Under the terms of the Welsh Language Measure 2011, Welsh people understood that train companies were going to provide Welsh language services. This was a clear message during the campaigning and information disseminated to help Welsh people understand their linguistic rights. Whether Welsh-speaking or not, the majority of Welsh people welcomed and celebrated the extension of the legal status of Welsh into the private sector. Over recent years, Welsh people have received news on several occasions of the increased efforts to promote and protect the Welsh language, such as the 1 million speakers by 2050. As a result, the news that GWR will not be providing a Welsh language service is disappointing. It sends a statement that they do not understand or care about their customer service provision in Wales. The Welsh Government's inability to enforce the status of Welsh in the private sector also sends a message of no confidence in the Welsh Language Measure 2011, and other legal frameworks to ensure the linguistic rights of Welsh-speakers. Where train companies operate through two or more areas where different languages are spoken, there is an expected provision of services in those languages, e.g. Eurostar, VIA Rail Canada, SNCF TGV Paris-Milan (France/Italy). In light of bilingual services provided elsewhere in the world on board train services, any official statements that 'operating in England invalidates the provision of a Welsh language service' should be considered ignorant of both cultural and business practices. Wales is a bilingual country. GWR must respect that.

People are having to fly hundreds of miles for an mri scan. Many people have suffered injuries and should not have to travel so far, especially as there are 2 mri machines in Raigmore hospital. Some people are not allowed to fly because of insurance purposes and a 9 hour journey by ferry then car/public transport is long. From my own experience I was told I wouldn’t be allowed on the plane as I could not bend my knee so my only other option was the ferry. I was really struggling with pain and there was no way I could spend that amount of time in a car, especially as I was struggling with really bad pain after being in the car for 20 minutes. It is unfair to ask patients to travel so far for a diagnosis. Some of the poorest countries in the world have far more advanced technology than the uk which doesn’t seem right. The cost of nhswi paying for flights for patients is ridiculous too, I know people go away for other things but surely having their own mri scanner would save them money in the long term.

Because there has been a lot in the media about modern day slavery & racism it is essential that what Wilberforce and his set achieved is remembered publicly & in the modern curriculum for school children to know as part of the fabric of their education.

The Bank of England's policy making committees make decisions which have a huge impact on everyone in Britain, yet their members come from a narrow range of backgrounds. Over the last decade, the Bank’s policies have disproportionately benefited the wealthiest in society, while doing very little for the rest of us. [1] Unless its most powerful committees are representative of society as a whole, they won’t fully understand how every community is affected by their decisions. 75% of those on the Monetary Policy Committee, which is in charge of setting interest rates and policy such as quantitative easing, were working in the City or for large companies before taking up their post. There are no members with recent experience working on behalf of the interests of the rest of society, such as in trade unions or civil society organisations. And out of the 23 members on the Bank’s most important committees, only two are female, and BAME communities are underrepresented. Appointments to the Bank’s most senior positions are made by the Chancellor. We support Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Nicky Morgan MP's recent call for Philip Hammond to seek out and appoint a more diverse range of candidates. ----- [1] Researchers at civil society organisations like Positive Money have shown that quantitative easing and low interest rates - the Bank of England’s main policy responses to the crash - have benefited the richest households by almost 200 times as much as the poorest. See our website for more details.

At the moment on a really good day we get 5.00 Mbps, at the moment i get 1.00 Mbps. By 2013 they said they said they would upgrade our WiFi to fibre broadband (about 30.00 Mbps)(which is about 5X better than it is now) which they never did.

Cllr Margaret Pattison, Cllr Janice Hanson, Cllr Darren Clifford and Cllr David Whittaker are very concerned with living in a seaside area such as Morecambe and Heysham that children should have a local pool to learn to swim. The pool has 54.000 visitors a year with 16 schools using the pool for swimming lessons and groups helping people to keep fit and healthy, if closed this would effect the health and safety of the people in Morecambe.

