To give us the opportunity to go where the work is, give our young people the widest choice to access education and to stop the gentrification of our rural areas.

1 Service persons contributed indirectly to pensions by adjusted pay, and receive nothing for thier contributions.  2 Many Veterans served long periods of service, but due to many reasons did not reach the required 15 years service for officers, or 22 years for other ranks. 3 Many were demobbed as low a 2 days before reaching the pensionable 15 or 22 years. Families supported their partners and parents, moving at least every 3 years on postings, or living without a partner for long periods. Children were subjected to new schools, and teachers, or were boarded. All service persons had the vision of leaving the services after the required period with a good gratuity, and pension. And of course the chance of being able to work, and increasing the resulting pension at pensionable age. How many were demobbed a few days before the full serving period?. Many Veterans today just manage to exist, pride is that what keeps them going. They also live in the knowledge that service persons today receive a pension pro rate after just 2 years service. This is not only an abuse of equal rights, but also unfair, we need help because of the negative attitude towards our efforts to get justice. Things are not getting better for Veterans, not only are many on the bread line, but now are suffering abuse, as a thanks for the service, and loyalty given over the years. https://www.facebook.com/groups/weforveterans/files/

Your Choice Barnet, that provides services for adults with learning and physical disabilities. Your Choice Barnet Ltd (YCB) began operating as a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) in February 2012 and 100% owned by Barnet Council. In February 2013 a year after its creation Your Choice Barnet, was in serious financial difficulties and as a result, it looked to make savings by cutting staff terms and conditions and reduce staffing levels in some of the social care settings. It also received a £1 million bail out from Barnet Homes requiring a 6% interest repayment. A significant number of loyal hard working care staff were made redundant last year as a result of this cut which has led to an increase in agency staff delivering services. In January 2014, Your Choice Barnet were still in a financial crisis and stated they needed to cut the staff bill by a further £400,000. It is obvious to everyone that the ongoing attack on the terms & conditions of care staff will ultimately lead to: • fewer stimulating activities in a safe environment for adults with disabilities in Barnet. • fewer staff to work with adults with vulnerable disabilities in Barnet. • less supervision of, training and support for remaining skilled staff. • loss of professional staff and lower morale and motivation among remaining staff. • negative impact on staff health and well-being, with a knock-on impact on service quality. Both the Francis Inquiry into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and the Winterbourne View abuse scandal highlighted the shocking results of employing unskilled and unsupervised staff. I note in a recent article http://www.conservativehome.com/localgovernment/2014/03/maude-praises-the-barnet-formula.html you have been extolling the virtues of mass outsourcing “Our approach is already paying dividends, by allowing us to cut Council Tax bills to all residents next year.” Surely you must concede that instead of making a gesture of funding a tax cut, which will save a Band D taxpayer all of 26p a week; the money would have been better spent on ensuring safe and quality services for adults with disabilities. In another article http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/barnet_can_make_future_council_tax_cuts_due_to_one_barnet_outsourcing_says_westminster_finance_chief_1_3429038 you are quoted as saying: “We’ve made enough savings via the One Barnet programme so that we can meet our budget and distribute the money saved, back to the community.” In which case why are you not ensuring the savings you are referring to are redirected to Your Choice Barnet?

Exit from Dalmahoy and Ratho (road opposite) onto A71 is life threatening and one day someone will die and then it will be too late. An offer of a SLOW DOWN sign is not good enough after 15 yrs of complaining.The morning rush hour traffic is horrendous with no one giving way and the cars pile up the roads on either side. Maybe someone could just try this out and see how they feel risking their lives just trying to get home.

Firefighters in Wales “deeply concerned” about fire control merger proposals Firefighters in Wales have expressed their “deep concern” over proposals to merge the control room for Mid and West Wales with South Wales and relocate it to the headquarters of South Wales Police in Bridgend. Although a Welsh government panel was expected to reach a decision on funding for the project from its Invest-to-save fund on 20 February 2014, the Fire Brigades Union says it has not been informed of any decision. The union also said that it believed that the fire authorities of both South Wales as well as Mid and West Wales had passed the merger following a feasibility study at the end of last year. Fire Brigades Union executive council member for Wales, said: “Our highly-skilled control room members have proven time and time again that local knowledge saves precious time in responding to incidents. ”We are therefore deeply concerned about how the loss of a dedicated fire control room in Mid and West Wales will affect the service provided to local communities — and the future of our members. “The FBU in Wales has opposed this move from the outset and we have informed management of our serious concerns.”

