A lot has been said about the abuses of zero-hour contracts in the private sector but did you know that the NHS also uses them? The consequences are the same for hard-working employees doing vital jobs in our health service as they are for workers in shops and factories: Uncertainty from week to week around hours, income, shift patterns with an inability to plan holidays and time-off. It is very hard for staff in these positions to decline shifts, however unreasonable the timing, let alone complain as they risk the management regarding them as troublemakers. Bill* is a porter for an NHS trust working a zero-hour contract. He never knows more than a week in advance what his hours will be. When in work he often does 12 hour night shifts moving patients, sometimes when critically ill, to and from theatres, X-ray or even the morgue. He applied to have a week off 3 months in advance and was told to come back nearer the time, then when he did so he was told that he had been rostered for that week and had to take unpaid leave. Gordon* is another porter who, after 10 consecutive days of night shifts was required to take holiday to have a 2 day break. Eric* would like to visit his girlfriend's family overseas but cannot book a budget flight in advance as he is unable to be confident that he will get time off. Pete* missed a family wedding in a different part of the country when he was given only the day itself off and could not fit in the necessary travelling time. Without a guaranteed weekly income people on zero-hours contracts do not know how many hours they will be asked to work in a week which can result in periods with very low income making it difficult to support a family. Another problem that I am aware of is people being called in for very short shifts that can be as short as 2 hours – despite incurring the same travelling costs and time as a full shift. Some valuable and important workers in the NHS are employed on zero-hours contracts, porters for example, and that this can continue for multiple years. Although these roles are not glamorous they are essential for the efficient running of hospitals. Please sign my petition to speak up for these vital but exploited workers in the NHS. This should be a national policy covering all hospitals.

Children with autism are 7 times more likely to be excluded from school. They can be very vulnerable in incidents and often are unaware of potential dangers. As it is a spectrum some people with autism may find it more challenging to express themselves or be able to communicate their needs. It is important to get a standardised approach to raising awareness of autism to support people with autism and their families.

As the One Stop Shop provides access to more than 30 Council services and acts as an essential point of communication for our most vulnerable constituents to engage with council and Police liaison services since the closure of the local Police station. Centralising Social Work services would deal a heavy blow to the public who are already vulnerable who may not be able to travel to new accommodations via disability or lack of funds due to rising public transport costs.

By removing Abbey Wood's Crown Post Office you are causing the loss of good jobs and services which will hurt the local economy, as well as the rapidly growing numbers of people living in the area especially vulnerable groups - such as pensioners and the disabled. Many services - banking, passport and identity services- can only be provided at Crown (not franchised) Post Offices, and since the nearest, by public transportation, is at Dartford the loss of Abbey Wood Post office would place an unacceptable barrier to many people accessing these services.

The STPs will result in a reduction of £139.5 million by 2020, in the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Health and Social Care budget. We believe, that this reduction to our NHS funding will lead to, a loss of services, hospital closures and to an increase in early death rates in our area. It is beyond doubt that the STPs, being driven by the Government, will speed up the privatisation of more NHS services. Last January Doncaster Council said that no decision on the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw STP would be made until the 'conversation' (not consultation) by Healthwatch Doncaster and the Due Regard statement was completed. In two to four years an unelected and/or unaccountable Central STP board (based in Sheffield) will be able to ensure that your Doncaster Royal Infirmary will be privatised. The mechanism is most likely to be an Accountable Care Organisation (ACO). These ACOs will integrate services into one decision making body and have one structure with one budget, which could be and will be easily hijacked by a venture company or a private health care company such as Virgin Care et al. Please sign this petition and help to protect our NHS funding and services and stop further privatisation.

As a member of the public I was somewhat distressed to learn that you have issued massive rent increases to GP surgeries in England which have been backdated to April 2016. According to Practice Business (3/4/2017) "The NHS lost 445 full-time GPs between September and December 2016" which are now down to 34,050 when the NHS promised to hire more. How will your rent increases encourage junior doctors to train as general practitioners? How is this supporting the health and wellbeing of all patients in England? Please retract these abhorrent rent increases immediately.

