Firstly, MS is incurable and progressive. Drug treatment is already a postcode lottery across different NHS areas/hospitals. Drugs which keep us as active, mobile and employable are of huge benefit to patients and to society. Neurologists report very good results from Fampyra and Sativex. Currently, patients with the help of the Neurologists are able to try Fampyra for 4 weeks, but are told thereafter that they must pay £2,500 approx if they wish to continue treatment. Cost-effectiveness includes use of long term drug treatments to stem, as far as possible, the relapses and disease progression of this illness. To ask MS patients to pay for drugs which may enable them to move about more freely (and continue in employment if applicable) is to create a two-tier service for those with this illness. Secondly, the prospect of MS patients not being able to access specialist MS Neurologists is outrageous. The proposals (1.4 - Regular Review) make clear that non-specialist professionals could carry out reviews with patients. Consider a cancer patient being told to have reviews of their illness/progression/treatment plans with their GP rather than an Oncologist specialising in their particular kind of cancer. It doesn't bear thinking about, does it? Yet MS patients are facing that scenario if these proposals are enacted. The brain is the most complex living organism known to Man and Womankind. Diseases of the brain are little enough understood, without the prospect of non-specialists being involved in reviews, treatment plans etc. Say no to these draft proposals. The consultation period ends on 10 June 2014. Please support this campaign and those of us with MS, their loved ones, their Neurologists, their employers. We need your help.

Currently people who receive benefits are being indirectly taxed if they also receive an Occupational Pension. This is simply not right. Pensions are there to provide for people not to be a subsidy for governments to renege on their commitments to assist people on Benefits/Low Wages etc.. If the threshold of pension(s) received is less than the benefit then people should be allowed to keep that benefit intact and the pension. Otherwise why would people want to take out pensions if they are to lose them when they need them the most. This government consistently says it's declaring war on benefit cheats. They themselves are the ones cheating. It's simply time to do right. At a time when they are fighting to stop the 'Robin Hood Tax' from being levied it is time that the government let up on people existing on benefits & showed some common sense. They want us to have pensions yet when we do they want to take them back again.

As I near retirement I realise that my body cannot physically do the things I could do only a few years ago. The mind is willing but the body is weak. This is despite me performing an office based role for my career. I believe it to be socially unacceptable for this government to expect citizens to perform heavy manual labour for their living beyond the age of 65. To expect people in these job sectors to work beyond the age of 65 will impact on their long term health and life expectancy.

Sure Start Children's Centre services in Newcastle are facing a two thirds cut in funding over the next three years. This will mean closure of services, buildings, parents groups, activity for young children across the city. It will mean at least 100 jobs will be lost across the council and the voluntary sector. It will mean the opportunities for children and parents will continue to be worsened, following significant cuts already 2010, and the axing of the councils play and youth services last year. SSCCs in Newcastle are all rated Good and Outstanding by Ofsted, reach the vast majority of children under 5 and their families offering universal as well as targeted services. The council proposals:  For the three year budget cycle (2013 – 2016) - the cuts proposed equate to over £5 milllion (or approx. 65% of the total budget) The first £1 million savings have already been agreed, with a proposal for a further £1 million this year and then £3 million for the year 2015-16.   Overall the cuts since 2011 will equate to over 70% with the budget being reduced to less than £3 million from approximately £10 million in 2010-11.   The review of Sure Start and Early Years Services has now been incorporated with the Family Services Review which is being asked to cut £670,000 over the next two years out of budget of £2.3 million which is a 34% cut in services to the most vulnerable families, children and young people.   50% of these services are delivered by the council and 50% by the Community and Voluntary Sector. The city council have estimated that for the work they directly deliver this would equate to the lost of 63 full time equivalent posts (i.e. this will actually be more than 63 people losing their jobs as many jobs are part-time or may be job share) we can only estimate that the equivalent level of job cuts would be made by the Community and Voluntary sector meaning the job cuts proposed would be at least 126 full time posts (probably between 130 and 180 people losing their jobs)   The review has not identified which Sure Start Children’s Centres, Services, Buildings or staff will face cuts.   The councils review timetable includes: ·         April 2014 onwards: Options appraisal (looking with partners at what the cuts could like and coming up with proposals) ·         July 2014: Consultation on the proposed cuts and closures ·         August 2014: Partners agree which options are to be implemented ·         September 2014: Implementation of the cuts for both 2014-15 and 2015-16. ·         March 2015: All cuts implemented.   The councils proposals for 2014 – 2016: http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/sites/drupalncc.newcastle.gov.uk/files/wwwfileroot/your-council-and-democracy/budget_2014-15_-_pc_-_2_-_family_services_review_0-25_incorporating_early_years.pdf   Previous year budgets: http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/your-council-and-democracy/budget-annual-report-and-spending/budget   Unison’s campaign page: http://unison-newcastle.org.uk/sure-start.html   Motion passed at Unison Newcastle City AGM: http://www.unison-newcastle.org.uk/assets/files/AGM2014/140210_18%20Motion%20-%20Save%20Sure%20Start.pdf

