Racism is a stain on humanity and must be eradicated. Many feel the main starting point in doing so is through education and learning. In light of George Floyd’s death and Black Lives Matter protests across the globe, I have been considering how we as a society can move forward and challenge racism, how I can teach my children about Black History and it occurred to me that I did not learn enough about Black History when I was at school, especially Scotland’s role in the slave trade. Having left school ten years ago, I have reached out to younger peers and colleagues who are still at school or have left school more recently to gather their views and, sadly, the consensus is that Black History is still not well represented in schools.

In light of recent events where we as a global community have witnessed innocent black lives taken in acts of racial discrimination, we have to ask ourselves why the response of many people is still to discriminate. It is the responsibility of the educational system to highlight the history of British colonisation and involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade to understand how and why racial prejudice, divisions and unequal opportunities exist for black people in Scotland and Britain. It seems that a lack of understanding of the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement comes down to a lack of education, and we cannot let this be a failing of our educational system, nor let it feed into peoples ignorance. The police brutality demonstrated in recent events unveils a universal racist system that does not afford black people the same privilege as that of white people and an understanding of this must be achieved through education. This is as much relevant in the UK as structural racism has been evident in Grenfell, disproportionate deaths related to COVID19 and the tragic incident involving Mark Duggan, to name a few.

This is an area of great conservational importance. The moorland is an essential part of our eco-system and a vital sanctuary for wildlife and people alike. Unfortunately, over recent years, it has attracted large numbers of visitors, including some who unfortunately have little regard for the environment. As a result, many local people do not go at all any more. We want people to use, not abuse our precious landscape.

The building is not only a famous landmark in featherstone it is the hub of our community. For many years it has been at the heart of peoples lives from wedding receptions, birthday parties, and funeral wakes. Many people in the area tell stories of happy times in the junction, more recently it has become a music venue and also a supporter of local charities. We have a hardcore of regulars who want the pub to remain and the clientele has greatly increased thanks to the efforts of the recent landlord. It would be a tragedy for the town were it to be sold and re-developed.

Because the council budget cannot adequately provide current services so why spend money on something that is unnecessary

Skem Men-Aces is one of the most highly decorated disability football teams in the country and deserves some recognition within it's hometown by way of a permanent sign on one of our many roundabouts. Most advertising signs, on our roundabouts, are empty and it would be great to see one turned permanently into a "Home of The Skem Men-Aces" sign. Skem Men-Aces is a real jewel in the crown of the wonderful things this town has to offer and it would be a fitting tribute to such an incredible club that has even won the Queens Award for voluntary services.

On 24 April 2020, Statutory Instrument 445* removed and weakened legal protections from children in care (and children who could come into care) in England. There was no public consultation or Parliamentary debate. The changes were brought in overnight. Councils in England are now allowed to reduce social worker visits to children in care (which can be by phone, video or other electronic means). Even a six-weekly telephone call is no longer mandatory. The duty to have an independent six-monthly review for each child has been removed. Pre-court scrutiny and other vital safeguards in adoption have been lost. Legal timescales for children's homes inspections have been removed, and independent scrutiny of children's homes diluted. Safeguards for children placed out of their home area with people who are not connected to them have been removed. Safeguards in relation to short breaks have been removed. This particularly affects disabled children. Even duties on fostering services to notify Ofsted of criminal convictions and infectious disease have been reduced. These changes weaken vital safeguards for vulnerable children built up over 70 years. The government says the changes are temporary until 25 September 2020 “unless extended”. But some of the changes extend beyond the expiry date. Moreover, the government has a track record of trying to remove and dilute councils’ duties. In 2016/17, Ministers tried to get a law through Parliament which would have allowed councils to opt out of their children’s social care duties for up to six years – as an experiment for removing them altogether. Children’s rights campaigners and charities have consistently stood together to successfully defend children’s legal protections. Please join us in pressing to urgently reinstate children’s rights in care. *Its full title is The Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020.

Because being a 1950's woman myself I know the harm stress worry and the impact it has had on my life and the mental issues it has caused me

The Arts & Culture sector has already been eroded by years of austerity. But Culture will play a crucial part in helping people to recover from the crisis. Museums, galleries and the arts are also responsible for a significant contribution to the economy and will be important in signaling when it is safe for people to enjoy culture and travel again. We are concerned that DCMS might plan instead to cut funding for arts organisations to pay for the costs of Coronavirus crisis. We believe that this would be a serious mistake. This would be likely to threaten the very staff, often the lowest paid, who continued working in museums and galleries during the shutdown to keep the nations treasures safe. Financial guarantees now would also remove the pressure on institutions to reopen before it is safe to do so.

The Speaker of the House of Commons has announced that Government has decided to shut down the online Parliament and that a maximum of 50 MPs will be allowed to be present and participate in person. At the last election, we elected 650 MPs. If they are not able to be in the Chamber, they cannot represent us properly. This also means that if your MP has to shield, or is still in lockdown, they cannot attend and they cannot represent you, which would not be the case if the online Parliament were to continue. Ministers could oppose this by refusing to table the necessary Standing Orders, and MPs should not support the move to stop any virtual parliament. Sign the petition if you agree.

Hull Trains has been the main provider of direct train services between Hull and London since 2000, gradually expanding its services and recently investing £60m in new, more reliable rolling stock. Open Access rail operators such as Hull Trains rely solely on ticket revenues in order to run services. Social distancing restrictions on passenger numbers means that restarting services is not viable without the financial support that has allowed franchised rail operators to recommence their services. Open access rail operators still incur costs when their trains are not running. However, they cannot remain commercially viable without running trains. If Hull Trains ceased trading, Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire would regress 20 years to having only one daily direct rail service to London. 130 jobs would be lost. Supporting Hull Trains in these exceptional circumstances would help restore capacity and competition to East Coast rail services and aid the economy’s gradual return to normality through the period of social distancing. With Transport for London being provided with at least £1.6bn of Government funding, making it possible to reinstate open access rail services that existed before the COVID-19 lockdown should be a more urgent priority for a Government committed to the Northern Powerhouse than longer term infrastructure plans.

Glasgow is getting millions of pounds to introduce pop up cycle lanes in response to the Coronavirus lockdown. OnBikes were delighted to work with the council for a pop-up cycle lane on Langdale Street and are calling for the North East to now be included in the next phase of projects. Based on local discussion we would like to Space for Distancing on Cumbernauld Road. During the lockdown we have seen people of all ages and abilities cycling in our communities, enjoying the safety of quieter roads. We need to make sure that this is still possible once traffic starts getting back to normal. Cumbernauld Road is one of the key roads linking communities in the North East, as well as connecting it with the City Centre where many people work. It is the main way to get to parks such as Alexandra Park and the Seven Lochs Wetland Park, places that are proving essential for mental health as people are stuck at home. In August it will also be crucial that children, young people and teachers can cycle safely to school, with Smithycroft and Parkhill Secondaries and Carntyne and St Thomas’ Primaries all nearby. It is a wide four lane road but most of the time only the central lanes are actually used by traffic, with part of the outer two lanes used at various points for parking. By adding pop up cycles lanes to just half a lane on either side, this could be made safer for people cycling without losing any space that is currently used for traffic or parking. The feeling of a narrower road would have the added benefit of stopping some of the speeding which takes place and which is particularly dangerous near to the schools. Glasgow has some of the lowest levels of car ownership in the country. According to the last census, in North East and East Centre wards 55% of households have no car while in Dennistoun ward this is 64%. Despite this there is very little cycle infrastructure in this part of the city, with most being built in the West and the South of the city. This needs to change and introducing Space for Distancing on Cumbernauld Road can be the start of that.