Jean is 68 years old and lives in Edinburgh. She was born with arthrogryposis, a condition which affects the joints and muscles and prevents development/growth in the legs. Jean is 4 foot 5 inches and wears heavy callipers and surgical boots weighing 3kgs. Each step is a challenge and for the past 20 years Jean has relied exclusively on her specially adapted Motability car to lead an independent life. Recently due to new guidelines for Personal Independence Payments, she has been told that she is no longer entitled to a car. This is unacceptable. Everything Jean undertakes is adapted, adjusted and limited by her physical handicap. Her balance is poor due to no ankle or knee flexion, she struggles with cobbles, uneven ground, steps, kerbs and slopes. If one of her callipers breaks, she is 100% immobile. Public transport is not an option. Boarding a bus requires the use of both arms, leaving no option for carrying any shopping. The height of the seats leaves her legs dangling unsupported, causing swelling and pain. It is of the utmost importance that Jean is permitted to maintain her independence through the provision of a specially adapted car. Her condition will never improve. Taking her car away will leave Jean housebound and reliant on the help of others. To deprive Jean of her car after 20 years, at the time of her life that she needs it most, is cruel and unnecessary. Under the new PIP guidelines Jean’s mobility was reassessed and she was deemed to walk with a “good gait”. The assessment was conducted by target-driven private contractors employed by the DWP. Given her medical condition and profound disability this assessment is evidently deeply flawed. Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine said that assessments were often “box ticking exercises with no understanding of peoples’ situations”. This certainly rings true for Jean. There is no doubt that Jean should qualify for the enhanced rate of the mobility component of PIP. Please help us persuade Sarah Newton to support Jean’s case by signing and sharing this petition.

At the moment traders south of the Border can refuse to take such notes causing much embarrassment and frustration for visitors. Even the Scottish Secretary Mr Mundell, MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, in 2009!! said: “Many people, myself included, have tried to pay with Scottish banknotes in England, only to find them questioned. This is exasperating. And when a Scottish note is refused, that can even leave Scots in restaurants or petrol stations unable to pay for what they have bought.” Nearly ten years after Mr Mundell`s attempt at a private bill nothing has changed. I don`t know a single Scot who has not experienced this embarrassment or indeed a single English person who has been welcomed to Scotland by being told your sterling is not welcome here. The time has come to stop this antiquated discrimination and bring in new law to stop it.

The Welfare Secretary Esther McVey wants to "kill off" a new government website which would help millions of people keep track of their pensions throughout their careers, because she thinks it's not the government's job to help. Without it millions of pension pots are at risk of being lost. According to estimates by the Department for Work and Pensions, 50 million pension pots will be lost by 2050 without an official website to help workers to keep track of savings through their careers. The website has already been successfully tested, and was due to be rolled out nationally soon. It's all the more urgent because new laws to boost pensions have led to 9 million workers being automatically enrolled on to workplace schemes in recent years. A huge petition signed by thousands of us will show the government we expect them to keep their promises and continue to roll out the pensions dashboard.

Hackney Council now admits its proposed road closures in the Walford Rd area could increase traffic on Stoke Newington Church Street by up to 21.8% (2,080 extra vehicles per day). That’s far higher than the 5-7% "worst case" scenario stated in their consultation. Church St is a lovely road at the centre of the N16 community where people live, work and go to school. It already suffers from heavy traffic; many homes there are illegally polluted. The street is home to two schools, both of which have worrying levels of pollution, and it's home to nurseries. In places the buildings are higher than the street is wide, so pollution can get trapped. The pavements are narrow and, in addition to worsening air quality and adding to congestion, extra vehicles could lead to more accidents. The road simply can’t cope with more traffic.

There is a very good chance it may lead to the scrapping of district and borough councils. This is undemocratic. It takes away decision making powers from the people. We pride ourselves in our local communities but this decision will leave all decisions up to a faceless bureaucracy that know nothing of the local areas. We want to still be able to make our own decisions about where and how we live.

