UPDATE: The current Fire Station is now being demolished but our campaign to see the return of the Second Fire Engine is still very much alive. Please support TWO FIRE ENGINES FOR CHESTER. Listen to the experience and concerns of Chester Retired Firefighters, return Chester's second fire engine . TWO FIRE ENGINES FOR CHESTER *******MORE SIGNATURES NEEDED PETITION UPDATE BY CHESTER RETIRED FIREFIGHTERS.. Chester still only has ONE FIRE ENGINE but there is some good news...........the Petition is working !!!! The new Chief Fire Officer, after much analysis and debate, is now recommending we once again have TWO FIRE ENGINES at St Anne Street in Chester, there is even an extra space for the Second Fire Engine in the new Fire Station which is soon to be constructed on the same site.   Why is this important? The Fire Authority Councillors are voting on the return of the Second Fire Engine amongst othe proposals in April. If you live, work, study, worship, socialize in , visit or travel through Chester, this affects YOU !Please let them know that you support TWO FIRE ENGINES FOR CHESTER, please sign the PETITION if you have not already done so. ONE FIRE ENGINE, FOUR FIREFIGHTERS, THINK ABOUT IT ! The return of a second fire engine to Chester is vital and will serve to enhance the safety of not only around 100,000 residents but also our firefighters. Chester has over 45,000 homes with more at an advanced planning stage. Recently Chester was voted top for Hotel building and investment. Since 1938 (when the city was half it's current size and had half its current population) Chester has been protected by two fully crewed fire engines and an aerial appliance. These were supported by up to three on-call fire engines at one point. Since February 2017 we now have just ONE fire engine and an aerial appliance whilst other similar Heritage Cities have Two or Three. Cheshire West and Chester's economy is based on tourism to the tune of £2.6 Billion. Much of it is generated by our city. We have 206 listed buildings many of which are unique worldwide. The loss of any of these due to inadequate levels fire cover would have a lasting detrimental effect on tourism, the economy and also employment. The protection of our old buildings is therefore vital to sustain this economy. Being a University city we have the largest concentration of houses in multiple occupation (with their attendant risk) anywhere in Cheshire. Chester's one fire engine turns out to incidents; give or take; 1,000 times per year. An increasing number of these calls are to incidents in the Malpas and Tarporley areas. This being due to the sporadic availability of their on call crews. An immediate standby is not always mobilised to Chester until sometimes 30 mins has passed. That's potentially 500 hours each year that our city is without a Fire Engine. On average, just under 10 hrs per week or equivalent to shutting Chester Fire Station for around THREE weeks. Please sign our petition sharing widely with family, friends and collegues and complete the online consultation which has been launched by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service. “Have your Say on our Draft IRMP 2020/2024. https://www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/ ****** Many thanks for your ongoing support. Take care and stay safe.

Sevenoaks needs a new water pipeline. South East Water have proposed four possible routes. Two of these go through Knole Park. These are the cheap and easy options for South East Water, but will damage the Park. Knole Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) where thousands of people come throughout the year to enjoy the peace, the views and the special flora and fauna. All of these will be permanently harmed by the proposed routes. As Joni Mitchell sang, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” If you want to keep Knole Park special, please sign this petition. - There is already a South East Water pipe in the Park. The scars it has made are clearly visible, with stony subsoil exposed and still bare of grass years after it was laid. - South East Water say that they will not damage the features of the Park that make it an SSSI. The acid grassland* itself is one of the most important features, and is very slow to heal after damage. - Some of the proposed pipe is close to the existing one, which will cause a wider strip of damage to the grass. Where they run in the Gallops they are sited apart so there will be a fresh area of damage. - New concrete manholes and inspection points will be permanently on the surface, those for the existing pipe are very obvious. - South East Water’s preferred route cuts through very significant archaeological features and they have allowed no time for investigation. The test drilling is in an area where it may destroy further archaeology, again there is no allowance for investigation before drilling. - After it is laid, access to the pipeline for inspection, maintenance and repair will be a problem. South East Water’s contractors have vehicles equipped for pipelines laid in roads, not fragile grassland. *Acid grassland is a very rare landscape in which the high acidity means that grass will barely grow. Over centuries, wildlife, flora and fungi develop which cannot survive in fertile areas amongst long grass. At the last survey Kent had lost more and only had 512 hectares. Some counties have none. By far the largest area of acid grassland in Kent is in Knole Park.

The regular trips with my daughter to Great Ormond Street Hospital just got even more expensive. Free disabled parking has been scrapped. There are no hourly rates and no concessions. It costs £15 to park. Disabled people have a daily struggle to get to places. APCOA now manage car parking for National Rail at Guildford Station and the car parking at these venues for disabled blue badge holders is no longer free. This is causing disabled people not only financial issues but is massively impacting on their day to day stress levels. I've just started this petition and would be really grateful if you could take the time to sign it. Thanks so much.

