Southern's West London Line services between Clapham Junction and Milton Keynes are a vital mainline link between not only North and West / South London suburbs but also destinations further afield including Northampton, Milton Keynes and Brighton. Cancellation of these services will have an immediate effect on a large and ever increasing number of passengers utilising this very popular route especially during peak hours. The alternative travel arrangements proposed by Southern are much slower and often more expensive routes via London Overground or London Underground. This represents a considerably less attractive proposition for many people, especially for the elderly or those with reduced mobility.

Legal Spark was formed as a result of the crisis in legal aid. People were going without representation because they could not afford a lawyer. This is particularly the case for disabled people. No one else would do this type of work, as it was deemed too expensive, not financially viable and also too complex. Daniel Donaldson, a disabled Solicitor, set up Legal Spark with the Support of the Scottish Institute for Enterprise under their Young Innovators Challenge 2015 programme. Daniel wanted to develop creative solutions to help people access justice and to fix the exclusion that disabled people face from the legal system. Daniel spent one year talking to the Law Society about this issue, highlighting that it was important that everyone could access a lawyer. Legal Spark consulted with the Chief Executive (Lorna Jack), the Head of Professional Practice, the Registrar and the Deputy Registrar (James Ness) and the Secretary to the Civil Legal Aid Quality Assurance Committee (Hannah Sayers) amongst others. A document was prepared that explained what Legal Spark was planning to do. The Law Society accepted this document and did not object. The Law Society encouraged Legal Spark and found their approach "refreshing" and "innovative". Legal Spark was granted permission to do Legal Aid work in November 2015, and a compliance certificate was issued in December 2015. Legal Spark began helping the many disabled people that needed their help and began to have success. In April 2016, the Law Society decided that they had made an "error" and instructed Legal Spark to stop all Legal Aid work by Thursday 30 June 2016. By this stage, Legal Spark had a number of clients, with active and complex cases, some of which were about to go to Court. "A" is one such client. They had experienced awful disability discrimination from a University. They were not given adequate support to help them during a course, and had to leave. Additionally, Legal Spark uncovered evidence that the University's staff had used "unprofessional language" in their approach to "A". This case has now been lodged in Court. "B" is another client adversely affected by this decision. B is also disabled and is housebound. They had tried to find a lawyer for sometime but because of their rural location in the Highlands there were no Solicitors available to help. Legal Spark took on this case and was successful (in part) in achieving a resolution for B. However, because B had been adversely affected by a decision of Highland Council, and had lost out financially, the case may need to go to Court. B is unable to find anyone else to help them. These are only two examples of where Legal Spark is making a difference, there are others too. Since establishing Legal Spark, Daniel Donaldson has not drawn a salary and has used some of his own money to sustain the Legal Practice while it develops and is able to stand on its own feet. Legal Spark has also grown to enable it to employ staff and provide much need paid employment to some disabled people and unemployed law graduates. The Legal Aid certificate meant that Legal Spark could help people who could not access help elsewhere. Now "A", "B" and other will have to go without representation because of the Law Society of Scotland's failures. The Law Society's Chief Executive (Lorna Jack)says that they have to act in the public interest. The Director of Regulation (Philip Yelland) shares this view. 1. Where is the public interest in denying disabled people representation? 2. Also, where is the public interest is giving permission to do Legal Aid work only to revoke that permission 6 months later? The Law Society say that there are other Solicitors who can help, however this is not true. Legal Spark contacted 134 Civil Legal Aid lawyers with advertised specialism in discrimination law. Even the biggest Legal Aid firm in Scotland could not help. The Law Society has said that this will cause Legal Spark’s disabled client’s “inconvenience”. This is an offensive comment; they have never met any client, they have ignored client’s opinions, and also refused to acknowledge that they will suffer substantial prejudice in their cases because of the Law Society’s decision. This petition is addressed to the Law Society and the Scottish Legal Aid Board. It is important that you fulfil your roles correctly. Overturn your decision to stop Legal Spark doing legal aid work, remedy the mistake you have made and apologise. This is the only way you can restore public trust and continue to say you act in the public interest. Allow Legal Spark, and their clients the opportunity to continue to work together for the public interest and tackle the horrors faced by disabled people on a daily basis.