The Welsh Government (2015) household survey states that 47% of households have a pet with 62% of those owning a dog, which was by far the most popular animal. This is a very large community that could be negatively impacted by the proposed changes. The Animal Welfare Act supports dogs requirement for exercising off leads for their health and wellbeing. The proposed restrictions disadvantage those with mobility issues, lack of access to transport or financial hardship from accessing green spaces for their dogs needs. The health benefits of dog ownership and walking are well documented which should be incentivized not deterred. One recent study by The University of Lincoln and Glasgow Caledonian University found that dog owners over the age of 65 get an average of 22 more minutes of walking a day than those without one. BUPA (2017) reported dog walkers have: lower stress and depression levels; lower incidence of type 2 diabetes, breast and colon cancer; lower cholesterol and blood pressure; lower body mass index; improved sleeping; and better community connectedness. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt6wq5k0 There is a cost to accessing a lot of recreational activities and dog walking has been accessible for many. According to research by American Express (2016) British dog owners estimate they spend an average of £1,252 annually on their pet, equating to over £10.64bn across the country as a whole. Dog ownership is a boost to the local economy further with their patronage to the ever popular and increasing dog friendly cafes.

To promote/maintain the mental and physical health and wellbeing of local residents and visitors; To retain the rural nature of this town and its views of importance; To safeguard the tranquility of this particular area for existing and future residents; To protect the wonderful natural landcapes and rich biodiversity of this area; To continue to provide wild open spaces, where local children and adolescents can experience and connect with nature (which is also linked with improved childhood mental health and wellbeing, similarly to adults); For the District Council to take the lead and set new nationwide standards, by truly putting biodiveristy and health & wellbeing, at the heart of their local planning decisions. Can I please suggest that everyone read the plan, spread the word and also make their own individual representations via the official response form on NFDC website: http://www.newforest.gov.uk/localplan2016 Then.email it to: [email protected] Or post it to: Policy and Plans Team, New Forest District Council, Appletree Court, Beaulieu Road, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, SO43 7PA. By 12/08/2018. This area is used widely by a lot of residents, who may not live directly by the proposed sites and therefore may not have received correspondence from the NFDC about the plans...so please spread the word far and wide so.we can send a united response to the NFDC that calls for some reasonable changes to the proposed Local Plan!

We must reduce the amount this chemical is used because of the wildlife and nature impact. The bees are unable to live around this chemical and the plants it's used on. Bees are in serious decline and need our support. Tests support it is carcinogenic to humans too, can be linked to cancer, liver and kidney damage, diabetes. There are many other means available online to give ideas for how to replace this chemical and rid the streets from weeds. We managed before this came along and we have a moral duty to manage now, for the bees and insects, and human wellbeing.

In the UK the average family throws away 22% of their weekly shop, which is worth £700 per year. Food waste is really, really bad for the environment. It takes a land mass larger than China to grow the food each year that is ultimately never eaten – all to produce food that we then just throw away. In addition, food that is never eaten accounts for 25% of all fresh water consumption globally. Not only are all of the resources that went into creating the uneaten food wasted (land, water, labour, energy, manufacturing, packaging, etc), but when food waste goes to landfill, which is where the vast majority of it ends up, it decomposes without access to oxygen and creates methane, which is 23x more deadly than carbon dioxide. Every which way you look at it food waste is a major culprit in destroying our planet, and in fact if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the USA. So, the bad news is we are half the problem. But the good news is….. this means we can be half the solution! Ref: https://olioex.com/food-waste/the-problem-of-food-waste/

