This is such an important part of our community and vital to the health and well being of older members of our community.We all know someone who has used the services and are using the services and to let this go without even a whimper is a disgrace. They provide advice, enable independence and combat loneliness.

This decision hasn't been thoroughly thought through and has sparked a mass outcry on any posts advertising this move by Highland Council. Highland Council have slapped a 3% increase on council tax bands A to H and this stealth tax of £30 will affect the worst off who will have to choices, and be left with nowhere to put their garden waste which is currently uplifted. I know an elderly person in our neighbourhood, with no transport but a large garden. Where will he put his grass clippings? He'll be forced to send them to landfill as he can't afford the extra charge! Highland Council also haven't considered the wider community impact with many local people using the bin to remove Council grass clippings, leaves, bushes and branches that would normally be left on the streets of communities. What will the streets look like when this is impemented and people no longer have good will towards the council. This goes further, flytipping will increase as people try to rid themselves of items they previously placed in a bin. Increased landfill charges will soon put a dent in the estimated £660,000 the council set out to make, which is based on 22,000 people taking up this service. Based on social media response, the council may be doing well if they make half this figure. All the old bins will be dumped in neighbourhoods and ultimately end up increasing the space we consume in landfill - there will be little to no other use for the hundreds not required. Should the council change tack in future, what will he financial and impact on our plant to manufacture hundreds of new bins? The service will operate as before, teams visiting each street in diesel operated waste trucks. Instead of making many collections, a few per street if they are lucky? These inefficiencies are a means to an end but to have these vehicles polluting our streets for a few bins is counterproductive to climate change. Each person to opt in will receive a sticker for their bin. The admin associated with this entire idea will be even more of a drain on the already under resourced council. There are many more arguments as to why this is ludicrous, you only need to look at Highland Council social media to see the upset this had caused and the wave of unrest as this charge is lumped on top of the already increasing taxes we pay. My worry is that these charges are the thin end of the wedge. Once people start paying for a brown bin collection, what will be introduced next year to 'balance the books'. Please resist these charges and sign this petition to send a strong message that this is unacceptable and will hit those that can't afford it worst! Everyone deserves a place to live, a tidy green space to enjoy and refuse collections to keep their space and streets tidy.

The trans community have suffered a lot over generations, and one of the issues is the price and accessibility of binders. Binders are usually sourced online at a high price rate because of the shipping and manufacturing, as well as most of them being made in America. This makes it significantly difficult for working class or unemployed trans men to find a cheaper alternative for their wellbeing. Binders are sold on Amazon and Ebay at lower prices, however in my experience, they are not very reliable and well made. I believe that as a gender non-conforming individual who uses binders myself, we should not have to pay for something that helps us feel more comfortable and helps with d***horia. Waiting lists for surgery for the trans community is very long and can take up to a certain amount of years. Surely, there should be a free service that helps until the surgery is finalised. Some trans people choose not to have surgery and that is completely their choice, but they should have access to good quality, free binders on the NHS that they can use everyday and feel themselves. If they can fund sexual health, then they can fund mental health. I believe that giving this opportunity to the trans and non-binary community will promote intersectionality, benefit mental health, and may even save lives.

This will allow people on low in come to change there tax on a car without having to purchase more tax than they need to, as it is if you change your car 2 weeks into the month I.E due to right offs you have to pay for 2 weeks of the month on tax for the new car that you have all ready paid for. By allowing people to change there tax to a different car then they will not be charged for tax that was never needed as they did not have that car at that time.

Darlington Memorial Hospital have started looking into opening up a milk bank - which is great news! This would be the first and only milk bank in the North East of England and it would be a wonderful resource for all the mums who cannot breastfeed but do not wish to use formula milk. The idea of setting it up has not been approved yet as it requires time. However, whilst the hospital carry out any necessary assessments, it's important that they hear from all kinds of people in the area who support this idea. I've recently had my 6 month old daughter: as I wasn't making enough milk for her and obtaining donor milk wasn't an option, I had no choice but to use formula milk. I'm not on my own though. Many other mums, especially those with premature babies, also wish they could access donor milk. Donating milk is safe as it involves procedures such as donor screening, a series of tests, pasteurising the milk, etc.

This is an issue that I have thought of myself, but it must be seriously considered. For the long term sustainable future of the NHS, the NHS must be more ecologically powered in order to save money & to reduce the NHS's environmental impact.

Service will get worse, Health particularly for children will suffer. The time to stop a disaster is before it happens

The NHS has just fallen victim of an international cyber-attack but what no one is talking about is how this was the consequence of a blatant error: placing our health system in the hands of a self-oriented international corporation. All the tax payers money used to acquire thousands of Windows XP licenses were simply wasted the moment Microsoft decided to discontinue this version of their operating system. The abandonment of support via security updates by Microsoft since April 2014 is at the core of the NHS' exposure to international hackers. Now the NHS, as well as other public services providers, are rushing to update their operating systems. But we cannot let them make the same mistake again. Moreover, newer versions of Windows also require faster machines, dragging the NHS into a huge expenditure which it can clearly not afford. It is time to move to a more reliable and cheaper alternative that is perfectly suitable for the computers the NHS currently has. Linux operating system is more than appropriate for the kind of tasks required, which are mainly office and data-keeping related. There are several UK based firms offering installation and maintenance of Linux operating systems in large scale. Such that as an extra bonus of this migration, our own internal market will be boosted, creating jobs and generating domestic income. More info: NHS left reeling by cyber-attack: ‘We are literally unable to do any x-rays’ https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/13/nhs-cyber-attack-patients-ransomware NHS should have installed crucial computer update ‘months ago’ http://metro.co.uk/2017/05/13/nhs-should-have-installed-crucial-computer-update-months-ago-6634494/ Leaked NSA Malware Is Helping Hijack Computers Around the World https://theintercept.com/2017/05/12/the-nsas-lost-digital-weapon-is-helping-hijack-computers-around-the-world/ 90 per cent of NHS Trusts are still running Windows XP machines http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2479315/90-per-cent-of-nhs-trusts-are-still-running-windows-xp-machines Credit for the image: Thinkstock/Linux

People in the area are suffering and are unable to receive treatment or obtain medication for even minor illnesses. They are now having to visit hospitals and walk-in centres putting mass strain on these facilities. If this issue remains unattended than it is possible that lives will be put at risk and may even result in death's!

The car parking company (UKPC) expects patients and staff to guess how much time they will need to be in the car park. If people overpay there are no refunds, if they underpay they are given large fines. There is no facility for paying by card if you don't have any cash. A fairer system would be pay as you leave. The current system exploits people when they are at their most vulnerable. It is completely unfit for purpose and should be changed.

Trafford Council have stated that from the 5th June 2017 residents will be charged extra if they want their garden waste collecting. This is a highly objectionable move by the council, which is completely unjustified, undemocratic and particularly unfair on the frail and disabled, as they would struggle to transport rubbish to their local tip. Residents are already funding waste collection via council tax, so where does it stop - extra charges for rubbish collection, education, environment, sewage, policing, fire service, housing, transport and health? Sign and stop it now!

To avoid losing further footfall in the town, promote longer time spent in town to visit additional local businesses and attractions. To attract further employment in the town and prevent clogging residential areas.