School Librarians are a critical part of any school’s professional staff. Their skills are needed now more than ever. With vast online resources there is no shortage of sources of information. However, the more important skill is now understanding and evaluating these sources. Pupils need to learn how to sort out fact from fake. This decision will prevent pupils from reaching their full potential. Librarians have professional skills that support children of all abilities to learn. Replacing essential staff with the unpaid labour of pupils is an absolute disgrace. Scottish Borders Council should hang their heads in shame. Follow the story: Pressure grows on education officials over school library plans http://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/16272089.Pressure_grows_on_education_officials_over_school_library_plans/ Scottish Borders Council slammed for using pupils as library staff says it will teach them leadership http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16271266.Scots_council_slammed_for_using_pupils_as_library_staff_says_it_will_teach_them_leadership/ Playground pressure mounts on council to reverse school library cuts https://www.peeblesshirenews.com/news/17233450.playground-pressure-mounts-on-council-to-reverse-school-library-cuts/

The EU withdrawal Bill is returning to the Houses of Commons after the Government suffered 15 amendment defeats by the House of Lords. Lords spent 20 days debating the EU withdrawal bill and the government has just announced that Parliament will only be given 12 hours on the 12th June to debate the full bill and its numerous amendments. Brexit represents the most significant and complex process seen before parliament since world war 2 and the government is denying MPs sufficient time to debate the bill and its amendments by only allowing one day for debate voting. Why sign this petition? * Whether you are voted leave or remain it is in the best interests of the public to have a full, open and robust debate in parliament on the EU withdrawal bill * The House of Lords was permitted 20 days to debate this bill. Why is the Commons not allowed the same opportunity to debate a bill so vital to the future of the country? * MPs and commentators from across the political spectrum, including senior and back bench Tory MPs are highly critical of the governments decision to allow such a short time to debate this bill * This timetable only allows for 40 minutes to debate each amendment all of which will have a significant impact on the prosperity and political future of the UK * Parliament is being denied it’s sovereignty as one day is simply not enough time for a full and proper debate and this move has been described as reckless, unprecedented and showing contempt for parliament Please sign this bill to help protect the sovereignty of parliament and democracy in the UK

There is growing Concern by a lot of Salfordians that this iconic cast-iron structures that many generations have grown up with will no longer be there!. There are many great examples around the UK of how they have been redeveloped into housing, public and community usage. In a sympathetic and artistic eye pleasing manner. Like the one in the photograph. In alot of Salfordians eyes they should be saved and redeveloped instead of just being demolished so the land can be built on for another high rised apartment block, in Salford So come on SALFORD, too many of our historic landmarks have been demolished to build high rise unaffordable apartment blocks , we need to join together and hopefully stop this from happening before its too late as this is a historic sites. This great historic landmark need to be saved for all of Salford to admire for generations to come.

Given widespread concerns about the potential for electoral fraud being easier to perpetrate through postal voting than 'in-person' voting, we propose that postal votes be counted separately from the 'in-person' vote and the numbers for each count be published when the results are declared.

East Sussex County Council currently runs some high quality after school and holiday play schemes for 5-19 year old children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). The clubs are due to have their funding reduced and then completely removed over the next 2 years, leaving these children without the support they need. I am working with Jane, a mum of three autistic children, that has Cancer. She has had a breakdown and also lost the use of her left arm. She needs this support to continue caring for her children. She has tried to request foster care for her children out of desperation, but there are no foster carers available. Like many of the children who use the after school clubs service, her children have been refused a social care assessment by the Local Authority - and have been offered these clubs as an alternative. If Jane loses this respite she does not know how she will cope. These cuts will put these families in crisis. The schools are unable to finance these clubs, so it is likely the services will be restricted and many will be closed. There is no "wider market to be explored", there is no other place these children will be safe, or that has space to take them. We believe that in making this cut the Local Authority is breaching its duty of care to vulnerable families. We want to ensure these clubs continue to support these vulnerable families and the local authority upholds its duty of care to disabled children under The Children’s Act 1989 and S2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970.

From The Yorkshire Moors, to Sherwood Forest, to the Fylde Coast, our countryside - and our democracy - is at risk. The government has announced plans to streamline the planning process for fracking. If this goes ahead, it will be as easy to drill an exploration fracking well as it is to build a conservatory or erect a fence. These plans are deeply undemocratic - they twist planning laws to give the government and fracking companies the power to override the will of local people - who have fought relentlessly to halt fracking at every turn. These proposals could see scores of new drilling sites appear over the next couple of years in the English countryside – with the risk of untold environmental, landscape and climate impact. This is the government taking desperate measures to make fracking happen and it’s up to us to stop the proposals before it’s too late.

The cancellation of bus routes will leave many without any public transport to do the very basics like visiting a doctor, getting to school, or picking up groceries. Without this bus service the most vulnerable in our society will face social isolation, difficulty accessing work, and expensive taxi fares. I have spoken to a woman who uses a bus to visit her 90 year old father. She doesn't know how he'll manage if she can't visit him to help with his meals and cleaning. Another woman in Wilbarston relies upon the 67 bus to see her grandchildren and attend regular GP appointments in Corby - without the bus, she'll be left isolated or face paying £17 for a taxi each way. Northamptonshire County Council have a duty to protect the young, the elderly and other vulnerable groups - cutting these services and leaving these groups isolated, without public access to the most essential services is not right or fair.

