For the last week or so, my family and I have been living in a cloud of chemical fumes so obnoxious that it's affecting our life considerably. We live in rural East Lothian and the air pollution has been caused by the use of a human waste based fertiliser which is being spread on local farmland. Five days on from the start of the spreading of this treated human waste on fields around our house, my family and I are still enduring the most vile stench, the fumes are making us feel light-headed and nauseous, and despite keeping all of our doors and windows closed, the odour pervades our house. We have found out that the resource management company, Veolia, is responsible for the production and spreading of this product, known as Thermal Hydrolysis Cake (THC). THC is basically human waste (and anything else which goes down a drain, including industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals) which has been processed to make it "suitable" for use as an agricultural fertiliser. However, although the processing destroys the majority of the pathogens in the waste, it still contains potentially environmentally damaging contaminants. Whilst it is currently legal to use THC in Scotland, the use of THC or other fertilisers originating from sewage sludge cannot legally be applied without strict testing due to the potential toxicity from the presence of heavy metals. There is also some evidence to show that the thermal hydrolysis process does not destroy prions ( excreted by victims of CJD ), radioactive material ( excreted by patients treated with nuclear medicines ) and a whole host of other toxic chemicals and pharmaceuticals which enter the sewage system on a periodic and unpredictable basis and are then concentrated in the process of water extraction to form sewage sludge, which is further concentrated to make the THC. As well as the vile smell, it is unknown what the effects on humans are of short term inhalation of the THC particles during and after spreading. It is also unknown what effects the water run off from the treated fields will have on the ecosystem in the long term. If the aim is to add organic matter to the soil in as sustainable a manner as possible, there are many, many alternative products that can be used as an alternative to THC. East Lothian is one of the most beautiful counties in the country and has a precious and sensitive ecosystem. The most valuable resources we have are our healthy soil, pure air and clean waterways. We therefore ask Estelle Brachlianoff and Veolia UK to immediately cease the use of THC or any other product originating from sewage sludge as fertiliser in East Lothian.

I am deaf and very interested in local government and politics in Wales as are many other deaf and hard of hearing people. There are 10 million deaf or hard of hearing people across the UK. Something like 110,000 in Wales and the figure is always rising. It is incredibly important for deaf and hard of hearing people to keep in touch by using social media and computer access as so much communication is out of reach if you are deaf. There fore subtitles become an essential tool for communication in this day and age.

So we do not leave a legacy of more nuclear waste to our future generations

Being passengers in wheelchairs should not be made to wait at bus stops sometimes for over an hour to wait for the next available bus. Also in 2004 a disability law was brought into the country by the government at that time to help the disabled.

As above it will mean higher payments for students and could put off future students attending uni. Is it not illegal to change the terms and conditions of a loan after it has been taken out?

To uphold a basic human right that families are united. I am an UK citizen married to a Russian citizen. France has granted my wife the right of residency (a carte de sejour) this entitles her to visit most EU countries without the need for a visa. European Directive 2004/38/EC (https://eumovement.wordpress.com/directive-200438ec/ ) The UK government will not fully comply with this directive but It will allow entry to the UK to anyone who has an Estonian or German certificate of residency. One can only assume that the Westminster government considers that other EU countries are too liberal when it comes to issuing certificates of residency.. This is an insult to the integrity of other EU States, in our case France. They are suggesting that France issues such documents without careful examination. I can assure you that is not the case their enquiries are vigorous and searching. My wife and I had intended visiting the UK earlier this year to visit friends and relatives but the UK Visa and Immigration Office refused her a visa on the basis that she does not have her own financial means to fund a visit. The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that UK rules requiring visas for non-EU family members of EU citizens entering the UK are in breach of EU law and the matter has been referred to the High Court in London for final judgement. Procrastination by all the agencies involved affect many people who simply want to visit the UK. I implore you to support my petition to get the UK government to respect the Human rights of a family to be together. We only want to visit, there's no way we'd intend settling in the UK. How did we get in ? We arrived in Calais and took our chances. Fortunately the two Border Agency employees at the sharp end were sensible people and agreed with us that the decision by the UK Border Agency to refuse her a visa was ludicrous and gave her a 6 month tourist visa. She enjoyed her visit and we will not be applying for another visa. If the UK government persists in breaking the law i.e. the EU Directive 2004/38 then if we ever decide to revisit the UK at some date in the future Catherine will do so on a French passport. On 19th May 2015 Catherine and I caught the 0920 hrs Channel Tunnel train and to our disappointment no-one bothered to check her out of the UK. I suppose she'll now be included in the Westminster government's figures of Immigrants who remain illegally in the UK. They couldn't organise a party in a brewery. Catherine's visa expires soon so we hope to get it extended by persuading the Border Agency to stamp her passport with a 6 month Visitors visa.

if rubbish bins are moved to monthly uplifts it could cause all sorts of vermin

This service is vital to those without there own transport and unable to use public transport to the RUH Bath

Councils are democratically elected. We can hold politicians to account and kick them out if we don't like them. Externalising services weakens democratic control. The people can't sack an ALEO or private company board. Cutting terms and conditions of council workers is unjust, unwarranted and will be counterproductive. Removing flexi time will have a disproportionate impact on women. We need a Council that will defend and improve Council services, protect jobs and seek to make East Dunbartonshire a better place to work.