Privatisation of the Land Registry will create a private sector monopoly of a function essential to the property market. It will remove competition and devalue the Land Registry. The Land Registry is a very efficient public organisation that is self funding and is not a drain on public finance. It has a 98% satisfaction rating with its users. The public consultation on government proposals to privatise the Land Registry closed on Thursday 20th March. There has been no publicity or attempt to inform the public of this radical change to an organisation that is vital to the UK property market. Another consultation on giving the Land Registry wider powers in the control of data essential to the sale and purchase of property closed earlier with the majority of the public not being aware of its existence. The Land Registry is well run, efficient and professional. If the government is to sell off one of our best performing public services, the wider public needs to be able to have its say. The public consultation is at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/land-registry-new-service-delivery-company

Despite a doubling in the demands on food banks in the past year, the UK Government refused to claim the UK's £22m share of a £2bn fund voted by the European Union in 2013 to tackle food deprivation across the EU. Instead, it has taken the minimum allowed sum of £3m which, despite the intention of the EU fund, it is using to prop up its already failing work programme. Labour MEP Richard Howitt, who helped negotiate the fund, said it 'defied belief' that David Cameron’s Government had 'sought to block a fund for the most deprived’. “The cost of this Government’s anti-European ideology, coupled with its bitterly felt cost-of-living crisis, is literally taking food from the mouths of children,” he said. This money would ease some of the current burden on food banks, as well as supporting the many other UK charities which help the homeless and those fleeing domestic violence.

We have a brand new, gleaming hospital which people cannot reach because it is not on a bus route. Many of the services based there: physiotherapy, falls prevention, community dieticians, are geared towards people who are frail and cannot walk long distances. 500m might not seem a long distance for most people, but on a zimmer frame or crutches it is forever. Parts of the hospital are empty because local GPs do not want to move to a building which their patients cannot access. The plans for this building always included a bus stop, but what we need now is a bus which will actually stop outside the hospital door. There is a cross party consensus that this needs to happen urgently. Please add your voice so the Mayor of London understands how important this is. Thanks.

The Jam Butty Camp has provided generations of Salfordian school children with the experience of a holiday by the sea, many of which would have never had the chance of a holiday under normal circumstances. Over the years it has supported our City and so when under attack we come to its aid and in turn support it. The camp is just as much a part of Salford as the Civic Centre you all inhabit, and should be protected at all costs. The purpose of this facility is just as relevant today as it was when it was first set up, and by the councils own admission the City and its people are suffering from the austerity cuts, and for many children this will be the only chance they have of having a holiday away from City life. This camp holds a special place in the hearts of many Salfordian's and should be immune to the Councils cuts on the grounds it provides a special service to Salford which is priceless.

There are at least 9 groups which use the library from tiny tots to the elderly - including knitting groups, family history group, creative writing groups, toddler groups and even wool spinning. The computers enable the unemployed without internet access at home to search for work as the job centre requires them to do. The buses from St Just to Penzance have recently been cut and the prices raised. St Just is a growing community with a new housing estate just built which will house many people who will benefit from a local library. Tourist use the library in summer for computer access and the valuable local knowledge of our librarians. Your cuts will mean the library is only open for one full day and two half days. This is planned to happen in June - just in time for the height of the tourist season!

The effect of the floods and storms of recent days on Spelthorne have proven to those who live and work here the very real need for our existing fire and rescue services to be maintained. The firefighters in both Staines and Sunbury have been working flat out to provide essential rescue services, as have those from the surrounding boroughs.

This plan will decimate early years provision in the town. The council plans to reduce the number of centres from 22 to 9- leaving many areas without provision, staff facing redudancy, and families losing essential services in their community. We are holding a family event on Saturday 29 March which will start with a march from the Town Hall at 12 heading to All Saints Square for live music, face painting, speakers and more! Public consultation meetings are being held in the coming months- http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/consultations/Childrens_Centre_consultation/index.php