A beautiful 4 year old little girl, Violet Grace has been killed by a stolen car travelling between 70 and 80 miles per hour! Our family, friends are heartbroken! 💜 Please Please we need to do everything we can to make sure this never happens again 💜

Although the bus services have now been revised and the original planned cuts have been reviewed with many services re-instated/protected; there still is the issue of cuts to subsidies for rural areas such as East Riding of Yorkshire from Central Government. We believe that public transport subsidies should be ring-fenced to protect supported services in rural areas. At present the revised services are leaving vulnerable people, those ‘medically unfit to drive’ and the elderly cut off from friends, relatives and essential facilities.

It is abhorrent that in a country as wealthy as ours, a man has been allowed to die on the streets of Glasgow because he had nowhere to go. Glasgow City Council website states that: “As a minimum, the council will arrange for you to receive: Advice and Information Temporary Accommodation” We demand that Glasgow City Council acts immediately to fulfil it's duty to the people of Glasgow. Everyone who presents themselves at a Council facility as homeless, should immediately be provided with somewhere safe and warm to stay, until such times as they are able to find permanent accommodation. Furthermore, we demand an end to the policy of abandoning our friends who are deemed to have made themselves intentionally homeless. This unfairly punishes people unfamiliar with the law or who are victims of bullying by rogue landlords.

The CYCLE HUB will compliment our beautiful coastline whilst providing a 'stand-out' attraction for the many cyclists, tourists and general public whom already frequent the Spanish Battery. The development will assist with the enhancement and preservation of the Tynemouth conservation area and local heritage for generations to come. North Tyneside attracts approximately 5.8 million visitors each year who inject £279 Million into the local economy, supporting over 3500 jobs. This proposal will open a disused private garden into a considerate, visually low-impact CYCLE HUB that will only be visible from the southern aspect on the River Tyne. From the outset the building has been sensitively designed to ensure the iconic views to and from the Brigade Watch House remain unspoilt. The building will be sunk beneath a manicured lawn at the same level as the current garden. We have even gone as far as to store refuse bins below ground level. Two large car parks already exist to provide customers with parking. Additional spaces will be allocated for the sole use of the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigades response vehicles, whilst residents parking will remain untouched. Those living on the Battery will be un-effected by the building as the aim is to cater for passing trade that already exists. The vast majority of our intended customers will arrive by foot or cycle. Our vision is to provide Tynemouth with a gateway amenity that links to the National Cycle Network and provides a valuable facility for Tynemouth residents and the wider general public. The development will ensure a notable finishing point for those tackling the challenge of the Coast to Coast/Coast to Castles/Great North Bike Rides. In essence the Cycle Hub will establish Tynemouth as a key destination within the cycling community. A multitude of independent reporting commissioned by UK GOV indicates that development and investment in cycling infrastructure and sustainable transport provides the following: • Creates inward investment to an area. • Brings more jobs and positively effects the labour market, contractors and wider infrastructure/services. • Increases health of those in the area, with exercise in excess of Chief Medical Officers guidelines. • Boosts the local economy and business • Creates a modal shift in the well being of individuals. • Increases social inclusion and connectivity. • Makes better cities and neighbourhoods. • A reduction in Crime Rate. • An increase in rental and property prices. • Eases congestion. • Improves air quality. The North East of England is renowned for its warmth and hospitality, we look forward to providing a facility that welcomes one and all.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Chief Fire Officers' Association and the British Medical Association are among many warning of the potential collapse of our emergency services due to funding cuts. This issue affects all of us; the attack could have occurrred anywhere in the country. Fulsome words of praise from politicians are simply not sufficient. The best tribute which could be paid to PC Keith Palmer and all his colleagues is urgent action to fund the emergency services so that they are adequately resourced to deal with potential terrorist attacks.

He deserves it