This is important to safeguard the future of the Post Office network into the future. Safeguard the futures of the workers and their pensions but also the Post Office being a vital part of both communities and the UK high street

Democracy and the future of the outdoor pool! Future of the pool! The pool is outdated and needs investment. The lining is cutting children's feet and may fail at any time, resulting in a hefty bill or the closure of the pool. Democracy! We voted for the pool to be refurbished and it is not being refurbished. The decision has been made by a councillor from Wantage, so we can't even vote her out! Three explanations have been given by the Vale. 1) It is too expensive: but the Vale have not got any estimates from pool contractors, or assessed what could be done with the 307,500 which would be half of the available capital budget. 2) Non-voters have to be considered: the Vale have also said that although 81% of people who voted chose Option A, this was only 3206 people in Abingdon (about 10%), and so the vote can be ignored. This is not democratic... and very concerning. Only the views of those that participate in democracy can contribute to democratic process. In fact, this had the highest participation of any consultation ever held in Abingdon, reflecting the importance of this issue. If everyone in Abingdon had voted, perhaps the majority would have been even higher! We just left the EU on a 4% difference with 28% non-participation, but apparently democracy only applies to the 'big' decisions 3) That we 'misunderstood' the consultation and that refurbishment meant 'repair' and not capital investment: I made a formal complaint to the Vale on this matter, the response to the complaint concluded that we did not in fact misunderstand anything and that 'the current planned works are not consistent with the description of scenario A in the consultation... anyone 'voting' for scenario A and contributing to the 81% overwhelming preference for scenario A would be disappointed with the council's planned works'

In the post brexit world it will be essential for our country to be in full control of all the means necessary to survive. On our own we would have a diminished ability to negotiate favourable terms with the rest of the world and In such circumstances we cannot risk putting ourselves into a position where we can be held to ransom by any foreign government or multinational corporation. The only way this can be guaranteed is to own and control all the things required to be self sufficient in what will become a hostile trading climate.

Hemel Hempstead hospital has been downgraded for many years and patients are forced to travel to Watford. Conservative controlled Herts County Council had the chance to object to the decision to downgrade the hospital and refer the decision to the Secretary of State, but they chose not to. Mike Penning MP has made the hospital an electoral issue in every election since 2005 but nothing has changed. He didn't openly campaign for Leave but said that leaving the EU would be better for Britain. Serving Conservative Ministers said that billions could be spent on the NHS if we voted to Leave. These claims were painted on the side of their bus. We want Mike Penning to put his money where his mouth is and stand up for the people of Dacorum and resign if Leave campaign promises on NHS funding are not honoured and we don't get a new hospital for our community.

Poole Council's closure of town centre and shopping area toilets is hurting those who need more accessible loos - whether that be for those with disabilities, parents with small children and our OAPs. The alternative offered of using the toilets provided in shops does not take into account our community's needs as the shops taking part in the scheme may not be open when you need it or not be what people need. For example, I have spoken to disabled people that would not want to go into a cafe to use their wc to change themselves with their helper. One other lady said: "My husband had prostate cancer. We wouldn't have been able to go out if there were no public toilets for him to use. There are many in the same situation who rely on them." In Bournemouth, they have new disabled toilets with hoist and a changing table. Let's get Poole Council to reinstate the public toilets - particularly for OAPs, parents with small children and disabled people.

Nigel Farage and Leave campaigners promised to invest in our NHS - but this morning it looks like they're trying to wriggle out of it. They shouldn't be allowed to make promises they can't keep. Our NHS has been cash strapped for years. NHS staff are working so hard and it's crumbling around them. Now we have an opportunity to make the 'Leave' campaigners promise to put the £350 million saved from the EU into the NHS. Today, half the country is rejoicing, half the country is despairing. But the NHS unites us all. We need to hold them to their promise of £350 million a week for our NHS.

Essex County Council have decided to withdraw the subsidy for the 20 and 167 bus routes which they currently pay to Transport for London. This is to take effect from April 2016. It is boggling as to how they can propose cuts to the service, let alone the possibility that it could disappear altogether. More info here: http://www.buckhursthillresidents.co.uk/index.php/14-news/104-threat-to-20-167-bus-routes Please also check out https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-the-167-bus-route for a campaign (by H Chow) hoping to save the 167 route from Debden to Ilford.

The Terrence Higgins Trust claimed counselling services were threatened by reduced funding in Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. HIV rates in the three London boroughs are far higher than other parts of the UK. The services provided by the Terrence Higgins Trust, which currently provides specialist advice and counselling services for people living with HIV across the three boroughs are currently funded by Lambeth Council, Lewisham CCG and Southwark CCG but are being reviewed this month. Please continue to fund these vital services to vulnerable people in the borough who suffer with HIV.

