Our park. Our community. Our responsibility — together. We love Kilburn Grange Park. Every morning, this small patch of green holds our community together — dog walkers, families, runners, children, elders, friends. It's where we breathe. Where we belong. But every summer, the same thing happens: 🗑️ Bins overflow and aren't collected regularly 🦊 Foxes and crows scatter rubbish across the park overnight 👶 Children play next to waste on their way to school 😤 We're told to "report it on an app" that doesn't even recognise our park as a location Meanwhile, Hampstead Heath and Primrose Hill get larger bins, more frequent collections, and better infrastructure — even though most of their users are tourists, not local residents. Over 99% of Grange users are local residents who pay council tax. We deserve equal care. With the combined population of the surrounding wards growing by over 21% (adding more than 5,000 residents) in the last two decades, the current infrastructure has simply not scaled to meet this surge in demand, making the reliance on small, inadequate bins increasingly untenable. WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR: ✅ Daily afternoon rubbish collections — so waste doesn't sit overnight ✅ Larger, animal-proof bins — like the ones in Hampstead and Primrose Hill ✅ Transparency — how much is Veolia being paid, are they paying for using park land for their operations, and where is that money going? ✅ Fair treatment — our park attendant cannot manage 2 acres alone with substandard facilities ✅ A proper reporting system — not a broken app that shifts responsibility onto residents THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT RUBBISH. It's about whether our community is valued the same as wealthier neighbourhoods. It's about a park that has served this community for over 100 years — and deserves to be treated with respect. "The most radical act in a metropolis is simply to leave a piece of ground unbuilt. The next most radical is to care for it properly." Clean the Grange — because we all walk on the same ground.

The £1.15 charge soon adds up when a number of books are reserved. On the other hand, the £150,000 ECC says it will save with this charge, is paltry when compared to ECC's overall budget of over £2 billion (Campaigners say cuts are 'biggest attack' on Essex libraries - BBC News). And when cuts are made to libraries, it increases costs elsewhere, such as the social care budget. Our libraries are excellent value for money, and should not be squeezed further. Two surveys have already found this charge will make a real difference to how people use libraries. Between three-quarters and ninety percent of those surveyed said they would either use their library less, or stop using their library altogether (https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CspgVDTDV/). And we've seen this before, where a decline in use caused by cuts, is then used to justify closing libraries. With 2026 declared the National Year of Reading in an attempt to reverse an alarming decline in reading, particularly reading for pleasure, now really isn't the time to place further barriers in the way of using libraries. And the principle of a public library is that it should be free. ECC has set our libraries up to fail, and this disastrous charge must be scrapped.