Forty one years ago Michael Sobell had a vision. A vision of a hospice where people would be able to spend the last few days of their life with all the staff and facilities that were needed to hand, in an environment that was as pleasant as possible. An environment with beautiful plants growing indoors as well as in the peaceful, tranquil gardens, a calming aquarium, and an aviary where colourful, birds flit from branch to branch and sing. An environment far removed from the usual, purely functional, antiseptic hospital ward, and a level of 24 hour care far more effective than that which could ever be provided at home. In 1977 Michael Sobell was moved enough to donate £1 million of his own money so that his vision could be achieved. A building was erected which provided an environment that was as homely as possible, friendly, and even inspirational, but a building with an expected life span of only 20 years. It has been tended and cared for by a dedicated team of staff and volunteers for 41 years. But now here we are and the inevitable day has finally arrived and the building needs to be demolished, and yet there is no plan in place to allow this much appreciated facility to continue. “Care in the community” undoubtedly has its benefits, but the phrase often seems to be used in a cynical way to slash costs and justify closing facilities. But it is totally inappropriate and unacceptable for end-of-life care. We are in danger of letting down not only Michael Sobell, the inpatients, and their families, but also the trustees, staff, and volunteers who have tended and cared for the hospice all these years - not to mention all those who have sacrificed their time, and risen to many a challenge, to raise funds in support. We must not lose sight of Michael Sobell's vision; the NHS needs to demonstrate that it still has a heart and soul. Otherwise we will just end up where we started 41 years ago. We cannot allow hospices to be closed up and down the country. We must not short-change all those people for whom the cards of life played out badly. This issue should be of NATIONWIDE CONCEN, we cannot stand by and allow the humanity to be taken out of decisions that effect us all, no matter what the financial pressures might be. Now is the time to mobilise public opinion while the powers that control the NHS contemplate how best to use their £20bn “birthday present.” We need to petition East and North Herts NHS Trust and make our feelings known before a decision is made that wipes the Michael Sobell Hospice off the face of the earth for ever. The NHS would then lose the ability to provide the sort of care for end-of-life patients that the community works so hard to support. It stands to lose the services of the dedicated people that tend the gardens, and look after the aviary and aquarium, and all the people that strive to raise funds to provide all manner of small comforts for the inpatients. The NHS stands on the brink of losing the additional funding generated by the Charity that supports the hospice which allows its limited resources to go that little bit further. But most importantly we need to show the NHS the strength of public opinion before it makes an irreversible decision that will deny many of our loved-ones access to the final demonstration of our community’s love and compassion that is offered by our hospices. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxoOXs6i9gI ANY VIEWS EXPRESSED HERE ARE MY OWN AND OTHER PARTIES MAY WISH TO EXPRESS DIFFERENT VIEWS! The Board of Trustees of the Michael Sobell Hospice Charity have announced that they have set up an Advisory working group as part of their “listening and engagement” exercise. In order to help them in their desire to “spread a wide net to capture not only local views but also consider the national picture for palliative and end of life care’”, we have compiled a short survey. To complete it copy and paste the following link into your browser. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/2VX8ZMJ You are also able to find the SURVEY on the newly created Save My Safe Haven website: www.savemsh.co.uk where we will be posting the results. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE try and complete the SURVEY in time for the meeting the Michael Sobell House Charity has planned for later on in August. Any questions please email us at [email protected]

Our GP services are on their knees Our roads are gridlocked due to sheer number of cars, limited roads out of Midlothian and poor public transport for many areas Our schools are bursting at the seams with children being shipped out of catchment schools due to lack of space Lack of investment into community resources - there are few services for our elderly, teenagers and young children. Our green belt is disappearing - with a significant impact on our health and the environment Private housing is not a priority - we need to prioritise council and housing association accommodation

Since 2013, the price of a Young Person's Travel Pass in Kent has risen by 480%. A family with two children at secondary school are looking at spending £580 per year and many more families are struggling to meet this cost. We call on Kent County Council to introduce more flexible payment opportunities to help students and parents budget around these price rises. We are also asking Kent County Council to review the cost of travel for those students in full-time education between the ages of 16 and 19. The cost of travel can put many off furthering their studies and we call on KCC to review all travel pass costs for those in education in the county.