The low paid employees at the MoD’s Fort Blockhouse base in Gosport, Hampshire, who work as cleaners, mess hands and housekeepers, are currently embroiled in a row as ESS has cut the workers’ working year from 52 to 50 weeks. This issue affects mainly women workers on very low pay. The cost-cutting scandal for employees working at Ministry of Defence (MoD) establishments in the south of England has been compounded by the awarding of a new contract to ESS. Unite, the country’s largest union which represents 27 ESS workers, said it was taking legal advice as some employees had their weeks further cut to 48 weeks a year and there were questions about their hourly rate being below the national living wage. Unite has members employed by ESS at HMS Sultan (Gosport), HMS Collingwood (Fareham) and Whale Island (Portsmouth), where the company is also cutting the working year in the contracts of its low paid workers. ESS is part of the Compass Group. The pay of the CEO for Compass Group North America, Gary Green, was £5.8 million last year – the equivalent of £15,890 a day. Unite regional officer Bob Middleton said: “The Ministry of Defence is collaborating in this greedy cost-cutting scandal by awarding a new contract to ESS to run for five years from 1 June 2018. “ESS has won the contract by submitting a bid with reduced employee costs which is disgraceful, as our members are loyal employees who are proud to support our armed forces.” Unite general secretary Len McCluskey wrote to the defence secretary Gavin Williamson about the unilateral reduction in the weeks worked and the loss of an estimated £500 a year in wages – but no response from the minister was forthcoming. Bob Middleton added: “The MoD should hang its head in shame by giving a new contract to ESS, a company that does not care whether some of its employees are now suffering financial hardship after having their working weeks axed without consultation. “The announcement of the new contract is rubbing salt into the wounds."

Dr Glen has renewed her application to add Plains, Caldercruix and Hillend to her practice area and is hoping to achieve this by August 2018 with agreement from Lanarkshire NHS. The Primary Care Department of NHS Lanarkshire gave assurances in Caldercruix in January 2014 at a public meeting that there would continue to be GP services in Caldercruix at dedicated premises.The present service is well short of the assurances given to Alex Neil MSP in 2014 about a commitment to having a GP in the village. Assurances were also given to the Scottish Government that a GP would be in place in the village. The NHS is under pressure and Dr Glen is able to offer appointments in a permanent building with nursing and administrative support all ready to run for the benefit of local villages.

Firstly the numbers if victims of these crimes is rising year on year and charities set up to support and work with them are oversubscribed and short of resources. By allocating the Presidents Club funds towards addressing some of the damage done through their activities this will send a strong signal that they knowingly breached charity regulations and equality laws.

We are fully supportive of the initiatives that are in place to help homeless people and would welcome these being publicised in a positive way so that the public are aware as to what they can do to help the homeless. However these posters do little more than attack the individual liberty of city residents and demonise one of the most vulnerable groups in our city. Streetlink is an important organisation but its advertised in small print at the bottom of the page. The current campaign is based on negativity and not the right way to go about things.

The childcare system in England isn’t working for families. Parents need childcare that helps them choose whether to go back to work. But hundreds of thousands aren’t getting the help they should be. It’s a battle for mums, dads, and caregivers to get the support they’re entitled to – and their children deserve. When the sums don’t add up, and parents end up worse-off than if they didn’t work at all, it can feel like the odds are stacked against them. And the financial pressure and stress that creates at home isn’t good for parents or children. This campaign is about making childcare fair and easy to use. Right now, our broken childcare system isn’t giving families the support they need - at the most important time in their children’s lives. Photo credit: Clare Hewitt / Save the Children

The BBC recently published a review of its religious programming however despite getting the views from a range of religious leaders, no Pagans were consulted. Thought for the Day (T4tD) goes out on Radio 4 and despite it being multi-faith it has no Pagan voices on it. According to the 2011 Census, Pagans make up 0.2% of all people in the UK expressing a religion (this will be understated given our natural reluctance to make ourselves know!). By comparison 0.6% identified as Buddhists but had 3% of T4tD broadcasts and 0.7% identified as Jewish with 5% of T4tD broadcasts. It is clear we are being discriminated against. Nature based religions have never had more relevance than now with climate change hurting the world and plastic soup killing our oceans. Human animals are failing to honour Nature despite us being part of her. Having voices in the media that have a different regard to the world of which we are part is more necessary now than ever.

