Approximately 19% of the total population or 1 in every 7 persons suffer currently from hearing loss. Around one in three people between the ages of 65 and 74 will suffer from hearing loss. Friendship and communication is such a beautiful thing. Lets make the future more connected. Lets make sign language an essential lesson in schools. One simple step but a leap for the future.

Air pollution can permanently damage children's developing lungs and has been linked to a lower IQ later in life. Air pollution has been implicated in 40,000 premature deaths in the UK already, and it's only going to get worse. 2,091 schools, nurseries, further education centres and after-school clubs in the UK are within 150 metres of a road with illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide. Is it too much to ask that schools should offer our kids a safe haven from air pollution, not worsen their health and damage their future prospects?

It's July, it's 7 pm and it's hot, incredibly hot. The sun is shining bright and high still at this time of day. Sadly, July means school, homework and 7:30 pm bedtimes. Even more sadly, the heat and long daylight of July is not a feature of late August/September nights when the kids are still on holiday (why?!!). They simply miss the best part of the British summer because they have to be at school so late into it! Why should we shorten the summer term to finish by 15th July? 1) The warm, long, light evenings make school-night bedtimes a nightmare for kids and parents. 8pm easily becomes 10pm. 2) Children get less sleep at this time of year and it greatly affects their learning and behaviour 3) The academic learning objectives and targets for the year will have been largely reached and it’s just a waiting game for everyone before the end of term. Late August / September are much more productive in terms of learning, NOT hot July! 4) The hot, sunny weather makes it difficult for the children to learn at school / do homework, making the teacher's job more difficult. 5) At the moment, the children cannot enjoy the long July summer nights… because they are school nights. That means heading home early from parks, pools and beaches and missing out on a lot of physical exercise. Late August and September do not offer the same outdoor opportunities in the evenings as people go indoors when evenings are dark and cold. Also, you are unlikely to make a long drive for a swim in the sea in September, but July would be ideal (but it's a school night, so we can't) 6) In our fight against the dramatic rise in childhood obesity, we need to enable everyone to be physcially active by giving them opportunties do so (long daylight, evenings in the park) 6) For those who do not go abroad, mid-July is really the best time for camping to make the most of the weather and the light evenings. 7) It is likely to reduce school absences as the motivation dwindles in hot weather at the end of the academic year. To enable the legally required 190 school days per academic year, we propose starting the autumn term a little bit earlier when the lesser daylight and lower temperatures at night are more conducive to studying. Although this will make the autumn term slightly longer, this time of year is more productive for both children and parents. It’s a small price to pay to be on holiday at a more suitable time in mid-July. Alternatively, the Easter break could be shortened or all training days could be shifted to the end of the summer term. This year, some schools are having their training days at the end of term, thereby letting the children go on holiday on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 July. It would also be very considerate to family holiday planning if all schools could finish the summer term on a Friday. Being able to finish the summer term by th 15th of July or earlier would make a huge, huge difference to the many families. Please let school children enjoy the best time of the British summer.

40 percent of premature deaths and the burden of disease is attributed to "behaviours" such as diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol. In Newham, with a high population of South Asian backgrounds, the focus on public health is even more important as diabetes is up to 6 times more likely in this population. The obesity and diabetes epidemic particularly affect Newham and we urgently need lifestyle changes programmes at community level, as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. In 2013, the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt and the Chief Executive of Public Health England wrote to all the Chief Executives of Local Authorities to ask them to put people's health and wellbeing at the heart of everything they do. However, this has not taken place in Newham and we request it to change. Our local community with Food Academy and with funding from Diabetes UK, British Heart Foundation and Tesco has been able to deliver 400 fun holiday lunch clubs in the last 2 years, involving 700 mothers and more than 1400 children. We have supported a public health prevention agenda with hands-on cooking and fun physical activities targeting obesity and diabetes in adults and children. However, this type of public health work now requires promotion and funding from the local government and the local NHS for the benefit of our families.

The brave, hard working fishermen of Torry gifted money to the City Council to build a school for their children to ensure they would receive an education.

This building is a classic piece of mid twentieth century architecture. It beautifully complements the historic and verdant churchyard adjacent. If it closes as a library, which we hope it will not, then it would make a first class art gallery, which Shoreham desperately needs.

The Oglet Shore, (Anglo Saxon, "oak by the water") runs North West from Dungeon Lane, up to the Airport light gantry and almost to the bund or earth mound that separates Speke Hall from the runway. It is an SSSI, SPA and Ramsar site of international importance for the wetland birds that live there. The fields that lie between the airport runway and the shore are designated Greenbelt and grade one agricultural land and maybe the last truly rural area in Liverpool. Yet this beautiful area, with its woods, ponds and streams, home to bats, owls and many Red list, endangered farmland birds, and a vital habitat in an increasingly built up area, is due to disappear under concrete if the loss making Liverpool airport development goes ahead. Many historic buildings have already been demolished and more are planned. In an area where open land is being rapidly being sold for housing, there are decreasing numbers of places for the community to relax and enjoy the environment. Peel Holdings who own the land, have proposed relocating habitats, but with the planned construction of 10,700 new houses between Halebank and Speke, it is difficult to see where this would be. Liverpool Council have pledged to protect our parks and green spaces and also have duty to protect and preserve this important coastal habitat, so why threaten it in the vain hope the airport will become profitable?

The academisation of schools affects the lives of our school children and teaching staff. The academy chain will benefit the CEO and their inflated salaries. Autonomy and local control NOT a profiteering chain.

It's impossible to be in two places at same time both schools opposite directions never going to work!

Last year children and young people with autism were excluded 9,190 times in schools in the UK.

Children are feeling excluded and insignificant. Especially those that may be dyslexic and need the more practical subjects to show where their talents lie. Forcing a child to spend four years studying a subject that they find difficult rather than giving them the option to chose subjects they gave a chance at achieving a good grade and chance at getting into higher education, is outrageously unfair. Please give year 8 and future generations a fair chance to achieve their own goals and be happier in education.

Since 2013, the price of a Young Person's Travel Pass in Kent has risen by 480%. A family with two children at secondary school are looking at spending £580 per year and many more families are struggling to meet this cost. We call on Kent County Council to introduce more flexible payment opportunities to help students and parents budget around these price rises. We are also asking Kent County Council to review the cost of travel for those students in full-time education between the ages of 16 and 19. The cost of travel can put many off furthering their studies and we call on KCC to review all travel pass costs for those in education in the county.