For 46 years Stonebridge playground has served the community. It has supported 3 generations of children and young people with special events, camping trips, and opportunities for fun and learning. It’s well-used and well loved. The playground has been crucial in the integration of many different ethnic and cultural groups including children with special needs. The playground has a lot of support not just from the community. Former Olympic gold medalist, Audley Harrison MBE, who attended when he was a boy, has championed our cause. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83x9Z61Edkk&feature=youtu.be And the local paper the Brent & Kilburn Times is behind the campaign: http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/environment/stonebridge_adventure_playground_campaigners_reach_their_1_000_signature_petition_target_1_3826047 But we are a small charity fighting a large organisation, Brent Council. They want more homes and more school places for children. We say what happens after school, at weekends and in school holidays? Not just for the children of one school, but for many in this area; when there is nothing for them, nowhere to meet their friends, We need to save this sanctuary in the midst of a concrete jungle for children and young people!

Latest Update: The first specification outlines have been released and it is still 70% theory! Now it is 60% Exam 10% written coursework and still only 30% Practical! Following the consultation regarding changes to GCSE PE (in which the opinions of PE teachers seem to have been completely ignored) the government are forcing incredibly damaging changes to GCSE PE which will have far reaching impacts right down to year 7 PE lessons. They have decided that the course will change from the current 60% practical 40% theory to 30% practical and 70% theory! This change will almost completely take the physical/practical aspect out of Physical Education. They are also proposing to massively narrow the activities that students can use as the practical element (moving to a much more traditional / Public school offering of activities). The impact of this will mean a narrowing of the activities offered by secondary schools which will feed down through the year groups. The move to an almost solely theoretical course will also have an impact on the activity level of students in PE lessons, due to schools trying to maximise the performance of students by focussing much more on theory lessons rather than actually being physically active and taking part in sport. This will have long lasting and damaging effects on the health and fitness of future generations. The changes will also take away another avenue for students who are less academic to be successful and get a qualification in an area that they may wish to follow as a career. If these changes go through then many schools may choose to no longer offer Physical Education as a GCSE and the change to the GCSE PE course may well be the final nail in the coffin for physical education in secondary schools, if people do not force a change of direction.

'Unite Students is the leading provider of student accommodation in the UK', and pledges on their website* to '...keep property waste out of landfill wherever possible'. In the vast majority of areas across the UK recycling is encouraged and accommodated for by local councils, yet by refusing to supply recycling bins 'Unite Students' leaves its residents no choice but to bin recyclable goods. The country is due to run out of space for its rubbish by 2018, according to the Local Government Association, making the prevention of unnecessary waste crucial. Yet many of 'Unite Students' buildings do not own recycling bins, despite being within an area which collects recycling. This hardly seems conducive to the belief that 'Unite Students' aims to keep waste out of landfill 'wherever possible'. To support the environment; the constructive development of this country; and to act in accordance with the principles they use to advertise, 'Unite Students' must supply recycling bins 'wherever possible'. This Petition is for the notice of Richard Smith, the managing director of operations for 'Unite Students'. I am confident he will realise the benefit of providing for the students of today in the wholesome, constructive manner which they deserve, once this issue is brought to his attention. * - http://www.unite-students.com/about-us/our-commitments/environmental - https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reducing-and-managing-waste

Of all the houses on the Esplanade front in Greenock it's boldest, brightest and most fun. And this shouldn't change. 'Inverclyde's head of regeneration and planning Stuart Jamieson stated: "The bright yellow and gold tones of the dwelling are not colours which would traditionally have been used on a house of this period style or have been found within this part of the Greenock West End Conservation Area. The colours form an intrusive feature within the streetscape and are therefore not appropriate.' Reference - Inverclyde Now 04/11/2014 - http://www.inverclydenow.com/photostream/13257-yellow-house-is-too-bright-for-planners This is micromanagement from the council on a ridiculous level. The result of being adverse to change and using redundant policies as a reason. Judging by the response on Inverclyde Now's facebook post of this issue it appears that a majority of people wish the council to reverse this decision and are quite happy with the colour of the house. Such reasons as: "its their house, brightens [the] place up something different !" "Shocking! It's their house and should be able to paint it any colour they like. This town is miserable and dreary and our council are trying their hardest to finish it off any way they can" and "I love the yellow house as do my children it's their house let them do what they want with it !" These are just a few of the hundreds of replies. Can you imagine an Esplanade in which all the houses followed suit? Resulting in a warm, vibrant and fun coastal scene. Welcoming the many cruise ships that dock in Greenock. I'm sure tourists to the area would love to see such a sight yet Inverclyde council appear to be stuck in their old, dreary ways by requesting the owners to repaint the house a more 'acceptable' colour. Are the council representing the views of local people on this? Because that's what they're supposed to do. Let them know what you think.