YOU USE IT - DON'T LOSE IT The accessibility to the estuary seawall via the path which runs alongside Bradwell power station is under threat. Although the area has, in the past, been maintained by the power station, the footpath has no official designation. To ensure it remains open and accessible, Essex County Council is being requested to officially designate the path as a Public Right of Way. There is a petition form in the village shop – which aims to demonstrate to Essex County Council that the path is sufficiently used to justify becoming a Public Right or Way. So if you would hate to lose this access, please sign the petition which asks how long you have been using the footpath. Additionally, you can comment on this post and/or share it with others in the Dengie who also enjoy the benefits of getting to the estuary via this path.

The EU referendum represented a low point in post war UK democratic politics. Only now are problems coming to the fore that were not considered in the referendum and not debated at the time. Oeople did not know the consequences of them and Brexit impact reports are being unacceptably hidden from the people. This is unacceptable and we need a final decision when we know exactly what Brexit means and that means the full terms of an any deal.

We the undersigned wish to express our profound disquiet at the roll-out of digital Universal Credit (UC). The Government’s plans will continue to replace all means-tested social security benefits and tax credits for those of working age, across Greater Manchester and beyond. We believe that we should not stand for such wilful ignorance of the impacts of the new system. We urge individuals, groups, organisations, MPs, councillors, landlords and housing associations to stand in solidarity against the Universal Credit roll-out. Signed and shared by: Greater Manchester Law Centre, GM Poverty Action, Big Issue North, Salford Mayor Paul Dennett, Salford Council Welfare Rights and Debt Advice Team, Salford Star, People's Plan GM, Coffee 4 Craig, St Mungo's Unite, Kill the Housing Bill, Cllr Gary Bridges, Cllr Bev Craig, Cllr Basat Sheik, Cllr Richard Leese, Council Labour Group, Manchester Shield, Withington Lib Dems. As this catastrophe unfolds the shortcomings and blind spots of UC have increasingly become clear. The following are the six issues, faced by individuals and families, which concern us most: 1. People are experiencing waits of six to twelve weeks (sometimes longer) for their first payment of Universal Credit. Consequently, people are spiraling into debt and rent arrears which they may find it impossible to recover from. 2. Universal Credit claims can only be processed online through a system called verify which cannot be completed without requisite ID or computer access. Some of the most vulnerable people, such as those who are disabled, precariously housed, homeless or non-UK citizens, find it extremely difficult to claim. This both lengthens the waiting period for first payments and makes it difficult for individuals to maintain their claims, putting them at risk of sanctions. 3. Sanctions are being applied erratically and arbitrarily in relation to UC. There is mounting evidence highlighting unfair use of sanctions, for example individuals have received them for being at work and missing their work focused interview. Full service roll-out will also bring housing benefit into the realm of sanctions, directly increasing the risk of evictions and homelessness. 4. Under UC many will see a reduction in their financial entitlement and will be living off substantially less money. In some cases individuals will be around £100-£300 less well off per month than on previous legacy benefits like Employment and Support Allowance and Severe Disability Premium . Disabled people and those with debilitating heath conditions will be pushed further into poverty as a result. 5. Young People aged 18-25 will be disproportionately affected by UC, . For example, those aged between 18-21 will not be entitled to housing benefit under UC unless in an exempt category. The exemptions will not cover thousands of at risk young people, resulting in mounting debt and homelessness. 6. Evidence suggests that UC is pushing more children and families into poverty. Unjust elements of UC like the two child limit do not support working or non-working families. Direct links to welfare reform, specifically UC are causing professionals to highlight the risk of more children going into care and families becoming homeless. We call on the Government to halt the roll-out while all of the problems are reviewed, to avoid creating unnecessary suffering. Universal Credit, if rolled out in its current form, is a Universal Catastrophe that will place an unsustainable burden on the finances of local authorities, charitable organisations and support services who will ultimately be left to pick up the pieces.

My mum was only 46 years when she got diagnosed with a brain tumour and told she had three months to live. I was stunned when the funeral director said it would cost £5,000 for a cremation. I felt shame having to owe people money. Because I was unable to repay the debt and deal with my own emotions, I wasn’t able to grieve in peace. The government funeral fund used to cover the cost of a basic funeral for families who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford one. Now it covers less than 40% - that's just £700 for direct funeral expenses. According to Money Advice Service, the average cost of a funeral can range from £1600-£4257.but it can be much more in places like London which is double the national average. Many families like mine are being forced into debt and poverty because they can't afford a funeral when someone they love dies. Now the Fair Funerals campaign is calling on the government to raise the funeral fund and help families grieve in dignity. One in six grieving families get into serious financial problems trying to pay for a funeral. Tell the government to save grieving people like me from funeral debt. Please sign this petition now.