We pay Council Tax to have ALL of the grass in public areas cut, it’s been the same arrangement year-on-year; until this year. This year, Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) are trying to pass ‘non-essential’ grass cutting onto Stamford Town Council. As a result you will pay TWICE for grass cutting. Let’s let LCC know this isn’t on and stop similar stealth taxes being introduced. #LCC transparency

The board of the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which manages Pinderfields, Dewsbury and Pontefract Hospitals, approved plans to create a 'Wholly Owned Subsidiary;' effectively a private company owned by the Trust. Essentially, staff and services currently provided in-house such as, Facilities and Estates, will be 'outsourced' to this new arms-length company in a bid to save money. The Trust claims that money will be saved by exploiting a tax loophole. However, the Trusts CEO has given no guarantees that wages, conditions and pensions of current NHS staff will not be affected and it seems likely that the main savings will come from employing new staff on non-NHS terms and conditions with no access to the NHS Pension Scheme, creating a two-tier workforce. This is a form of backdoor privatisation that will have direct consequences on health workers and could potentially affect patient care and service delivery. Why is it that honest, hard-working people, always seem to pay the price? NHS Staff are valued members of our community, they are our neighbours, our friends and our colleagues, who dedicate their lives to helping others. After years of increased workloads and understaffing due to Austerity and nurses using foodbanks due to the pay cap, this latest threat to jobs is their 'reward'. The Mid Yorkshire Unison Health Branch is due to ballot their members for Industrial Action in a bid to protect jobs. The Wakefield Constituency Labour Party believe NHS Workers deserve better than this, especially at a time where there is a need for higher wages and better conditions. We will be standing with Unison members in this fight and we would like to call on your support in opposing these plans.

The UK Government is looking to outsource Veterans Services without public consultation taking place. Notice of tenders were issued in April 2018 which considerably expand the services that will form part of the Future Service Delivery Contract (FSDC). This contract provides provision of Armed Forces Pay, Pensions and Military HR and Administration Services and will be expanded to include: • Administration of the War Pensions Scheme and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (including payment and financial accounting with interfaces to other Ministry of Defence and other government department financial systems); • MoD Medal Office – the administration and issue of medals and awards; • Provision of Veterans Enabling and Supporting Services; and • Maintenance and development of existing Information System (IS) and enquiry services in support of the above services. We are concerned about the impact outsourcing these services will have on the quality of service provision that veterans currently receive. We are also concerned that the MoD is reserving the right to include/add any other work related to delivery of Military Human Resources or Veterans Services during the lifetime of the contract. The contract is worth up to £800 million and an estimated 400 jobs are being put at risk.

Donald Trump is a big, angry baby with a fragile ego. He's also a racist demagogue who is a danger to women, immigrants and minorities and a mortal threat to world peace and the very future of life on earth. Moral outrage is water off a duck’s back to Trump, but he really seems to hate it when people make fun of him. So when Trump visits the UK on Friday the 13th of July this year, we want to make sure he knows that all of Britain is looking down on him and laughing at him. That's why a group of us have chipped in and raised enough money to have a 6 meter high blimp made by a professional inflatables company, to be flown in the skies over Parliament Square during Trump's visit. Unfortunately, we need the Mayor of London's permission to be able to fly Trump Baby from Parliament Square - and Sadiq's team at City Hall have told us that flying Trump Baby does not qualify as a 'protest'. They are insisting that the only form of protest that is legally allowable on their land is "a gathering of people, with banners and placards." We are fairly sure this doesn't make any sense, but their key objection is that flying a large inflatable will occupy a (5x5M) corner of the square which will then not be available for gatherings of people with banners and placards - thereby depriving them of freedom of speech. So we need to demonstrate that there isn't, in practice, anyone planning to protest Trump's visit who would not in fact welcome a 6m high orange baby with Trump’s malevolent face flying in the sky over Parliament during this period.

Elected officials in this country are supposed to be guided in their every decision by the 7 principles of public life. If we give this particular councillor the doubt, and ignore the codes on ethics and leadership, she surely a contravenes Article 3 of the code. Article 3 states the following: 3. Objectivity Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias. How on earth can the electorate be confident that this councillor can adhere to this principle? We can't trust in her ability to act and make decisions 'without discrimination or bias' when she is clearly and unashamedly racist. The Committee on Standards in Public Life is currently undertaking a review of local government ethical standards which ends later this month. Their comments about the review imply that their findings are going to be even stricter than the current guidelines. 'Robust standards arrangements are needed to safeguard local democracy, maintain high standards of conduct, and to protect ethical practice in local government.' Surely this councillor must be sacked and a by election called, to maintain the integrity of public office and attempt improve the reputation of the Tory party.