The Independent Living Fund makes a massive difference to disabled peoples' lives and it's a far better alternative to the very limited help provided by council-funded care agencies, or living in an institution. The ILF is the only way a lot of us disabled people get the care and help we actually need, because we directly employ our own PA's (or carers), who can help us in the most appropriate way. Many disabled people are skilled and talented individuals who have a lot to offer society, but we can't offer our skills to the world if we are either shut away in an institution or having to rely on the massively restricted help that council agency 'carers' provide. Like non-disabled people, we all have individual needs, and it is only through being in charge of our own care that we can ensure our needs are properly met and we can reach our full potential as human beings and members of society. The Government has argued that the care provided by agencies contracted out by local authorities is sufficient for disabled people. This is completely wrong! These agencies are expensive for the councils to use yet they pay their own 'carers' a very low rate of pay. The way it works is, the more clients a council-funded agency 'carer' can take on, the more money she or he earns. This of course means less time is then available to provide help to each client. In addition, there have been well-documented cases where clients receiving help from council-funded agency carers, (either in an institution or via home visits) have been subjected to physical and mental abuse. If the disabled person can directly choose and employ their own PA, then this is far less likely to happen. The current plan to scrap the Independent Living Fund is not only inhumane but it doesn't even make economic sense! For example, it will cost a lot more to keep someone in an institution for a year or to pay the wages of an agency 'carer' than it would to provide that same person with an annual budget to pay for and control their own care. To the next UK Government: Please show some humanity and common sense and ditch the plans to scrap the ILF!

Mary Street Parcel Office is in a convenient centrally located position. But Royal Mail intend to close the Mary Street Parcel Office and move all parcels to Wearfield, at Sunderland Enterprise Park, near Wessington Way. The Wearfield site it is more difficult to access by public transport. Many people will have to take 2 busses to reach it, and then walk to the new site. This will unfairly affect those without their own transport, as well as those with mobility issues including the elderly and those with disabilities affecting their mobility. The move will result in job losses. 5 out of 10 employees in Mary Street will loose their jobs. Staff are having to attend interviews for the remaining 5 jobs. On top of this there will be an environmental impact as customers are forced to have their parcels redirected rather than picking them up at their own convenience whilst already shopping in town. In order to cut costs Royal Mail are putting profit before people. Please sign the petition to let Royal Mail bosses know that the people of Sunderland demand the service that they are paying for and will not stand for the job losses or environmental impact caused by this unfair and ill considered move.

The Short Breaks service is very important to all the families with disabled children in Hounslow. It is all about inclusion in society. Some of our families only use this service to take their disabled children out - due to cost or embarrassment because of societies attitude towards disability. Due to their family committments - this is the only networking some parents do. You hear in the media about parents comitting suicide and taking their disabled children with them. If you realised the daily stress we are under you wouldn't cut this service, because you would appreciate it's value to the family as a whole.

These nurseries are the foundation of our communities, our history and development. Some of these nurseries have been in our communities for over fifty years, giving 3 generations in some families of education with well trained, dedicated staff. These important years a child develops :- Physical development Cognitive development Emotional and social development Language development Sensory and motor development Not only will the development of the above be affective, but also the parents will be too. This will result in more mother's giving up work, because of childcare issues,and more people staying on benefits longer. Also the most vulnerable children in our society, `Children with Special Educational Needs` (SEN). Most of these children don't get a diagnosis until the problems are picked up at school, especially our nursery provision, as social and emotional disabilities don't begin to surface until a child starts school. There will be other issues effected by this, such as teacher's, LSAs and other support staff, including dinner and kichen staff all are at risk of job loss, reduction of hours and redundancies. Please support our petition and campaign to save our nurseries.

Hale Library is more than a library its community space which is used by groups and all ages of the community. It has an area for displays & exhibitions It ha sa tourist information and important local what's on

The Vic Studios is the only public building with a recording studio kitted out with it's own equipment in; with the pending removal of music from the National Curriculum, it is imperative that other means of accessing music is available to young people. Also see https://www.facebook.com/groups/savethevicstudioswrexham/ for updates.