The Act makes it illegal to sleep rough and/or beg. Whilst I do not wish anybody to have to sleep rough or beg, the people who are forced to do so should not be persecuted in any fashion, let alone from a legal stance. The Act was written at a time when wealth defined whether you were a criminal or not, thus segregating the poor from the rich, as a wealthy person would never find themselves in that position. The Vagrancy Act is out of date common law and needs to be vanquished so that Councillors cannot try and force Police to enforce such legislation when they are on a power trip, such as in the case of https://news.sky.com/story/outrage-as-council-leader-asks-police-to-clear-homeless-before-royal-wedding-11194599

Residents in Newtongrange and Mayfield were promised that community facilities would be retained. We call upon Midlothian Council to honour this commitment.

There is a young 8 year old boy called Jack who was admitted to Alder Hey Children's Hospital on the 25th October 2017, SEVEN WEEKS AGO. Jack lives with autism and has mental health issues; extreme low self-esteem, suicidal. Jack has recently had a severe mental breakdown - hence the stay at Alder Hey Hospital. Jack was assessed as a tier 4 and has been waiting in hospital for a bed to come available in a children’s unit, for SEVEN WEEKS. Jack or his family have been offered no support from CAMHS in the past seven weeks. This is the reason why; Jack has been assessed by the Tier 4 team(in-patient CAMHS unit) and is waiting on an inpatient bed becoming available. This means they cannot work with Jack in his current environment (Alder hey hospital) only once allocated a bed within a unit, So, Jack does not fit the CRITERIA for tier 3 support (community), and can not access the tier 4 support until he is an inpatient in their unit. It is imperative that the government increase funding for children's mental health to prevent this level of waiting time and the dangerous gap that exists between accessible support in a crisis.

There is a young 8 year old boy called Jack who was admitted to Alder Hey Children's Hospital on the 25th October 2017, SEVEN WEEKS AGO. Jack lives with autism and has mental health issues; extreme low self-esteem, suicidal. Jack has recently had a severe mental breakdown - hence the stay at Alder Hey Hospital. Jack was assessed as a tier 4 and has been waiting in hospital for a bed to come available in a children’s unit, for SEVEN WEEKS. Jack or his family have been offered no support from CAMHS in the past seven weeks. This is the reason why; Jack has been assessed by the Tier 4 team(in-patient CAMHS unit) and is waiting on an inpatient bed becoming available. This means they cannot work with Jack in his current environment (Alder hey hospital) only once allocated a bed within a unit, So, Jack does not fit the CRITERIA for tier 3 support (community), and can not access the tier 4 support until he is an inpatient in their unit. It is imperative that NHS England fund more beds in children's mental health units to prevent this level of waiting time and the dangerous gap that exists between accessible support in a crisis.

It is so tough being homeless. But the worst is during the Winter. At night you are fighting for your life. So we urge all City Councils to provide appropriate accommodation. This does not need to be a struggle, but for many it currently is. By signing this, you could save a life. A basic human right is the right to life. So why wait. Please, for the good of all. Thank you

Fife's Education Service is proposing to cut all instrumental tuition in schools except for those pupils taking SQA Music. This will decimate music for Fife's children and young people. Learning any instrument will become an exclusive activity, reserved for those who can find a private teacher. Only these pupils will have the option of taking SQA Music at high school. Pursuing further study in music, at school or college, will be closed off to children whose parents cannot afford years of private tuition. Starved of upcoming players, school and youth orchestras and bands will struggle to survive and become increasingly elitest.