In February of 2011, after more than a year of investigation, the Chilcot Inquiry into Britain's role in the invasion of Iraq concluded. It is outrageous that today, more than three years after the end of the inquiry, the public has still not been given the conclusion. What is equally reprehensible is, apart from the occasional meek entreatment to Chilcot by some politicians to get on with it, hardly any body of influence seems to be pressing for the results to be finalised and published. The day Britain began its attack on Iraq was one of the blackest days in the history of our nation because, despite massive public opposition, our Government, with the full support of the parliamentary opposition, went ahead with the invasion, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent men women and children and a major increase in terrorism. To their eternal disgrace, there are many in the 'establishment' and in political circles who supported the attack and in whose interest it is to keep kicking the report into the long grass. Consequently, the only group who can try and bring about publication of the report is us. I would therefore like 38 Degrees, through its members, to campaign and pressurise Chilcot into releasing the report immediately. We must show that we will not be treated as inconsequential bystanders and be ignored and humoured as though we are simply an annoyance. We must force those we elect and nominate, to do the job we pay them to do and not simply make up their own forever changing timetable. The British public were treated with contempt when the Government and the parliamentary opposition chose to ignore us and take us into an unprovoked war of aggression, the worst type of war crime. We must not let the Inquiry into that disgraceful episode also treat us with contempt. *************************************************************** We now have the answer to the reason for the delay:- 12th Nov. 2013 "Cabinet boss must not decide on Iraq papers", says Owen: David Owen, former Foreign Secretary demands Sir Jeremy Heywood is stripped of responsibility because he worked closely with Tony Blair Inquiry chairman Sir John Chilcot said last week that his probe has stalled indefinitely because Sir Jeremy is blocking the release of correspondence Sir Jeremy was Principal Private Secretary to Tony Blair between 1999-2003 ******************************************** 29th May 2014 CHILCOT WILL RELEASE THE ‘GIST’ It’s just another way of saying “we will withhold important information” It would obviously be much better for us to see all of the documentation between Blair and Bush in the run-up to the invasion but the most important document we need, if it exists, is the one where Blair agreed to assist Bush in the attack come what may. That information is absolutely no threat to security but of course if it is a threat to Blair we may never see it. If an 'independent' committee has sight of documents that clearly show that a Prime Minister or any minister for that matter, for their own reasons, committed our country to a course of action that had not been fully approved or discussed and which resulted in a massive loss of life for hundreds of thousands of innocent people, without question that information should be released. Why should those documents be for the eyes of the committee only and not for the rest of us when in that situation the minister in question has clearly acted incorrectly?. It means that they are above the law and can transgress with impunity, we are supposed to be a democracy! The excuse that the documents cannot be released for either security or confidentiality reasons is totally spurious. The conversations between Blair and Bush are about a specific and unique situation. They were not conversations about the price of fish, they were conversations that resulted in Britain engaging in and waging a war of aggression against a country that was absolutely no imminent threat to us - a war crime. Many believe the British people were lied to over the reasons for taking the country to war and those in power at the time know it and so do the families here and in Iraq whose relatives were killed as a result. We must have a full and complete report describing how and why our Government decided to invade another sovereign country in our name. It has been deliberately stalled for far too long, we need it NOW

Villages across the nation are losing their tranquillity and wildlife is vanishing, such as our barn owls. With more housing in rural areas, this leads to more traffic, more crime, and more vandalism. There are sites that can't be sold and are not being used that can be reconverted to dwellings without tearing up the countryside.

We need to change the unjust laws that are causing us so much suffering. We are an advantage to the UK, but we have to wait too many years for an answer to our asylum claims. We are not allowed to work in the meantime and have to survive on £5 a day. Many of us become ill, physically and mentally.

At a time when Government cutbacks are affecting vital public services and most people's pay rises have not kept pace with rising prices, it is important that the Government is fair and even handed. We all have to pay the full cost of issuing passports and driving licenses, so gun owners should do the same. Subsidies to wealthy grouse moor owners should be stopped and the money used for wider benefit. See http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/apr/22/cameron-blasted-battle-shotgun-licence-fees or http://www.monbiot.com/2014/04/28/the-shooting-party/ for more information.

