Our local NHS pharmacies are on the brink of collapse, despite having proven during the pandemic that they are more needed now than ever. Since 2015, their funding has been cut by 40% and 1400 pharmacies have permanently closed, putting vital NHS services at risk. Without fair funding from the Government, many more pharmacies will be forced to close. One important step the government can take is to commit to fully funding the 'Pharmacy First' Service in England so people with minor illnesses can be treated on the NHS by their local pharmacy, instead of having to wait to see a GP for a prescription. Community pharmacies provide vital health and social care in communities across the country, including the most deprived neighbourhoods. Please back our local pharmacies – so they can continue to keep people well and save lives!

Recent road collisions in the area have resulted in the serious injury of schoolchildren and unless positive action is taken, our children, young people and other members of the community will continue to be put at risk. Evidence shows approximately 16 children are killed or seriously injured in road crashes every week on their way to or from school (ref: Public Health England 2018). Over 4,000 children and young people walk, cycle and travel by bus and car each day to the schools, colleges and early years settings in the area all of which are located on 30mph streets, including: • Oatlands Infant School • Oatlands Junior School • St John Fisher’s Catholic High School • St Aidan’s Church of England School • Harrogate FE College • Busy Bees nurseries at South Drive & Hornbeam Park. A further 5,000 children travel in, to and around the Pannal Ash Area: to Harrogate Grammar School, Ashville College, Rossett School, Rossett Acre Primary and Western Primary and Busy Bees Nursery- Pannal Ash. This petition complements the similar initiative by Pannal Ash Safe Streets, also calling for 20mph. Recent road collisions have resulted in the serious injury of three school children walking to and from school and highlight the urgency and importance of a maximum speed of 20mph. There was one on Beechwood Grove in January 2023 in which a child required hospitalisation and a second collision on Yew Tree Lane in February 2023 where two teenagers suffered severe and potentially life changing injuries. Change is urgently needed. Without it the safety, health and well-being of the children, young people and the wider community remains at stake and road safety will continue as a barrier to walking and cycling in the area and across Harrogate. Maximum speed limits of 20mph have been delivered in other rural and urban areas of Yorkshire and the UK including Calderdale, Cornwall, Oxford, Edinburgh, the Scottish Borders, London and in Wales (in September 2023). We want these improvements for south and west and other communities within Harrogate. Evidence highlights the significant impacts a maximum speed of 20mph can deliver – the Edinburgh change to 20mph limits in 2021 reduced road traffic casualties by 40 per cent (ref: Jepson R et al. Public Heath Res 2022) and recent evidence from Transport for London (TfL) shows people hit by a vehicle at 20mph are around five times less likely to be killed than at 30mph (TfL February 2023). These show the significant positive impacts of a lower maximum speed of 20mph. Urgent action is needed now to protect lives. A maximum speed of 20mph has the potential to make an enormous impact to our community. Please sign this petition for North Yorkshire County Council to deliver a maximum speed of 20mph across south and west Harrogate. References: 1. Public Health England. Reducing unintentional injuries on the roads among children and young people under 25 years. 2018. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/695781/Reducing_unintentional_injuries_on_the_roads_among_children_and_young_people_.pdf 2. Jepson R, Baker G, Cleland C, et al. Developing and implementing 20-mph speed limits in Edinburgh and Belfast: mixed-methods study. Public Health Res 2022;10 (published online Sep). https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/phr/XAZI9445#/abstract 3. TfL: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2023/february/new-data-shows-significant-improvements-in-road-safety-in-london-since-introduction-of-20mph-speed-limits 13 February 2023

Matt Hancock claimed he threw a “protective ring” around our care homes at the height of the pandemic, but leaked WhatsApp messages between him and his adviser paint a very different picture. It’s painfully clear that he didn’t follow the scientific advice and test everyone going into care homes. He thought following the advice of the Chief Medical Officer “muddied the waters”, a decision that could have cost lives, including my mum’s. He needs to answer to all families like ours. Bereaved families are still no closer to getting justice. That’s why we need an immediate police investigation, to uncover the truth.

Young People need somewhere to go, that is warm and a safe space where they can feel listened to, supported and have social interactions with their peers. At Got2B we liken this to the following situation for the adults in society and ask how would adults feel if suddenly authorities axed all pubs, clubs, social centres, coffee shops and left you with only parks and recreation areas, with equipment that is out of date, not age appropriate and open to the elements? We believe there would be uproar, but Young People don’t have a voice and are unable to be heard by the people who have power to create change. That’s why we are bringing this to your attention. We want to present this to local Government and ask them to listen to their community and its Young People. We want them to reinstate/ provide free dedicated Youth spaces in our major towns. These spaces should be accessible to organisations supporting Young People, and offer professional Youth Clubs, guidance and support.

