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.

The Guildhall Walk Walk-In Centre is facing a possible closure due to a decision by health bosses to move the walk-in service to St Marys Hospital. It would be a tragedy if the Guildhall Walk Walk-In Centre is closed down as St Mary's already struggles to provide a service for people with minor injuries and waiting times are often long. The Guildhall Walk Walk-In Centre is very successful and is well used 8am - 8pm, 365 days a year and is available to everyone who wants to see a doctor fairly urgently but can't get in to see their registered GP. If we lose this, we will lose a well-established service and it will be much more difficult to get to see a Doctor urgently in the future. Please sign the petition and Save this Walk-In Centre. https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/emergencydoctors

There are many adults that are unable to get to their day centres, even though we were told that families were happy with their own arrangements, to a lot of us this is so untrue. We have lost a lot of free time to do jobs and for a bit of time to relax which our transport made that possible, so we are asking now that two of our families have been given their transport back which we are all so thank full for but would like to bring to light that the transport that has been given is taxis and escort, this is great but what happens when our next families get their transport back how much will this cost when surely common sense tells us all it would be much less cost to provide a coach and escort that would accommodate most. Please would you sign and share this petition and share it with family and friends regards Noreen Bailey

People seeking sanctuary are now given a further push into poverty due to the Home Office’s decision to drastically reduce the weekly support payments made to asylum seekers. Following a review of asylum support payments earlier this year, the Home Office has now taken the decision to provide every asylum seeker, adult or child, the total of £36.95 a week to cover what they refer to as the “essential living needs” of a person claiming asylum in the UK. This amounts to a 20% cut in support for each child. Families with very young children will receive an additional £5 per week for children under the age of 1 and £3 for those age 1-3 years old. Similarly pregnant women will continue to receive an extra £3 per week and be able to apply for a maternity grant of £300. Below are the different payments made currently and the impact from 10th August 2015 Single Parent and a child is £96.90 will be £73.90 Single Parent and 2 children is £149.86 will be £110.85 Couple and 1 child is £125.48 and will be £110.85 Couple and 2 children is £178.44 and will be 147.80 Given that many asylum seekers already experience destitution due to the low level of support provided, it seems inevitable that these cuts will have a huge impact on the quality of living for people seeking sanctuary. Many asylum seekers come to the UK with almost nothing. In addition asylum seekers are forbidden from working by the Home Office. The current level of support is already inadequate and many rely on the support of voluntary agencies to help them get through the day. It is important to remember that asylum seekers have to rely on this £36.95 a week to feed, clothe and take care of themselves and their family, not forgetting travel costs for asylum appointments, solicitors, healthcare and other essential journeys. The Home Office states that “full consideration has been given to the welfare of children”. However it is families with children who will experience the greatest impact of this reduction in support. At the Welsh Refugee Council, we see many asylum seekers coming through our doors for food and clothing vouchers including food and welfare supplies for their children. Welsh Refugee Council Chief Executive, Salah Mohamed, says ‘These changes suggest the UK Government’s intention is to prolong the suffering of asylum seekers and make it more difficult to access their right to sanctuary and protection. This kind of treatment is unacceptable. The Welsh Refugee Council and other agencies in Wales calls upon all organisations working with asylum seekers to express their disapproval of these cuts by asking the government to abandon its plan to put people in further destitution and help families in the asylum process get a decent quality of life after fleeing conflict or persecution.’

The library was donated to the town by Andrew Carnegie in the 1900s, and the Carnegie Trust UK maintain the ethos of his contributions to be for "improvement of the masses of people of Great Britain and Ireland by such means as are embraced within the meaning of the word "charitable" and which Trustees may from time to time select as best fitted from age to age for securing these purposes, remembering that new needs are constantly arising as the masses advance." ****We have received over 100 signatures on paper since starting the campaign 2 days ago - please show your support - sign & share the online petition***

Out of 600 staff working at National Museum Wales across seven sites, the front of house/visitor services constitute 300 or nearly 50% of the total. They deliver the services that allow the museums to remain open to the public, from cleaning and maintaining the sites to delivering guided tours, demonstrating traditional crafts and ensuring the safety of the National Collections. In total the seven sites host 1.6 million visitors a year, ensuring the cultural and historical heritage of Wales and bringing huge economic benefits to the country. Front of house staff are predominantly the lowest paid in the museum. Many work as many as 47 weekends a year for which they are paid an allowance to compensate them for the ant-social effects this has on their family and social life. After five years of cuts and pay freezes the Museum Management are now seeking to remove these payments which can amount to £2,000 - £3,000 for full-time staff. Many members are already classified as low-paid and face the risk of being pushed into poverty by these cuts. Members face the risk of using food-banks to survive and the increased likelihood of child poverty amongst their families. PCS are the largest union within this section of the workforce and represent 80% of Front of House staff. They have been fighting management proposals for nearly 18 months and believe it is wrong that those who can least afford it, should shoulder the burden of cuts while Senior Managers enjoy effective pay rises. We believe that pay cuts to the lowest paid is a social justice issue that everyone should be concerned by. Our campaign highlights the real impact that austerity has, with those least able and most vulnerable to cuts facing the heaviest hardship.

The 120 Route connects Hawick, Denholm, Jedburgh and Kelso. The Scottish Borders Council subsidy of the 120 Route is being reduced from 15th August 2015. Without the whole subsidy, the service will be reduced by the operating company. The service will be on a reduced basis meaning cuts to the times and this means that if you dont have a car and still need to travel at those times you will have to travel via Galashiels and then change for Jedburgh or Kelso or Hawick, adding some 30 miles and one hour to their journey. This service is vital for people to get about the borders. It is vital for people who don't have cars to be able to travel not just north and south but east and west. Those who rely on it for work or when they have to get to appointments can't change there schedule around a reduced service so let's keep the fight going hands of the 120. The Population of Hawick is 14,000 The population of Jedburgh is 4,000 and Kelso is another 6,000 with all the combined villages the bus also serves that is 25,000 people that this bus links up which is about 24 % of the Scottish Borders Population.