop-in clinics, Freedom programmes for victims of domestic abuse and much more. If current proposals go ahead, most of this support would either disappear entirely or only be available to families who are already in difficulties. An end to universal provision of support for families of under-fives will only increase the stigma associated with seeking out help, and may put people off using these essential services at a time when they feel vulnerable and isolated. It is a false economy to close Children’s Centres. Universal access to the early intervention services they provide has numerous economic and other long-term benefits for the health and wellbeing of parents, children and the wider community. The cuts will result in a higher workload for other health professionals (health visitors, GPs), higher future costs and an increased risk of postnatal difficulties (breastfeeding difficulties, postnatal depression) with potentially serious and long-term consequences for parents and babies. We have started a community-led campaign asking the council to reconsider these plans urgently. The children’s centres are well regarded, well established and their staff are highly experienced professionals. Many families across Oxfordshire can and do readily access support at a time when they need it most. The testimonies of families who have used the centres make it clear how much of a lifeline they are. Together, we must protect them.

Disabled Students Allowance makes University a more accessible experience and is a vital support mechanism for disabled students. These cuts will mean students will go through university without necessary support, and this could lead to higher dropout rates and lower educational attainment for these students. No additional funds have been announced to bridge the gap and the Government are out of touch in their belief that institutions will accept the new responsibilities placed upon them, leaving students unable to get the support they need in order to study. Many Plymouth University students are from widening participation backgrounds and it worries me the impact that these cuts are going to have here in Plymouth, let alone nationally. It is important that these students are able to access higher education and achieve their potential. However, these cuts will put their education in jeopardy. The UK prides itself on equal opportunities and yet these equal opportunities are being endangered in the name of austerity. The work done by previous governments to ensure access to education will have gone to waste, and students with disabilities will be at a serious disadvantage. Can we really pride ourselves on being a fair and forward thinking nation if those in need are not being given the support they require?

Herefordshire Council has proposed the closure of Leominster Public Library and Services. We, the undersigned, hereby call on Herefordshire Council to allow Leominster Public Library and Services to remain open to the public and managed by a professional librarian.

This drug is the only drug to be added for Hodgkin's Lymphoma for over 40 years. It has a proven efficacy and helps save lives of the young people affected by Hodgkin's Lymphoma who have failed primary, harsh chemotherapy. It was the only drug which got our daughter into remission after 7 years of ever-increasing toxicity. It opened the window she needed to get through a donor bone marrow transplant, and she is now well after 10 years struggling against this cancer. This blood cancer typically attacks young people, in their teens and twenties, who if saved, will go on to pay the taxes this country needs to survive!

The Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council can act to safeguard the future of UWS in Hamilton. Without this investment UWS has confirmed it may have to consider other options, including relocating away from South Lanarkshire. UWS, its students and local partners deserve clarity and certainty.

Council Tax has risen by maximum amount of 1.99% in 2015/16 and there are further planned increases for the next 3 years, why are we paying more for less? Tactical Response Vehicles replacing fully equipped Fire Engines and Mixed Crewing of whole and part-time staff will increase response times and increase the risk to the public. Full-time Fire-fighter posts are already down 10% since 2010 with a further 10% reduction if these cuts are voted through. How do you justify this when you have a massive shortfall of part-time fire-fighters which means regularly some fire engines are NOT available. The geographical layout of North Yorkshire with its 3,340 square miles, population of 1.2 million and large network of main and country roads make it difficult to protect now when North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service average between 8 and 13 fire engines unavailable daily. Further reductions will only add more pressure on a service already over-stretched and short staffed. These changes are supposed to be about the risk and the level of response, yet the severity of an incident in 2004 is no different to one in 2015. Some calls may have reduced due to the amount of Community Fire Safety work carried out daily by fire-fighters, yet premise fires and road traffic collisions have not reduced and the size of our communities and number of businesses have increased. 5 fire deaths this year already in North Yorkshire highlight the dangers still faced by the public and the fact that the risk is still just as great.

We acknowledge that Stirling's Religion programme, as the only place in Scotland where it is possible to study religion without being a part of a Christian faculty of theology, is recognised worldwide as both innovative and highly interdisciplinary, and thus impacts on multiple sectors. Yet there has been no consultation with stakeholders. This raises serious questions about the robustness of the university’s governance structure and about academic freedom. We express deep concern that students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, both existing and new , now face uncertainty about their degree programme. We therefore urge the University to halt the current proposal, consult meaningfully with staff, students and the representative union, and to reconsider completely their precipitous move to withdraw a programme of critical teaching and research that is becoming increasingly vital in world so wracked by a misunderstanding and debasement of religious thinking. For more information, please visit: http://criticalreligion.org/events/august-2015-religion-at-stirling-under-threat/