In 2015 McCarthy and Stone locked the gates on this (diverted) important and long serving pathway leading from Queen Street to Fitzalan Road. Arundel Town Council challenged this and won. McCarthy and Stone later appealed and they lost. Rather than open the existing path that runs past Caen Stone Court, they have now asked West Sussex County Council to close this pathway permanently, arguing that it is unnecessary. If McCarthy and Stone succeed in this, people with prams, disability vehicles and cycles will have no choice but to continue using the entrance to Queen’s Lane, which is narrow and has no pavement, hoping that no large industrial vehicle wants to use it at the same time. We oppose the proposal from McCarthy and Stone to permanently close public footpath number 3788 between Queen Street and Queen’s Lane/Fitzalan Road. We have lost a number of our footpaths over the past years to developments and developers' broken promises. Enough is enough.

Letting the suppliers of such new products having nicotine, have such free reign, is causing a problem for retailers' trading standards and guardians of children. The lack of rules and regulations compared to other nicotine products needs to be addressed. Promotion and marketing need to be closely monitored because of the tactics already used, and flavours such as sweets, confectionary, and desserts. They are all too appealing to young people. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-khan-review-making-smoking-obsolete/making-smoking-obsolete-summary? 3. Promote vaping The government must embrace the promotion of vaping as an effective tool to help people to quit smoking tobacco. We know vapes are not a ‘silver bullet’ nor are they totally risk-free, but the alternative is far worse.

My sister-in-law recently had her garden table smashed by British Gas engineers whilst they were fitting a new boiler at her property. She has tried countless times to contact British Gas to have the table replaced. This has not materialised. With the nice spring weather just around the corner, it would be greatly appreciated if this could be resolved quickly and efficiently. My mother-in-law is partial to giving away her old BBQs, without any evidence that my sister-in-law can hold a family BBQ, such as a garden table, my mother-in-law is likely to give her old BBQ to one of her brothers or Colin down the road. This would be a travesty. Please do what is right and replace this table, you've just got a £1.6m bonus, you could buy B&Q with that, she's only asking for a table. If you damage someone's property, you replace it.

Ordinary people are struggling across the board with the huge hikes in living costs, on top of frozen wages & incomes. Many are struggling to survive. Meanwhile the deep divide between the have and have not’s grows ever wider. How do those profiteering in these difficult times sleep at night.

The CPZ does not: • Address safety, the main concern for residents* • Propose safe crossing points for school children notably for Prendergast School children crossing Manwood Road • Tackle dangerous driving behaviours particularly from those using local roads as cut-throughs to reduce their journey time • Improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists The CPZ does: • Impose additional costs on residents in the middle of a cost of living crisis • Increase bureaucracy and stress for residents • Reduce parking spaces for the schemes sake e.g. at the top of Bexhill Road • Cite CPZ existing in other inner London areas as a justification to implement it • Create unnecessary stress for residents as parking spaces are reduced and people scramble for space • Remove trees and replace them with new – trees have a high failure rate when planted new and if sustainability is a key council priority, this proposal runs counter to this. The section 8 area and surrounds are very neighbourly and have a wonderful community feel. We are voicing our disappointment that the Council has failed to invest time and effort in bringing a proposal forward to improve the neighbourhood further by tackling the real issues. We oppose the CPZ and call for proposals that genuinely and comprehensively address safety. See details of the proposal in Cabinet meeting decision papers: https://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk/documents/s105243/Sustainable+Transport+and+Parking+Improvements+report.pdf *There does appear to be one element within the CPZ that potentially addresses safety and that is the proposed parking bans at the junction of Codrington Hill, Stillness and Crofton Park Roads. Applied in the correct way, this will increase the field of vision of drivers and pedestrians helping to reduce collisions at this hot spot.