Marjorie I’m Marjorie. I’m 80 now. I have very severe physical disabilities. The Helena Lane Day Care Service in Ludlow is my absolute lifeline. The Day Care Service provides me with social, physical, and emotional care: with friendship; with a hot meal; with help to have a bath; with support and advice when I need it. My life is so much better because of this service – and Shropshire Council proposes to end it. They’ve already run this service down and down – five days to three, full days to half days, staff numbers cut, transport to the Centre axed – and they’ve been TURNING AWAY people who want and need to use this level of care.  But now they give “low attendance” as a key reason for the proposal to close the service altogether! I’m going to go completely ‘doo lally tap’ if I can’t go out anymore. I’m so scared that this is what they’re forcing on me. I can’t stand without assistance. I can’t climb stairs at all. I can’t reach for things on shelves or in cupboards. I can’t walk more than a few yards using my 4-wheel rollator. I depend on other people for my personal care. The service at Helena Lane is a central part of my life. I wonder if Council’s consultation paper is straight from fairyland? This is what they’re offering me after they close the Day Care Service: • Three times in a short document it’s suggested that I need to be accessing employment (!) – but I’m 80 and very disabled and I need a carer to even get out of bed. • They suggest I could use a different day service. Where? Shrewsbury? How do they think I’m going to get there? • And they direct me to a weekly community lunch run by volunteers. Great – but I can’t physically get into the building and I wouldn’t be able to access the loo even if I could. “Sit at home and rot” seems to be the plan for people like me. Please think about what I’ve said, and also please read the comments below from my friend Nino. Her husband has dementia and attends day care at Helena Lane.  She explains what closing the service will mean for people with dementia and their carers. We both think rural services matter - and Ludlow surely deserves better than this.  Please, please sign this petition. Nino Like Marjorie, I'm furious that Shropshire Council intends to end the Day Care Service at Helena Lane. My husband has dementia and can't be left on his own now. A four-hour slot one day a week at Helena Lane is a godsend. It means he has that routine of social contact in a safe environment – and I get a little bit of time for me. I can’t begin to explain how important that is. Both of us would like him to attend Helena Lane for the three days a week they’re open – but they can't offer that because staff numbers have been cut. Ironic, really, when the Council wants to stop the service because of low demand! The Council seems to think that voluntary services like Hands Together Ludlow can step in to replace Helena Lane. It’s a fantasy! We already know about these services and we use them – but they CANNOT substitute for skilled care from qualified staff. If the Helena Lane service goes, there will be no venue in Ludlow where someone with severe dementia can attend without their carer. That will be a huge loss – for people with dementia AND for carers. There is already so little support. If this closure happens, it’s a disaster for Ludlow people affected by dementia. IF YOU LIVE IN SHROPSHIRE, PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION NOW!

Petition to Protect Our High Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) We, the undersigned staff, are deeply concerned about the proposal to remove our High Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) following the forced relocation of our workplace to a site just beyond the Outer London boundary. This move was not a choice made by the workforce, yet the consequence is a significant reduction in pay for staff who continue to live and work in and around London, facing the same high cost of living as before. The loss of HCAS would place an unfair financial burden on dedicated employees who have continued to serve their communities without disruption. HCAS exists to help staff manage the higher living costs associated with working in and around London. Relocating a workplace by a marginal distance beyond the boundary does not change the financial realities faced by the staff who keep these essential services running. We call on our employer to recognise the impact this decision will have and to protect the HCAS payment for all affected staff. Removing this supplement after a forced move is unjust and risks damaging staff morale, retention, and the stability of vital services. We respectfully urge our employer to reconsider this decision and work with staff and representatives to find a fair solution that protects employees from an unnecessary loss of income.

As an NHS administration worker I feel privileged to work towards helping people on their way to better health and my job has as much impact on patient care. The 3% pay rise this year, after previous years of inadequate rises against the Cost of living crisis, is pushing my position to become untenable as a single parent trying to support two kids through collage the ends just are meeting anymore. I've always considered myself lucky I'm good at creative budgeting and tightening our belts but there's nothing left to tighten, I have colleagues who already use wage advances and adhoc loans to get through the month. I don't feel I'm being unreasonable asking for a fair wage, we work hard and the strain of money worries ontop of the strain of the job is taking its toll, a decent payrise this year will go a way to alleviate some of this.

A secretive US tech company called Palantir is embedding itself into our public services - including running a huge patient database for our NHS. Co-founded by a billionaire Trump donor, it provides tech to Trump’s ICE immigration agency and the Israeli military. But right now we’ve got a major chance to get their NHS deal scrapped - and kick start a domino effect that sees ALL their contracts ended. How? Ministers actually have the option to cancel the NHS deal early. But with these contracts flying under the radar, it’ll take all of us speaking up to make that happen. If you agree that our NHS and other public services shouldn’t be cutting deals with a private company that helps armies kill people, sign the petition now!

It is important to support this campaign to stop the failures before it goes any further. Remember how much over development in housing is still occurring, we cannot afford to lose any public services.