I know this Petition will be a touchy subject for those who have had to apply for a Spouse Visa in the last four years to allow a non-EU domiciled spouse into the UK from abroad. I have made every effort to keep this petition explanation short and hope my point comes across to your clearly and concisely, and that you will support my initiative to urge our fellow Minister of State, Rt Hon Brandon Lewis to look into this as a matter of urgency and bring about a change in pricing policy. Here is my Story: I, Andy Wilkinson am a UK Citizen and married my wife Sylvia Alexis in 2010 who was from Pretoria, South Africa. She joined me in the UK as my partner having acquired a spouse visa - costing around £600 in 2010. In March 2012, we decided to move to Cape Town for few years for a job opportunity for which I had been accepted. Late last year, my role came to an end, and we had to move back home. After reviewing the criteria for the UK Visa, it was obvious I would have to come back to the UK alone and find a job that qualified me for the financial requirement of the minimum income threshold which was required. In June 2017, we were set to apply for Sylvia’s Spouse Visa and was advised the cost to be £1,464 pounds. The Issue: Given the current recessionary economic climate in the UK, a huge population of the work force just about get by with what they earn (See my link to the Guardian’s newspaper below to see the income situation of UK Citizens). What happens when a UK Citizen finds their match from abroad, and have to pay £1,464 to bring them into the UK, this becomes a sticky situation an unaffordable price for many. Therefore a number of questions have come to mind? Why has the government which came into power in 2010, suddenly hiked the prices of a spouse visa for a UK Citizen’s partner. Ofcourse the government has an ambition of curbing the national debt, but penalizing UK citizens for having chosen a partner from abroad is not one of the best ways of doing it. A visa cost of £600 in 2010, and the same visa in 2017 costs £1,464. It would frustrate any logical minded person how the steep increase of 140% is justified. Or is the government simply trying to rake in as much money as it can from a situation they know the applicant has no alternative choice but to pay. I feel this is a penalization technique to those who have found their match from abroad. Ofcourse it will be argued that this has been a decision to curb exploitative marriages. But what about those who have been married for many years, those who have kids, certainly they cannot be labeled as exploitative – so why should they have to pay such a hefty visa cost? Finally, it may also be argued this is to stop UK Citizens bringing in partners from abroad. This cannot be something the government decides. It is every Human’s Right to marry whomsoever they wish. It is not justifiable for the government to apply strong charges, as if to punish a UK Citizen from marrying outside the borders of the UK. Referring back to the article by the Guardian, many people who have spouses abroad will have to wait, or pay the cost using expensive methods of credits (credit cards, loans etc), and this certainly can’t be a reasonable strategy. What do I want? I want your support to urge our Minister of State, Rt Hon Brandon Lewis, to look into reducing the cost of a spouse visa for UK citizens who plan to bring in their spouse’s from abroad. The visa costs should be designed so that they are equitable to all UK Citizens, not assuming everyone is a high income earner. (For I am not a high UK earner, but am grateful Sylvia has now joined me in the UK). I also understand that the government has taken a consultation process to determine fee levels for certain visas, but the visa that I am concerned is for UK Citizens who have/plan to bring their spouse from abroad. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/20/one-in-four-uk-families-have-less-than-95-in-savings-report-finds

This is joey, our 13 month old pup and he has now been seized after dog wardens picked him up classing him as a stray after he slipped his collar, the police are trying to intimidate us by telling us Joey will suffer 6 months in their kennels and other nasty things they said to which I got all on record. We will not sign him over and we will fight until we get him back. This is a support page for Myself Martina & Joey. Currently waiting to open a case with a professional Solicitors that deal with this. Never thought this would ever happen as he’s such a kind loving puppy, my little sisters are as devastated as us. This is happening too often and many dogs are being destroyed purely because of their looks and being deemed a dangerous dog. It's absolutely wrong in so many ways. We need to stand up for our dogs and beat this BLS #SayNoToBls #ItsNotTheBreed #BringHomeJoeyBear