People in the affected areas are suffering from increased crime and fear of crime, such as damage to cars and property. Taxis, the fire brigade and police can't see house numbers in the dark, delaying responses, which could threaten people's safety - the police apparently oppose KCC's action. People are worried if they have to go out in the dark streets because they could trip on uneven pavements and tree roots. This affects many people who return from work late at night or have to leave very early to get to work. I live in Thanet, and there have been many complaints about KCC's policy of turning off lights on social media such as Streetlife, and this affects most people except those who live on main roads.

The proposed savings of £2.85 million from the Library Services in Barnet threatens the existence of one of the last remaining community amenities we have left. Three options have been put forward by the Council to make these savings; all three will see a reduction in the quality and quantity of service provision. Option one will see the size of library cut in all but four libraries. This idea fails to understand that libraries are used for their space as well as their books; less places for pupils and students to study and read results in a reduction of the quality of service. Option two will see the closure of Burnt Oak, Childs Hill, Mill Hill, East Finchley, Osidge and South Friern Libraries and a significant reduction of staffing levels at the remaining libraries. This option does not consider how the remaining libraries will cope with increased footfall owning to the closure of the other libraries, particularly around peak library times. Option three is a mix of the two, with some libraries being handed over to community groups and reduced staffing elsewhere. Libraries are the embodiment of social provision and community spirit. They are more than just books; they offer children's activities during term and holidays which are used by parents and nurseries. They offer access to the internet to those that don't have access. They provide space for people to read and study in peace that is not always possible in their homes. They are places to host community events, training and education. I use the library for my daughter; renting books but mainly for their toddler activities. My nursery also go there regularly. Please sign this petition if you believe in the universal provision of literature, education and community services in Barnet. Say no to the erosion of this great social asset.

Take away libraries and condemn generations of children to poor literacy levels ,the unemployed to job sanctions and most of all to leave my disabled daughter heartbroken because libraries are what she loves the most . To see her face light up and see her clapping in old swan and dovecot library is a beautiful sight . Where will I take her ? 30 quid round trip to central library :( we ask you to sign this to help Layla and all the other kids , the disabled , the elderly , the unemployed to have access to libraries . Stand with us ,fight the cuts , get them to stop !!!! Thank you

Why it matters I am addressing this petition to the above three party leaders because I have no real idea who will form the next government after May 2015. Our national railways were privatised in the 1990 with the usual promises of better services, cheaper fares, less or no pull on the taxpayer and ownership by us, the British public. Despite the fact of course that we already owned the railway. As with every privatisation before and after it the results have been very different to those promised. However it is true that many train companies that run franchises in the UK are publicly owned, but by other European countries. Arriva is a wholly owned subsidiary of the German national rail company Deutsche Bahn, and runs the Arriva Trains Wales and Cross Country franchises. The French national rail operator SNCF has a majority stake in Keolis, which operates the Trans Pennine franchise in partnership with FirstGroup. Keolis is also a minority partner in the Govia rail operating company, which runs the Southern, Southeastern and London Midland services. The Dutch state railway company Nederlandse Spoorwegen owns Abellio, which has a 50% stake in Serco-Abellio, which runs the Merseyrail and Northern Rail franchises. Abellio also runs Scotrail. European governments make millions of pounds a year in dividends from their British operations. From the subsidies paid by British tax payers. Please do not read this piece as an 'anti-foreigner' rant. I simply do not understand how paying other governments vast profits to run our railways is good for the British people. Since privatisation billions of pounds of tax payer subsidised profits have gone into the coffers of other governments. There is one railway still at the moment in the hands of the UK tax payer. The state-owned East Coast railway paid £225m to the government in the year to March 2014. In our hands now but for how long. We are about to sell our stake in Eurostar. Who to? It seems the French State Railways SNCF. As a side word I can tell you that last year I travelled First Class on SNCF from Tarbes in the South West of France to Paris, a journey of about 600 Km, for a cost of 45 Euros. Subsidised? Probably. Should I thank the British taxpayer for their contribution? So the publicly owned East Coast Railway paid £225m in 'profits' to the UK taxpayers. What should we do with it now? Privatise it seems. And one of the front runners to take over this publicly owned success story? It seems its a joint venture between Keolis and Eurostar, subsidiaries of France's state-owned railway company, SNCF. So should I book my return journey to Tarbes now or wait a little while. After all it could be even cheaper in a few months.

The Yorkshire Lass has previously been a thriving and highly valued community asset, and is still much loved and missed by the local community. A website set up to raise awareness of this campaign (www.yorkshirelassknaresborough.com) had over 1,000 views in just the first 2-days, and several comments from well wishers and supporters have been posted on the site. The Yorkshire Lass is a unique and much-loved landmark building on a landmark site, within the Green Belt, Knaresborough Conservation area, and the Nidd Gorge Special Landscape Area. Steeped in history, we believe it should be protected and added to the Harrogate Borough Council Assets of Community Value register. We propose that – in accordance with the Harrogate Borough Council ‘Assets of community value guidance notes’ - it is realistic to think that within five years the building can be brought back into a use that furthers the social interests and wellbeing of the local community. We have a specific vision for this and we have identified direct opportunities and started to define practical strategies to realise this vision. We propose that a social & community space is needed on this landmark site 'for the benefit of many', not privately owned residential accommodation 'for the enjoyment of few'. The Yorkshire Lass has enormous potential to generate increased footfall, tourism and income for Knaresborough, as well as community spirit by the bucket-load. Located on a such a prominent site, for many it’s the first thing they see as they come to Knaresborough and it needs to fill those shoes as something that epitomises the magic and wonder of the town and all the wonderful things it has to offer. It needs to be a facility that welcomes visitors in the right way, and something that locals can be part of, use, and be proud of. Not some soulless private housing development for the enjoyment of just a tiny number of people. The latter would make the site totally disconnected from the environment and community. That would be a very sad loss for Knaresborough, and one we feel many would regret and mourn for a long time. By applying to register the Yorkshire Lass as a ‘community asset’, and opposing the current planning application, we aim to prevent demolition. We then hope to buy the time and opportunity to formulate a detailed plan, capital investment strategy, and business model that demonstrates an achievable and sustainable alternative for this ‘local treasure’. Ultimately our goal is to do justice to the Yorkshire Lass legacy and deliver a thriving pub and community hub back to the people of Knaresborough.