The Infant Feeding Team (IFT) Support breastfeeding families through support groups or one to one appointments in hospital and community settings. Breastfeeding facilitators are highly skilled staff and they also give guidance to formula feeding mothers who need help and give advice on infant weaning. The breastfeeding facilitators are being drastically cut in number and we are wanting to save their posts in order for families to receive crucial support. The IFT help parents to: Recognise if their baby is getting enough milk. Ensure feeding is a comfortable experience for mum and baby. Identify where more help is needed. They also address medical issues such as tongue tie to help babies to feed. Increase the social capital of mothers through facilitating group and peer support networks. Since IFT (or Mum2Mum as they were previously known) was founded, breastfeeding rates in the City have risen exponentially but we are still significantly less than the national average and more support is needed to encourage breastfeeding. So budget cuts to the service seem to be particularly inappropriate. A UNICEF study found that in addition to saving the NHS £40m a year, increasing breastfeeding rates could reduce the risk of a host of childhood diseases including gastroenteritis, bronchiolitis, ear infections as well as reducing the risk of breast cancer for the mother. Stoke On Trent Council has confirmed the benefits of breastfeeding in their own report dated June 2015, stating "Evidence shows that babies are five times more likely to be admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis and more likely to be overweight or obese in later life if not breastfed." Breastfeeding also helps to tackle infant poverty and goes some way to address health and social inequalities. With present government cuts to families support in reducing family expenditure through breastfeeding is needed. Without IFT new and existing mums will struggle and are likely to cease breastfeeding their babies which will create an increase in health and socio-economic issues for babies, mothers, families, the council and the NHS. Please Sign and share to help us Save Our Infant Feeding Team #SaveOurIFT

In 2011 the management of National Museums Scotland broke an existing ACAS agreement and arbitrarily and unilaterally imposed a two-tier wage structure upon its lowest-paid workers (principally Cleaners, Visitor Services Assistants, Housemen, Security) without consultation or negotiation with the recognised Trade Unions. Staff employed since 1st January 2011 are on reduced terms and conditions without a weekend working allowance which is paid to compensate for having to work anti-social hours. Many of this lowest paid group only get one full weekend off once every seven weeks, which has a detrimental impact on family and social life. The consequence is that low-paid workers on the same shifts, doing the same work, are being paid up to £3,000 less than their colleagues. These workers make the National Museums Scotland the top rate attraction it is, and it is only fair that they get paid properly for their hard work. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation states that those earning under £17,100 a year are being paid a Poverty Wage, and many of our members earn well below that. Senior Scottish Politicians, in opposition against Westminster, have recently been calling for recognition of weekend working payments for those who give up valuable family and social time. These payments make up a large part of low-paid workers’ take home pay. PCS totally agree with safeguarding weekend working rights, and believe that if it is good enough for other workers, then National Museums Scotland staff deserve this too. Both Museum management and the Scottish Government need to embrace the principle of recompensing weekend work and accept PCS proposals to settle this long- running dispute. We do not believe that low-paid culture workers deserve to suffer at the hands of austerity, especially when heritage and culture contribute so much to the Scottish economy. The Museum’s own figures show that it contributes £65million to the economy. PCS Members at the National Museums of Scotland have been taking part in discontinuous strike action for over 2 years. Despite repeated requests to come to a negotiated settlement with management, this has not happened.

Our aim is to keep this building open for the community. We need to reach out the people of Wilnecote and beyond and show the council that there is a big need for the building to stay open for the community groups that already use it and all those that could use it in the future. The Tamworth Herald recently covered the story and published the following: A whole host of groups in Wilnecote have rallied together in a bid to keep a beloved building where it currently is – at "the heart of the community". Earlier this year Staffordshire County Council revealed that the Wilnecote Community Centre was being sold and the site had been earmarked for a 'flexicare development scheme'. It was agreed that community groups currently using the centre could continue to do so until the end of the year. But now, members of groups including the 1st Wilnecote Guides and Attitude Performing Arts, which regularly use the building, have united to "save" the centre from being redeveloped – and keep it open to the community. Protesters have launched a community organisation called The Wilnecote Arts Centre Ltd and are hoping to raise enough money to purchase the building and retain it for use by local social and community groups. It is not yet known how much money the organisation would have to raise to secure the red-brick building. Christine Harris, a guide leader with the 1st Wilnecote Guides, said: "This building is and always has been a community hub. It's the only hub left in the area. If it goes and is redeveloped we are going to have more isolation in the area and could have more anti-social behaviour because nobody will have anywhere to go." "The amount of people who have joined together over this shows that there's a desperate need for it to stay as it is," added Wilnecote resident Christine. The centre, in Tinkers Green Road, is also currently used by a social group for senior members in the community, by the Wilnecote Residents Association and by a social group for adult learners with disabilities. Michala Hitchcock, an Attitude Performing Arts principal who has been involved in the organisation being established, said the centre "brings people together". "What we're trying to do is get as many local people being able to do activities that enhance the community as possible," she said. "We should be increasing participation in activities and improving people's quality of life and they are the kind of opportunities this building offers people." A county council spokesman said the council will work with everyone interested in the future use of the building. "This building formerly housed Tamworth Day Centre and Wilnecote Youth Centre and it has been included in a flexicare development programme because of the need for this type of facility in the area," he said. "After the youth service moved out, it was agreed that local community groups would use that part of the building rather than it remain empty. This agreement will last until the end of 2015. "A community group has lodged an interest in the future use of the building and the county council will continue to work with all interested parties throughout this process. An announcement on the building's future use will be made in the autumn." Cllr Ian Parry, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, added: "In Staffordshire we want to ensure that we get the maximum benefits for communities and maximum value for taxpayers of every single county council owned building. As part of this, we have created a partnership to review sites, including those no longer in use, following a review of youth services in 2014."

We are currently in a GP recruitment crisis, with applications for GP training schemes falling every year. The suggested plans to cut GP registrar pay will exacerbate this trend and put even more junior doctors off a career in general practice. This will worse the current severe shortage of appointments, leading to poor patient satisfaction and putting patients at risk. The government say they want to hire another 5000 GPs by 2020, but this massive pay cut will make this an impossible target. This is another ideological attack on the NHS and its workers.