Adref have been providing local hostel services and housing support services for 30 years. Adref have now lost the contract to manage hostel services in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil. This will mean:- • Adref itself being forced to close • Hostel staff moving over to a new employer with poorer terms and conditions • Up to 10 staff made redundant • 50 fantastic Volunteers losing their positions The two Councils involved need to rethink their decision. Adref does so much more than simple managing hostels and supporting people in their own homes. They provide • Help for rough sleepers - clothing, advice and snacks • Service users are supported after they leave the hostels - supplied with new kitchen electricals and basic furniture so encourage them to stay in an otherwise empty flat/house • An annual Christmas hamper appeal supported by 100s of local people, dozens of companies, hospital staff, and local council staff, providing a much-needed boost for people in our community (over 300 households Christmas 2019) • Practical training for Service users via shop volunteering Finally, we fear for the homeless themselves because of the lack of any plan to transfer services to the new company and the loss of the extras that Adref provide.

The climate crisis means that government in NI should commit to keeping fossil fuels in the ground. In August last year, earthquakes from fracking in the UK were big enough to damage people's homes. Fossil fuel company Tamboran have an application to start fracking in Co Fermanagh sitting on Diane Dodds desk and if this gets the green light will cause devastation to local communities, nature, people's health and livelihoods. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-48191165

older, disabled and younger people with families use this service to get themselves to the shopping estate

Coca-cola are the biggest plastic polluting company in the world. [1] But today a top executive at the company said people want plastic bottles. Let's tell them this is not what we want. They need to recognise this and lead the way in cutting down single use plastic. [1] Forbes: Coca-Cola Named The World’s Most Polluting Brand in Plastic Waste Audit: https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2019/10/29/coca-cola-named-the-worlds-most-polluting-brand-in-plastic-waste-audit/

As we approach the 2nd anniversary of the Windrush Scandal in April 2020 we must remember the public support where over 180,000 people signed my UK government petition and 100,000 38 Degree members who also signed petition demanding to establish an amnesty for anyone who was a minor that came to Britain between 1948 to 1973. The media stories of the victims sharing experiences of the hostile environment and the lobbying of Caribbean diplomats and race equality and migrant charities all contributed to a perfect storm to force the government not only to apologise but to publicly humiliated at an international level by causing one of the biggest human right abuses of British citizens since WW2. In April 2019 the government launched the Windrush Compensation Scheme. There are many thousands of people that have still not come forward to resolve their status as there is still lack of trust with the Home Office and public bodies who implement the hostile environment policy and procedures. In addition, many of the survivors are frustrated with the implementation of the Compensation Scheme. In the Big Issue in 2019 I interviewed several survivors to share their experiences: Michael Braithwaite who was born in Trinidad but lived in Barbados but came to Britain in 1961. After working for over 15 years as a teaching assistant in a local school in Islington he lost his job as a result of the scandal. After 12 months since the Windrush Scandal he is still traumatised, but he is now sharing his experience at through media interviews, community and trade union events to campaign for justice. Michael states: ‘Over the last two years my life has been turned upside down . The mental stress and turmoil that caused me I’ll health still impact my daily life. The government compensation scheme has not been fairly documented , it was constructed behind closed doors, no public input and no one to represent the Windrush victims.’ Stephanie O ‘Connor and her siblings are still coming to terms as result of the death of their mother Sarah O’Connor who at the age of 57 died of hypertension in September 2018 as result of the stress involved in losing her job and facing bankruptcy. Sarah came to Britain in 1967 as a six-year-old and worked for most of her life till losing her job in 2017. Stephanie states: ‘The Windrush scandal impacted my mum, Sarah not only on her health but emotionally. Before the scandal was exposed, she felt on her own and like she had done something wrong despite contributing to the country for many years. For my mum the compensation scheme has come too late and I’m so disappointed that it is still taking this long for people to get what is owed to them. I just hope that people get compensated fairly for everything that they have been through. This scandal has ruined people’s lives and in today’s world it is terrible that we have allowed that to happen to this extent.’ We now need MPs to lobby Priti Patel MP when it comes to the 2nd Reading of the Windrush Compensation Bill in Parliament in February to make the following amendments for restorative justice and fairness below for proper compensation to the survivors of the Windrush Scandal. 1.The Compensation Scheme needs to be managed by another government department or independent body along the principles of restorative justice and fairness as the Home office is still implementing the Hostile which is a conflict of interest which is clearly inherently racist in nature and breaches the Public Sector Equality Duty. 2. The Home office needs to create immediately easy read and make accessible Windrush Compensation forms application forms for survivors of the Windrush Scandal and community organisations in line with best practice under the Equality Act. The current forms act as deterrent to the vulnerable and family members who are traumatised. In addition, the scheme should not discriminate with anyone who has a criminal record. 3. Home Office to fund community groups, faith and small civil society organisations to support ongoing or planned outreach and advice work intended to help people affected by the Windrush crisis. 4 Anyone that has been directly affected by the Windrush Scandal should have an automatic payment of £10,000 without proving any documentary evidence of hurt or financial loss 5.Remove all tariff and caps on all compensation claims and that all claims to receive interest payment as results of costs incurred for immigration and legal fees on the same basis as PPI awarded by banks for mis selling financial products. 6. All offer letters for compensation should contain have a full apology recognising the failure of the Home Office treatment as a result of the scandal. 7. It has been estimated that over 500,000 individuals were given wrong official advice regarding naturalisation and gaining British citizenship since the creation of the 1971 Immigration Act. The government needs to issue a formal apology and to repay back with an interest the costs incurred to legal and immigration fees. 8. The government should fund a Windrush Endowment Fund of at least £1 billion to support the preservation and legacy of the Windrush Generation and the history migration. The Fund Provide could provide core funding to organisations like Black Cultural Archives. 9.The current Windrush Day Grants and Memorial Committee which is sponsored by the government department DCLG needs to be an independent organisation like the Holocaust Memorial Education Trust. A £5million to support Windrush Day activities, develop learning resources for schools and to influence the national curriculum. 10. We require a nationally funded health and wellbeing programme programme on post traumatic impact of the hostile environment on the Windrush Generation and their descendant for culturally relevant and specific organisations who can provide range of therapeutic, art therapy and counselling services.