Mental health in the UK is in crisis. As it's seen as an invisible problem, cuts are being made across the country in the hopes that the public won't notice or care. But most people will experience, or will have a family member or friend experience, mental health problems - this is in fact an issue that touches us all. We need to fight for our vital services. We need to fight for Winterbourne Therapeutic Community. The Winterbourne therapeutic community (TC), a large part of the Berkshire Complex Needs Service, is due to end in November 2015. The TC has been operating for almost 50 years and is highly-respected among therapists who work with TCs. This is a therapeutic model that works by bringing people together, all of whom suffer with longstanding emotional problems, and turn them into a community. Members’ experiences include abuse, neglect, trauma, deprivation and loss, particularly early in life, which leads to an inability to take care of themselves and form healthy, sustained relationships with other people. The fact that members are able to form a community is a huge testament to the hard work of both the members and the therapists. Winterbourne TC offers its members therapy of 18 hours a week for 18 months. Every member joins knowing that TC offers no quick fix, but is extremely successful when hard work and commitment is applied. In today’s world of cuts and demands for immediate results, it’s no wonder that therapeutic communities are unpopular and at risk across the UK, despite their efficacy and cost-effectiveness in the long-term (http://www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk/…/a1CG0000000GTAxMAO). TC can only operate with full openness, which is why it’s particularly disturbing that there has been a lack of this when communicating about the future of TC. Members, both current and former, were only informed about the imminent closure of TC this month, September, meaning we’ve had very little time to organise and get a campaign plan going. Ex-members were invited to a workshop regarding ongoing psychological services provided by Berkshire Healthcare NHS trust at the beginning of September. As there was no context, and it was held from 3.30pm til 5.00pm, people who were working didn’t attend, whereas they would have made special arrangements to have attended had the workshop’s purpose been clear. The official reason for the closure of Winterbourne TC, given by Cathy Saunders, a spokeswoman for the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, is that the site has recently been deemed “unsuitable for use” (http://www.getreading.co.uk/…/patients-outrage-over-closure…), without further detail. There had been signs for some time that the TC was under threat for financial reasons: for a long period of time prospective members have been hard to find, despite the fact that previously TC was in such high demand that there was a waiting list. Additionally, this year the number of therapists in each ‘small group’ has decreased from 2 to 1. Small groups consist of up to 6 members of the community, where psychotherapy and discussion can take place in a more sustained, detailed way. Therapists are an integral part of the small groups, so this cut has been sorely felt. Winterbourne TC is incredibly special. It operates through a “living-learning” experience, which includes tasks like providing a meal for all members and therapists, teaching members how to get on with the ordinary business of living. For the incredibly hard process of leaving, a leavers’ group helps members think about life after TC, professionally and in terms of their own welfare. It also provides 24/7 support – outside of community hours, members telephone each other for support. Physical support, when telephone support just isn’t enough, can also be arranged, where members of a community come together to offer support and love during what can feel like the very darkest hours of all. This community has kept people alive. It has taught many people how to live, not just exist. This petition calls for this invaluable service to be kept open - it has been a literal lifeline to so many people. A member's story - Samuel: I would wake up every day and within seconds I’d be crushed by the disappointment that I was still here. Every hour I was conscious my time would be consumed either by unhealthy coping mechanisms or fantasies of suicide. I attempted suicide multiple times before the age of 22. Had I not been referred to Winterbourne Therapeutic Community in early 2014, I likely would be dead or dying by now. I am 24 years old. In September 2015, I completed my treatment in the Therapeutic Community and barely recognise the person I was when I started. During my time there I developed confidence, self awareness and a desire to live. I learned the skills required to leave my parents’ house and live independently. I made friends and made plans for a better life and made peace with my past and my decisions and my pain.

The Equality Act 2010 should not contain loopholes allowing opportunities for discrimination. Private occupational pension schemes should not be allowed to ignore years of contributions by gay employees; limiting survivor benefits for civil partners. The surviving partner is not entitled to receive the full value of their deceased partner’s pension. Employers are required by law to pay same-sex survivor’s pensions based only on contributions made since 2005. Just like heterosexual people, members of the LGBTIQ+ community contribute the the UK state and economy all of our working lives. In the darkest times of a couples live when their love ones passes, it is wrong that the Government discriminates against them. This is not fair or right.

Bad parking restricts visibility to other road users, restricts the road width , forces lorries and buses into the opposite carriageway and has caused a number of near miss accidents.