On the say-so of just 3 councillors and the silencing of Full Council on the issue, Brixham Town Council is seeking to fill the sudden vacancy of Town Clerk by automatic internal appointment. A town council is the tier of government closest to the residents who pay for it and who pay the salaries of its employees, and as such it should be the most transparent in the use of residents' money. A town council must be above any suspicion of favouritism or cronyism. It is obliged to appoint on merit the best person available to fill the key post of Clerk and if it does not advertise the post it cannot know who is available. It must consider all applicants and carry out a fair, open and transparent appointments procedure. Although this is currently an issue in Brixham, South Devon, the principle applies equally to all town/parish councils throughout the land. NB 9 October: I have now resigned from Brixham Town Council because of this unprincipled act and the culture of cronyism which allowed it..

Currently there are hundreds of day centres up and down the country who are providing day care for thousands of patients. Many of their customers are disabled but the facilities that they have do not readily reflect this. As there is no national inspection team for these units at present, they do not have the incentive to provide full disabled facilities. If an annual (or more frequent) inspection were to be carried out by CQC then shortcomings could be highlighted to the governing body or local authority and provision made for the facilities to be upgraded. My wife has attended one such centre catering for Alzheimer's and other dementias for a number of years. She is wheelchair bound as she cannot maintain her own weight and has had to leave as they do not have adequate hoists or, indeed, a disabled toilet.

Plastic waste is persistent in the environment, highly toxic and poisons marine animals. It is working up the whole marine food chain to the extent that autopsies performed on beached whales and dolphins reveal a huge amount of damage to all organs. Unless action is taken immediately the seas and oceans will be a toxic soup. Already some areas of the Pacific are so contaminated that the mortality rate amongst sea birds and mammals is high and even albatross chicks have abdomens full of discarded plastic waste.

The "NHS Bill 2015" campaign is calling on all General Election candidates to sign up to the new "NHS Reinstatement Bill", and is already attracting cross-party support. The “Campaign for an NHS Reinstatement Bill 2015" has produced an “NHS Reinstatement Bill” which sets out the legal steps needed not only to reverse the failings of the Health & Social Care Act 2012, but to fully restore the NHS in England as an accountable public service. Unless we all keep the pressure on MP's of all parties in the run up to the next election, our voices will be lost in the spin, sound bites and agendas. We were fooled in 2010 by false the promise of no NHS re-organisations. With the secret TTIP negotiations ongoing, now, more then ever, everyone has to make their voices heard regarding the NHS. Please contact your MP and prospective parliamentary candidates and ask them to support Professor Pollock's "NHS Reinstatement Bill", and ask them if they do not, why not? You can reach your MP via https://www.writetothem.com/ For further information, please see: https://www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/caroline-molloy/new-law-proposed-to-stop-nhs-becoming-simply-memory

This is important as all children have the right to play locally to their homes in safe areas. It is important to their well-being and development . It also has a positive Influence on the quality of lives for local families. Local residents have opposed this development and the council still wish to allow the development. We need as many people as possible to back this campaign to protect this play area and show the councils and mp's that as a nation we will not stand for over development of our cities and our children's right to play in safe areas to be taken away to line the pockets of greedy property developers.

NHS Surrey and Sussex Area Team has reclassified North Holmwood as a non-rural area and therefore plan to remove our right to dispense medication for people living within the North Holmwood area. THIS MEANS WE WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO ISSUE MEDICATION TO PATIENTS IN THE SURGERY. We know patients value this service and the convenience of collecting medication from the surgery. If we are forced to close our dispensary it would impact on our ability to invest in high quality healthcare to provide the level of services we currently offer and could even affect the long term viability of the surgery. The NHS has always considered North Holmwood to be rural in nature and there have been no significant developments in the village for a considerable time. There seems to be no consideration in this decision for what is best for the people of North Holmwood. We must appeal this through all avenues open to us. We have appointed a specialist to support us and are seeking support from local councillors and MPs. Please support us by signing our petition and writing to the local councillors and MP. BROCKWOOD MEDICAL PRACTICE We must appeal against this......please sign our petition

Medway Maritime Hospital is Kent's biggest and busiest hospital, but it's stretched beyond belief and has been stuck in special measures for well over a year. In a recent spot inspection, the Care Quality Commission says it thinks our local hospital is in "a state of crisis". The chief inspector of hospitals found many services inadequate or needing improvement – from A&E to maternity, and from surgery to outpatient care. Kent is on the frontline of a wider crisis in the NHS - and it’s no accident. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt recently asked Medway Maritime Hospital to find £12.6m in cuts. Now our trust says it’s almost £8m in the red. Tory MPs, Mark Reckless included, have been responsible for a concerted attack on our National Health Service during the last four years. Join me in challenging Jeremy Hunt, Mark Reckless and the rest of them to step up and offer Medway Maritime Hospital the financial and practical support it so desperately needs to serve our towns properly.