Durham County Council have abandoned communities across the County and people have been left without representation. If we move to vote for a Mayor, a candidate WILL be standing who would return the County to District Councils, giving people a say in their Communities. Sign the petition and start the process to bring back democracy to the people of County Durham.

HIGH TRAFFIC impact, on congestion, queuing and air quality in Malton, especially Yorkersgate, Butcher Corner, Castle Howard Rd, Middlecave Rd and Horsemarket Rd HIGH VISUAL impact, on the countryside, AONB, footpaths, and nearby properties HIGH SIZE at 500 houses, 25% size of Malton today=25% more traffic HIGH UNCERTAINTY on this OUTLINE ONLY application in amounts/location or retail and commercial development, and amounts/location of high rise buildings, where open space would be, where access would be, consequent lack of guarantee of how much traffic or visual impact there would be, lack of a building design tied to the application leading to uncertainty of what any of the development would really look like in practice HIGHLY PREJUDICIAL to the development of a Neighbourhood Plann, which would give residents a genuine say in where they think housing should go in Malton and Norton.

The energy companies have a virtual monopoly in providing the energy to heat our homes, transport us and everything else we need and use. They have no incentive to research and provide cleaner energy to reduce greenhouse gases/slow global warming as they make billions and billions of pounds for their corporate shareholders every year. If the green taxes/surcharges etc were aimed at the polluter not the consumer they would soon clean up their act!

The authorities of the UK claim that they care about the earth And act like they will do something about it. When in fact all they do is find another harmful way to produce energy, and charge us for it! They only care about the money... Solar panels are a simple solution to a big problem. A government that cares would have done this a long time ago. This issue has an effect on everyone of us, so have your say! Helps poorer people feed the family and keep them warm. Saves the planet from burning fossil fuels

Three weeks in to a four-week programme of detailed, and so far productive, negotiations intended to resolve the four-month HMRC jobs and staffing campaign was ended by the employer on 29 October. HMRC decided to walk away from negotiations. We feel their determination to marginalise PCS clearly trumps their willingness to settle this dispute for the good of the job holders. We need to be involved in negotiations to achieve best deal for our members.

North Yorkshire County Council is trying AGAIN to close local Libraries, if communities don’t agree to raise funds and run them themselves on a voluntary basis. The Council are carrying out a “consultation” but the choices are a) you run your own library or b) your library will be closed down. This affects 20 rural libraries in North Yorkshire. In July 2014, Mr Justice Collins ruled in the High Court that the public consultation in Lincolnshire was flawed and had failed to deal with an alternative proposal. A similar flawed consultation has taken place in Leicestershire. Libraries are such an important hub of local rural communities. They are used by the young, the elderly, job seekers, people accessing the internet and others. I live in Bentham, a small market town in Craven. If our Library were to close down, I would need to travel to the nearest “core” Library in Skipton, a mere 27 miles away, at a cost of £10.10 by train. How would the young or the elderly get there? Bentham wouldn’t be the friendly town with a sense of community without the Library.

We should have a choice of buying music without swearing in for our children. They will sell more when we have the option to download the radio version.

Labour has said it will scrap the House of Lords and replace it with a second, elected house. This will not add anything to parliament, it will just add another layer of establishment figures that passed through private schools, did PPE at Oxbridge and will move into directorships when finished. The selection could be one member per constituency or several per county or some other geographical boundary. We need a second house populated by people that didn't get into power by knowing someone important or buying their way in. The MPs/PM must have no possibility of influencing the make-up of the new house. There must be no incentive for new members to use their time to attach themselves to the establishment. This will most likely lead to women, ethnic minorities, the poor, the unemployed, the disabled, those that didn't go to public school, etc being proportionately represented. If they need advice on points of law they can use the same methods the MPs use (civil service, advisors, etc). The second house should be able to send ill thought out legislation back to the MPs for revision. In addition it should be able to propose legislation for MPs to debate. We currently have nobody in either house that knows what it's like to live in poverty and have no network of rich friends to fall back on. This should redress the balance. It will prevent the new house being populated by those who want power (and therefore become corrupted by it) If anyone selected doesn't want to stand (or has to leave) they can be replaced by a further random selection. Selection would be very cheap - eg picking a random national insurance number. No-one can be a member of the new house for more than one session. The session should last the same amount of time as the MPs session (5 years) but could possibly be offset by two and a half years to prevent MPs from 'buying off' the members in any way for a parliamentary session. The new house would be located outside of London if a physical location is necessary and would allow for remote meeting (eg telecommuting) for as much time as the new house deems necessary.