We are a community-interest company that wants to enshrine the significance of this 107 year old Grade 2 listed building for the benefit of all Londoners. We have a self funding plan, working with London's top developers, architects, space planners, Locality and Article 25. By utilising Section 106 and Local Infrastructure Grant as well as considerable private and social investment we will develop the fire station into a flagship Westminster Women's Resilience Centre, offering: * a community owned and run café * affordable rent flats for key workers * a vibrant art centre showcasing the talent of Westminster's diverse constituency * a state of the art business and conference centre * a People's Town Hall * affordable housing for key workers living in the Tri borough area, * services for all women, including a crèche and childcare centre, * a refuge for women who have survived domestic violence, an accredited training centre for women who want to enter the construction industry * subsidised space for charities and social enterprises run by women * a Fire Station Museum celebrating the history of the building, operated by former firemen, teaching Westminster's young people fire health and safety * luxury flats, for sale only to Londoners, who pay UK taxes and work in London *retail space, a pop up shop and cultural events reflecting the cool capital and enterprise owned and run by Londoners. The community spaces such as the café and People's Town Hall will be open to men, who are an essential part of building a safe, inclusive and vibrant community. This is a space for co-opting the brilliance of London, its citizens' natural talents and building the best and brightest future for women and men alike. Our Purpose: We believe in women as change-makers in their homes and communities regardless of background, culture, class, race or faith. If a woman believes in her inherent qualities and approaches these from a glass half full perspective, she increases the capacity for her natural resilience. She learns to equip herself with the skills and strength to move forward positively in life, she will move mountains. With the support and mentoring of women who have already proved their success, they can mirror successful habits, seed and grow aspirations. We know from personal and professional experiences how challenging life can be. We know how a bad decision can end up in catastrophe. We know how hard it can be to make changes when the system and circumstances seem stacked against you. As resilient women, we believe in creating a safe space where positive change can happen for women struggling to create it for themselves across all levels of society and cultures. By joining our aspirations for better lives and extending those out into the locality, the Westminster Women’s Resilience Centre is a community owned and operated driver for sustainable change, on an individual and a community level. The Westminster Women’s Resilience Centre will be a space for all women as ex-offenders, teenage girls exiting gangs, victims of domestic violence, single-parent families, living in poverty or excluded. It’s also a space for the most successful women in business and society. Together they will meet, learn, inspire and be inspired by each other in a safe environment that taps into their shared aspirations and experiences. This is a unique space, perhaps the first in the world, where women co create the community and develop the programs and the projects they wish to thrive. Mentoring, sharing and enterprise are our core values. In times of severe austerity, communities, local authorities, social and charitable enterprises and private sector businesses all in the process of recovery, having been traumatised by the failure of the banking system in 2008. We have to build a resilient, sustainable future, with community at its heart, to align with a new commissioning landscape and also with what people want, in their local services. As local authorities face economic retrenchment and austerity it has become more vital to build resilient communities where the local authority works in partnerships with local communities and other agencies to build social capital where local people can build from their own strength and assets. Westminster Women's Resilience Centre will offer social care, housing, probation, medical and counselling services a safe space to meet their service user community. The co location of services, for women to access on a formal or a drop in basis has been proven to show better outcomes. This pioneering building will showcase how we can build social capital, the importance of collaborative working and will explore some of the tools for community building in a digital age.

The permission was granted by the Forest of Dean District Council for their ownership, but the Monmouthshire Council have been making excuses for the last few years since the original proposal. All over the UK county after county's citizens have been benefiting from these valuable resources for leisure and transport purposes. Why are we waiting and consistently fobbed off with trivial excuses all the time? There are no cycle paths through Chepstow while everywhere else benefits. Despite all the Bills, Papers, and Consultations you pass and now 'The Wales we Want' campaign, we are ignored. This path would enable less able bodied people to access the beauty of the Wye Valley, it would provide business and opportunities locally, and hold these opportunities within Chepstow and surrounding villages where presently people go further afield for leisure facilities. Also it would encourage forms of sustainable transport such as cycling and walking, enabling many people to leave their cars at home. The already established paths in the UK are used by thousands everyday for multiple purpose. Why are we denied this resource, is it because our Council is blind to the future?

Brighton and Hove is the first and only green council and yet it doesn't have any real green initiatives! There are many councils that do various schemes (vouchers, cash back etc. full list here http://www.fill-your-pants.com/councilnappyincentives.html) but Brighton does nothing. Around 8 million disposable nappies are used every day in the UK (50 million were dumped in 2007 in Leicestershire alone- the equivalent of 70,000 double- decker buses)! Most of these end up in landfill sites. It is estimated that more than 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable nappies for one baby each year. For every £1 spent on disposable nappies, there is a cost to the taxpayer of 10p to dispose of them! Leicestershire taxpayers pay £250,000 every year to dump disposable nappies in landfill sites. By ‘going cloth’ your family can incur a direct saving of up to £500.

People who suffer from epilepsy and diabetes receive free prescriptions for life. Why not prescribe free medications for asthmatic people with severe asthma. Asthma can be a life threatening condition that has to be controlled daily, my father died aged just 45 from a severe asthma attack. Only two weeks ago a young boy died in the same way. It is evident this condition is as life threatening as diabetes and epilepsy, so why is it not treated in the same way?