Langton Court Rd running past the school has a blind bend by the school entrance and only a narrow pavement on one side. This makes walking and cycling unappealing and people have to walking the road. A vehicle filter would help make the street and school safer. By having a ‘vehicle filter’ e.g. a flower planter, allowing only pedestrians and cyclists through, the road would be much more appealing for active travel. This would increase safety and encourage more parents and children to travel to school in a healthier way, reducing pollution and helping kids be more alert in class. Fear of road safety is a major reason so many people drive especially to school. The blind bend and narrow pavement is an accident waiting to happen and a ‘modal filter’ could be installed with minimal cost (wooden box with soil). This safe corridor route would also allow for people to use it as a safe alternative to Newbridge Rd. A current consultation is ongoing to downgrade this proposal to a zebra crossing which will not be as effective especially with the lack of enforcement of road safety and evident speeding/poor driving in the area. Please email your thoughts to [email protected]

Greenway Bank Country is used and cherished by the local community as a place for exercise and relaxation. Introducing parking charges will limit the attendance of local residents and cause parking congestion on surrounding roads. Greenway Bank is not Cannock Chase, as such it doesn’t suffer the same pressures from tourism. Parking charges will have a disproportionate and detrimental effect on Biddulph residents and the surrounding area. Health and Well-being is fundamentally important and unfettered access to Greenway Bank gives immeasurable benefits to the local community

This cut contradicts the Scottish Government Manifesto commitments concerning instrumental music tuition, which have cross-party support in the Scottish Parliament. The Policy Commitment The SNP Manifesto 2021, 'Scotland's Future' set out the SNP policy commitments for the current Parliamentary session. In relation to music and arts education, it undertook to: abolish fees for music and arts education, including instrumental music tuition in schools; mainstream music as a core subject in Scotland's education system; and ensure Scotland's school-based instrumental music teachers receive GTCS registration and accreditation. The Scottish Government commitment to abolish instrumental music tuition fees is part of a wider policy objective to remove cost barriers to education. The SNP Manifesto clearly articulates this policy, stating: 'No pupil should struggle to learn because of poverty. We know that some families are sacrificing essentials like heating, food and rent payments so that their children can participate fully at school – this is unacceptable. The barriers to education must be removed.' It then provides specific comments on 'Curriculum Charges', making the following commitment: 'To ensure equal access to the whole curriculum, we will remove core curriculum charges for all pupils. This will enable children to take the subjects they want without families having to struggle to meet costs of resources and materials for practical lessons.' The Gulf between Policy and Practice Despite these laudable policy ambitions, which seek to ensure equitable access to instrumental music tuition for all children and young people, the reality is different in practice. Midlothian Council proposes to withdraw its funding of the Instrumental Music Service - to the tune of £440,000 - and rely solely on the funding provided by the Scottish Government. On 4th October 2022, the Scottish Government issued a letter to the Directors of Finance and Heads of Instrumental Music Tuition, providing advice concerning the allocation of funding in respect of instrumental music tuition in schools. The letter refers to the Manifesto commitments and provides 'further advice and confirmation of what the commitment on abolishing fees means in practice for local authorities and schools, and how the funding can be managed to meet this commitment'. It refers to the increase in funding provided to local authorities and goes on to provide that 'Scottish Ministers expect that the uplift in funding should be spent on an enhancement of instrumental music tuition services, including activity in this academic year which could support further enhancement in later years.' (emphasis added). The advice then goes on to provide examples of how the funding can be used. All examples given refer to additionality both in terms of staff and resources. It is clear from this letter that this additional funding alone is not designed to fund the provision of instrumental music tuition fully but rather to supplement the existing funding which Local Authorities have previously allocated to Instrumental Music Services. This has not been recognised in the approach being adopted in the draft budget proposals by Midlothian Council. The Impact on Children, Young People, Instrumental Music Services and the Community As there will be no younger pupils feeding through to Secondary and ultimately to the senior phase, it will be nigh on impossible to get pupils, who have only started to learn an instrument at Secondary School, to SQA standard or, indeed, any suitable standard in the given time which enables them to take a meaningful part in School, Authority or Community musical activities. Due to fewer or no younger pupils with any experience of learning an instrument coming through to Senior level and only a few of those studying for a National qualification e.g. Nat 5, Higher, Advanced Higher likely, but not guaranteed, to receive any tuition through the Instrumental Music Service, Music as a subject in Midlothian is likely to be reduced in size or downgraded. The aim for equity of opportunity and experience enshrined in the Government manifesto will be lost to Midlothian pupils. The same issues of equity of access which were highlighted when Local Authorities charged for lessons will arise again. Only those pupils who can afford to pay for private instrumental music tuition will be in a position to take qualifications in Music or play in bands and ensembles. Children and young people from socio-economically deprived areas will not have this opportunity or the opportunity for rich engagement with Music to enhance achievement or health and wellbeing. This is contrary to the policy intent of the Manifesto commitments.