Barts Health NHS Trust is the biggest hospital trust in England, running six hospitals including Whipps Cross, Newham University and The Royal London. It has the biggest health PFI and the biggest deficit. We the undersigned note that: a) Barts Health NHS Trust is in financial crisis with a £93m deficit, the Chief Executive recently resigned, and pending reports on the quality of care and worsening A&E waiting times soon to be released; b) Barts Health NHS Trust is paying £43m a year in interest payments to private investors on the PFI contracts; c) This is a main cause of Barts Health’s deficit and its £58m of cuts last year, including the loss of 10% of posts and the downbanding of staff; d) The PFI contracts make our hospitals outsource key services (like domestics services and catering) to private providers; even when it is more expensive. Barts Health saved 7% of the costs of some services provided under the PFI (or £4m per year) by bringing them in-house. - Learn more about Barts PFI at www.peoplevsbartspfi.wordpress.com - Learn more about PFIs at www.peoplevspfi.org.uk

Mental health services in Sefton are currently provided by Inclusion Matters, a locally run company. Their staff provide a high-quality service. South Sefton CCG and Southport & Formby CCG have decided to commission the service from cheaper providers from April 2015. The contract for the service has been awarded to two organisations based outside Sefton: Cheshire and Wirral Partnership and Insight UK. Staff have now been informed that the new providers plan to make staff redundant. This is despite previous assurances being given by the providers to the CCGs that they would provide a service of the same consistency and quality. South Sefton CCG and South Formby CCG have made a poor decision based on cost, not quality of care. The decision will impact on jobs and on the accessibility and quality of the service. For the good of vulnerable people, committed staff and the local community, the CCGs should reverse their decision and put care before cost.

Four outstanding grammar schools in Southend (Southend High School for Boys, Southend High School For Girls, Westcliff High School for Boys, and Westcliff High School For Girls) are facing an urgent funding crisis as budget forecasts show that they will not be able to cover costs of all their lessons in the next few years due to loss in government funding. This means young adults of high academic ambition and excellence from all backgrounds in the local area are having their education negatively affected. These four schools, as well as many other successful schools around the country, have long accepted a lower rate of funding because of their grammar school status. All schools have regularly received 'Outstanding' Ofsted reports and this success is in jeopardy. These schools are facing severe cuts and have had to introduce cost cutting measures including increasing class size, reducing class equipment and staff and reducing the number of subjects taught to pupils. These schools have survived and prospered for over a century and through two world wars. They have produced some of the brightest talents in the country in various industries. We must fight to keep up this prestige and continued excellence in some of our best schools. Forti Nihil Difficile (To the brave, nothing is difficult)

Duncan Place Resource Centre has been an active and thriving community centre for over 3 decades. The centre has a large and diverse user group which accommodates all ages, abilities, sexes and ethnicities despite it's lack of capital investment from local authorities. The centre has offered training opportunities to locals since being built in 1915. There are no other centres anywhere else in the capital, and Duncan Place Resource Centre is almost the last community asset in Leith, with many having succumbed to development and regeneration.

Quite clearly Ava Joliffe requires a carer to be with her for a significant period of each day. Her mother estimates that she currently cares for her daughter for approximately 128 hours a week. It is important that this child gets the care and support she quite clearly requires to have a fulfilled life. http://www.itv.com/news/granada/update/2015-03-02/the-8-year-old-at-the-centre-of-a-benefits-row/

One of Britain’s oldest surviving prisoners of war faces being forced into a care home against his will after Brent council refused to pay for his home help. Robbie Clark, a 96 year old War Hero and ex POW, has spent almost all of his life savings to pay for 24-hour care at his home in Burnt Oak, North London. Now the veteran, who was one of the British soldiers who survived Hitler’s 1,000-mile death march across Europe in 1945, only has enough money to last another three months. Mr Clark’s son Mike, 58, has been in a two-year battle with Brent Council over funding his father’s care since the pensioner lost the use of his legs after a heart operation in 2012. Brent Council solicitor Fiona Bateman said in one letter: “The local authority believe it is entirely correct that residential care remains the preferred option to ensure that Mr Clark has access to 24 hour care and support that he requires. His family said he may have to sell his home and they fear being in a care home would kill him. Mr Clark, a father of two with four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, said: I have been in my own place all my life. I have got everything here. My family are near and my friends are near. I am nice and comfortable here and I’d not get that in a care home. It would remind me of being a prisoner of war.