Many of the working poor, sick and disabled are on a knife-edge as to whether they lose their homes, can continue working, end up in hospital, breakdown, die or commit suicide. The DWP have been fighting the figures for deaths of those found 'fit to work'. The media typically don't report the plight of the working poor or those needing benefits (in or out of work). Councils are given more and more responsibility so that their spending power looks good when they cry out about cuts. The government cuts-back the funding before handing over responsibility. Councils then have to hurt their residents. The people must be given a choice. If Greeks can do it, so can the Brits.

Deaths of our citizens in a foreign land were enough to secure a minute's silence recently. It's time the government formally acknowledge their complicity in the deaths of the sick and disabled on our own shores by the malicious manipulation and abrogation of the benefits system, when evidence made clear the policy was causing harm.

Broomhill has been a hub in the centre of the community in Gedling, Nottingham for over twenty years. The centre works with people who have enduring and complex mental health problems, helping them to move back to independent living. It is a Nurse-led, 12 bedded inpatient unit. In addition, it supports at least 15 patients in the community who are ex-residents, some of whom have no families or support network. In 2014 the Care Quality Commissioners inspected Broomhill and reported that it is an effective well run service that provides an excellent quality of care. The NHS Trust that Broomhill is part of is planning to close the unit down by October 1st 2015. The in-patients at Broomhill have very difficult needs. They require very skilled help and good therapeutic relationships before they are able to live independently. If Broomhill is closed it is likely one of 3 things will happen to our patients with complex needs: they will be discharged from acute mental health wards into the community and receive an hour or two a week visits from a Community Mental health Team. It’s very likely that this will not be enough to prevent them from relapsing. They will have to stay on the acute hospital wards for a long time. This takes up expensive beds and prevents others from getting a bed and not getting the rehabilitation and recovery work they need The Trust will have to pay for very expensive services from another organisation, often in the private sector, and a long way from the patients’ home. We are all very used to hearing that ‘Cuts are necessary’, but Broomhill is an amazing example of a service that shows excellent quality. Relapse is not just devastating for the patient but in the long term costs dearly and adds pressure to the NHS and other stretched public services. Why break something up that works well and has helped so many patients and their carers? You can read more information about Broomhill on this blog post: https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2015/07/16/save-broomhill-rehabilitation-centre/

Will you help to spread the word? We're filing a massive class-action lawsuit against the British Conservative government over its hugely unpopular, unfair and destructive Austerity plan. We see it as embezzlement of public funds. We need the best lawyer's support, and we believe we CAN WIN THIS. Please, SHARE THIS MESSAGE WITH ALL YOUR FRIENDS via any and every means at your disposal, including but not limited to facebook, twitter, email and word-of-mouth. My email address is: [email protected] People can contact Michael Mansfield QCs Chambers directly, to tell him how much they value his support and how popular this cause is already and how it's quickly going to go viral. We want half a million petitioners, all the people who attended the June 20th march and rally to Parliament. http://www.mansfieldchambers.co.uk/contact-us/

Arts Therapists provide a unique approach within mental health care. It will not only limit the therapeutic services we are able to offer to clients but also be a loss to the teams in which therapists offer perspectives in discussions, decision making and reviews. It will inevitably put more pressures on an already stretched service.

The Nursery provides and important lifeline for Parents who wish to study in Further Education, as well as for Staff at the College and High School and community beyond. The Nursery is well loved and has an excellent track record and it's loss would be keenly felt. We do not feel that enough options have been explored by the College to keep the Nursery Open and we would like to see the figures and the basis for the decision to close it made public, as well as the results of the 'Consultation' process the College went through.

The residents feel safe and secure there. They are two respite care homes for Dementia, Old Age, Physical Disability and Alzheimer's. Our Council Cheshire East Council should a duty of care and look after is old and vulnerable residents.

Carers save the nation billions of pounds every year by looking after friends and relatives. They give up jobs, money and their personal lives to do this for no pay. The disabled cannot always work. No-one wants to employ people who may have to take a lot of time off sick or for hospital appointments. The poorest people in our country are getting poorer. Why? Because this Government wants to cut their supply line, along with the disabled and carers. We need to stand up for ourselves and each other. We need to stay alive. As an unemployable disabled carer, this latest round of cuts announced impacts on me in all three directions. Where will I be this time next year? Who knows?

On 18th June Fife Cultural Trust, who run Fife's libraries on behalf of Fife Council, announced the proposal to close 16 libraries across the county: Glenwood (Glenrothes), Thornton, Markinch, Pitteuchar (Glenrothes), Kinghorn, Crail, Lundin Links, Pittenweem, Colinsburgh, Falkland, Freuchie, East Wemyss, Bowhill, Crossgates, Abbeyview (Dunfermline) and Townhill. These libraries provide many people with vital internet services and access to books that they would otherwise not get. Many unemployed people or those on low income cannot afford internet contracts and therefore use the libraries for this: closing them means far more restricted access to things like online banking, bill payments and job searching. Some of the areas affected are rural and by closing these internet access points they will have to use public transport to travel further afield; this is money they do not have, and may lead to benefit sanctions if they cannot apply for jobs. Update (23/6/15): Local councillors have managed to stall the closures by demanding Fife Council give a public consultation. While this is great news we still need to continue having our voices heard.

Caerphilly CBC has drawn up a new Health and Leisure Strategy that would see 7 of the 11 leisure centre in the area close, including the much loved and well used Cefn Fforest baths. There was a wonderful turn out to the public meeting about the closures on Wed 17th June, where over 100 people spoke with anger and passion against the short-sightedness of these plans. Some comments include: - the difficulties travelling to another area for leisure means that children and adults alike would not be able to exercise or swim as frequently - None of the schools in the area were consulted and yet most use the school for swimming lessons - the hypocrisy of the council encouraging healthy living and yet taking away a prime resource for improving health and well being - the negative effect on our children who won't be able to walk to a local baths, we talked of the wonderful outdoor pool in Pontllanfraith, which is still missed - losing the baths will no doubt effect poverty in a ward that already has one of the highest levels in the whole of Caerphilly Despite the three County councillors saying that they would fight to keep them open, we need to do all we can to let Caerphilly CBC that we are absolutely opposed to their new strategy and they find alternative ways of saving money that will not effect the well-being of so many, as well as the opportunities for our children.

Andrew Smith MP sums it up brilliantly: “It would be socially damaging and a false economy if more children and young people are held back in deprivation and troubled lives as a result, because the long term human and economic costs of that are huge.” Please do not shut our childrens' centres, they are invaluable resources in our troubled times, and to remove them will cause even more suffering and hardship for those already most in need. The council has agreed to reduce its £16m budget for children’s centres and early intervention hubs by 2018. It is part of savings of £284m planned, but Councillors say more may be needed in the face of further Government cuts expected next year. (source:Oxford Mail, 16th June 2015.)

More than three million UK pupils are being under-funded for their education because central government, incredibly, does not fund basic education costs and extra learning needs equally across the country. Local Authorities are allocated money for schools based on out-dated, historical criteria, which has created shocking underfunding of pupils in more than 50 areas, across the country. Schools in those areas have only managed through their thrift, resourcefulness and others' charity. Their deprived children have not received the extra funding that they need and would receive if they lived elsewhere in England and all of their pupils have been affected. This unacceptable situation has been going on for decades, obscured to the public by layers of funding complexity. But no longer: it is time for parents and communities to push for change urgently, because, with education cuts forecast, more than a ⅓ of the already underfunded schools can no longer make do and mend - they face bankruptcy. Millions of our children's futures are at stake.