Edinburgh Council plans to stop funding many vital social services - this doesn’t need to happen. For too long, Edinburgh citizens have been paying to clean up after tourists in the city centre while non-central areas of the city are neglected. The only people who benefit from the tourist trade are business owners - the rest of us pay for it. A modest tourist tax could keep vital social services running.

The current litter policy used by LCC is not fit for purpose the only thing it is doing is assisting a private company in making lots of cash and fast. The very small amount of funds that are kept by Leeds Council is only 24% at its highest and this money does not go back to helping the community and even if it did it amounts to nothing. We want Leeds to be a clean City but we DO NOT want Leeds to be a City people DO NOT want to visit because of the way Authority's treat people.

It’s very simple people’s lives are at risk. “I would express my serious concerns regarding NHS England's contract with Capita. I am in the range of 50-64yr olds, every 5 years for the cervical screening test. I couldn't tell you when my last cervical screening test was prior to this year. I received a letter in November 2018 informing me that due to an administrative error there had been a delay in sending me a letter to make an appointment for my cervical screening test. I had absolutely no idea when my previous test had been & no idea how late the delay was. I absolutely rely on the NHS to ensure these appointments are timed correctly. My father died of prostate cancer, my mother had bowel cancer, my sister had breast cancer. Delays with these tests could put people's lives at risk. An administrative delay is deadly. Terminate NHS England Contract With Capita Now. Bridget Yuill 57yrs.” In November 2018 the following was reported: “Dr Richard Vautrey, the BMA GP committee chair, repeated the doctors’ union’s demand for the contractor to be stripped of its contract. “This is just the latest in a long line of failures since Capita took over a number of GP services in 2015, and yet NHS England have not demonstrated to the profession that they are serious at addressing what ultimately they are responsible for,” he said. You had a serious warning in November this year that things were seriously wrong.” Enough is enough NHS England must ensure there is no further repeat of these serious errors by stripping Capita of the GP back-office services contract immediately. Read more here https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/14/capitas-cancer-screening-blunder-hits-50000-nhs-patients Women’s lives matter.

Only two years after the last round of devastating cuts to our children's centres, many children in Lambeth are in danger of losing out on essential early years support. The Council have announced plans for a borough-wide restructure, which threatens five centres with closure. Another seven centres will have their provision cut in half under these proposals, and many staff are faced with losing their jobs. Children's Centres are a vital service for parents and their children in our local area. They combat isolation and loneliness which many of us experience when on maternity leave or looking after early years children. They provide support and guidance from professionals as well as a chance to mix with a range of families you didn't know before.

Across the UK more than 2,800 bank branches have closed since 2015. This presents a huge challenge for many elderly and vulnerable people who often rely on speaking face-to-face to do their banking and may not have access to the internet. Many towns and rural communities are often cut off from banking services when the last bank branch in the town closes down. Carolyn set up a petition after hearing the news that her local Lloyds branch in Buckley in Wales, was to close. Carolyn and other people in the local community, particularly the elderly and those with mobility issues, rely on the branch. If it were to close, Carolyn would have to travel over 4 miles away to the nearest bank, cutting her off from easy access to her money and face-to-face financial advice. Banks only exist because we put our money there, they make obscene profits from the people of the UK. The government should ensure that the banking industry has a 'duty of care' to keep some branches open, and not exclude whole groups of people from access to financial services. Banks should have more than simply profit on their minds when making decisions to close branches, as these decisions have huge negative impacts on many people's lives.

Because Universal Credit is driving up demand for foodbanks ---- This petition is being run by a Member of Parliament - 38 Degrees is independent of all political parties.

Kent County Council are planning to cut the opening hours at 99 libraries. Libraries are a vital source of learning and education. They are a vital public good we cannot do without. People of all ages can enjoy borrowing and reading books, DVDs and CDs, using the internet, reading newspapers and speaking and spending time with others. The plans could mean large numbers of libraries opening for less time. Library chiefs have already drawn up suggested opening hours and some could see big reductions. For more information on the libraries facing cut in opening hours across Kent, see this article: All the Kent libraries facing a cut in their opening hours in cost-cutting move: https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/kent-libraries-facing-cut-opening-2260765#r3z-addoor

This is a thriving and successful community pub that has served the area since the 1850s. We urge the London Borough of Lewisham planning department to refuse the application to demolish this handsome, landmark, historic pub which is well-used and much-loved by the community.

Essex County Council have announced plans to close 25 libraries and to turn a further 19 over to be run by local communities to save money. My local library, in West Mersea, employs 2 people for 21 hours a week. Not only will they lose their jobs if these closures go ahead, but so will all the staff at the threatened 44 libraries. My library is thriving. It is always busy with people of all ages reading newspapers and periodicals, borrowing books, DVDs and CDs, accessing the internet, researching their family ancestry and speaking to others. Libraries are fantastic assets to the community and need to be saved. No libraries in Essex should be closed or downgraded to being run by volunteers The elderly population of Essex need these libraries. Many do not have computers and some of them may not speak to anyone else in their day. We need local libraries in local communities which can be accessed on foot or bike, by all sections of society. Please think again before implementing these closures.