Barbecues on London Fields have been trialled for several years and were approved again for 2017. Barbecues are banned in most of the parks of London on safety and health grounds. It is the only park in Hackney where the Council overlooks their own strict bye-laws banning fires in parks. As a result, London Fields is now popularised through social media to the point that on a sunny summer weekend it attracts thousands of visitors and tourists from all across London and beyond. The smoke from BBQs and fires makes it impossible for residents neighbouring the park to open their windows on hot summer days. Depending on the wind, dense smoke carries across the park in different directions - into houses and flats, up to the Lido or across the children's playgrounds. The smoke is unpleasant and represents a significant pollution risk, especially for people with breathing difficulties. A highly toxic particle known as PM2.5 is released into the atmosphere when burning barbecues. There is no safe level of PM2.5 and it can: * suppress lung function in children * cause heart disease and strokes * cause and aggravate asthma * cause lung cancer [Source: "Every Breath We Take", RCP / RCPCH pub. Feb 2016] In the summer of 2105 an investigation by King's College London pollution team showed toxic PM2.5 air pollution levels during barbecues on Highbury Fields, Islington, to be up to 3 times the kerbside levels at one of London's busiest roads in Marylebone. In 2013 a study involving 312,944 people in nine European countries revealed there was no safe level of particulates. Hackney Council has an air pollution plan (http://www.hackney.gov.uk/air-pollution) and an air quality action plan (http://www.hackney.gov.uk/air-quality-action-plan) - and does nothing to stop toxic smoke over children's play areas in the Fields. Anti-social behaviour is an ever-present worry with small groups staying in the park overnight. Mounds of litter are left behind, overflowing the many extra bins provided. On Sundays and Mondays, parts of the park are unusable by local residents until clear-ups are undertaken, bins are left on fire and discarded food attracts rats. Every summer this costs Hackney council-tax payers a potential £80,000 or more in extra bins, refuse disposal, signs, security and damage repairs to the park. According to an FOI request, £57,000 alone is paying for a security firm to watch just the BBQ area all summer long*. To put this in perspective - if the park charged 800 visitors every week for the whole summer £5 to BBQ (15 weekends) it would only raise £60,000 - and not cover those costs. And the security is there only on weekends - and BBQs are lit every day during the summer. London Fields is a small park. It just cannot sustain this pressure on such a tiny piece of land. It is time to call an end to a failed experiment and treat London Fields like any other Hackney Park – a green space which visitors should respect and use with care. Local people should not have to dread sunny weekends. And what if there were no barbecues? Well, they are no real loss to anyone; *picnics* are rather similar in nature but much less annoying and polluting - and they are fun, cheaper, eco-friendly, no smoke, no fire, less mess (except perhaps for egg sandwiches) and they can be eaten anywhere, in any park, in any neighbourhood, not just a tiny, barren corner of London Fields. So please sign this petition and share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and email - and in the street - to ask the Mayor and Hackney Council to end this abuse of the Fields. * Hackney Council claim the security is for the whole of the park; this is not what the security staff say - or do.

The Bristol Estate is located in East Brighton. An area predominately made up of high and low rise social housing. The residents are currently feeling isolated from the rest of the city due to the infrequency of their bus service. A few years ago buses used to take folk in and out of the estate every 7 mins. Now, however it is every 30 mins in the day time and a shocking every 75 mins in the evenings. With buses running on Sundays only once an hour. For the many elderly people living here the infrequency of the buses is adversely affecting their well being. The elderly talk about not wanting to go into town to the theatre or to see a concert anymore as they cannot risk being stuck at a bus stop for well over an hour. People talk about not being able to take on evening jobs as they would not be able to return home safely. Residents talk about the difficulties in getting to the Doctors and the Dentists. There is only one small shop servicing the whole estate, so locals rely on the bus for eating, for leisure activities, for health care, for work, for education. The residents feel like they have been forgotten, that they don't matter, that no one cares that they cannot get out and about for their good health and well-being like other residents in the city. We call upon Brighton and Hove City Council to ensure that the residents of The Bristol Estate have a fair and equal access to the city centre by making the provisions needed to allow a more regular and frequent bus service to and from the estate. Please do not allow the poverty gap to increase further in our city by not doing all you can to make sure that residents can move easily and frequently in and out of the estate on public transport.