Southern Park is open to the public early in the morning and later in the afternoon, and many residents use it for walking and commuting during these hours. However, the park currently has no lighting, making visibility extremely poor. This lack of lighting creates safety concerns. In low visibility, people are at higher risk of accidents, such as tripping or falling, and there is also an increased fear of potential assaults or other unsafe situations. Many community members avoid using the park during these times simply because it does not feel safe. We are requesting the installation of adequate lighting throughout Southern Park so that residents can use it during early morning and late afternoon hours without fear. Proper lighting would significantly improve safety, accessibility, and overall community well-being.

Dartmoor Prison has been empty for over 18 months after toxic gas made it unsafe. Yet, with no prisoners inside, taxpayers are still forking out around £4 million every year in rent to Prince William’s Duchy of Cornwall.  It gets worse. The cost for repairing the prison could be as much as £68 million, and we'll be expected to foot the bill. This is an unacceptable waste of public money while our prison system is overcrowded and underfunded.  That’s why we are calling on our future monarch, Prince William, to do the right thing: stop charging the taxpayer rent for this empty building and help fix the mess at Dartmoor. Doing so could save millions of pounds in public money, which could instead be invested in improving our prison system, supporting rehabilitation, and easing overcrowding.

Imagine waking up tomorrow and finding the UK government, your bank, or even our hospital systems suddenly offline. Not because of hackers, but because a foreign company, or a foreign leader decided to flip a switch. This isn’t science fiction. When President Trump wanted to punish the International Criminal Court, the US sanction regime forced Microsoft to block the court’s emails. That’s the reality of being dependent on foreign tech. This has happened in peacetime to an organisation, what happens if there is a war?  Other countries in Europe including Germany, France and Denmark are acting fast. They’re building “digital sovereignty” so critical systems can’t be controlled by outsiders. The UK is still sitting on the sidelines. What is the problem? The UK is dangerously reliant on a small number of foreign tech companies for critical digital infrastructure. These companies are mainly located in the US and include Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Palantir whose services are used across government and public services. But they also include companies based in Israel and China. MPs took action over Huawei’s collusion with the Chinese government but they need to do more to challenge the UK’s dependence on other foreign-controlled companies for the systems that underpin our democracy, economy, and national security. This has become even more urgent now that the US government is openly operating outside of international law.  Even “secure” systems are fragile when foreign powers can cut the plug. The solutions exist Open-source systems already exist, and Europe is investing billions to replace commercial software subject to US legal controls.  Using Open Source software does not stop governments from employing US companies, but it makes it possible to sever relations if necessary. This is good for competition, costs and sovereignty. The UK needs to: • Use open-source software that the UK can control. • Diversify suppliers – including more UK companies to help grow our economy.  • Make sure critical systems can’t be switched off by someone else. Take action now This isn’t just about technology. It’s about sovereignty, democracy, and safety. Join us and demand the UK government reclaim control of our critical systems. We can’t wait until it’s too late.

The UK once had a fast, dependable, reliable postage system, provided at a sensible price for the user, not the shambles it has become. We need to restore that level of service. The UK post office started in 1660 and became the envy of the world. Recently, the price of stamps has shot up and the delivery service seems to be dependent on which way the wind is blowing on a particular day of the week.  Even finding out if you are on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday delivery or a Tuesday, Thursday delivery appears to be a state secret. It's just an almighty mess and a system that can no longer be relied on. I myself received a letter detailing a hospital operation, 10 days after I was admitted for it! I can only imagine how devastating the new delivery timetable is for businesses who rely on it.  So can we do anything about it? YES! STOP USING FIRST CLASS POST. If everyone either used 2nd class or special delivery for really urgent mail, the post office would just have to deliver it all as it was posted and hopefully 6 days a week.  Sign up, spread the word, we don't need this outdated 2 tier price system which just doesn't work any more! MAKE 2ND CLASS THE ONLY CLASS!

The horrific mass stabbing attack left 11 people in hospital, but thanks to brave staff and passengers, lives were saved. Showing this kind of bravery in a nightmare scenario is incredible, and we’re calling for national honours to properly recognise these remarkable people. Sign the petition now to show how much we appreciate them and how grateful we are for their sacrifice.