-It will help our children in the acquisition of the English language. -It will develop their confidence and self-esteem by improving their knowledge, culture and roots. -It will promote their educational achievements by improving motivation and enhancing cognitive development as well as reducing truancy and exclusions. -It will help our children to improve their skills and community cohesion. -It will help children to engage in creative works, keep children off the street and prevent them from being involved in anti-social activities, drugs, gang fighting and knife crime, etc. -It will help our children to take part in a Modern Foreign Languages GCSE/A- Level.

“I use a pre-pay meter because I can’t afford a direct debit. £5 may not sound a lot, but when you’re scraping together coppers just to make up the money, it can be the difference between a hot meal and going hungry.” – Daniel, British Gas customer* As anti-poverty campaigners and charities have made clear, this decision will mean that many parents and pensioners on low incomes will have to make a choice between food and fuel; it will mean not being able to cook a hot meal, have a bath or turn the heating on. Those who use top-up meters are often in debt and have insecure incomes, and rely on small top-ups to ration their heating to see themselves through to payday. What's more, research shows that those on pre-pay meters pay hundreds of pounds more in tariffs on average than direct debit customers. This decision will disproportionately affect those who are already struggling to get by. To implement it in the middle of winter, and what is the most financially challenging time of the year for many people, is the height of social irresponsibility. A company which last reported profits of £466 million should not be increasing the burden on its most hard-up customers. We ask that British Gas does the responsible thing and reverses this decision. Preet Gill MP has sent the following letter to British Gas bosses calling for this increase to be reversed. A huge petition, joining her call, could convince them to do the right thing: https://files.38degrees.org.uk/items/files/000/002/709/original/PKG_to_British_Gas_15-01-20.pdf *Name changed for anonymity

Busy Bees Pre School have sadly informed us parents that they will be closing down in July 2020, through matters that are completely out of thier hands. As parents, we are completely saddened by the thought. For us parents, it's become a wonderful community. And the children are so happy and content. So, For all the children who attend the nursary and of course the amazing, supportive, most wonderful staff members, let's get signing this petition to keep our lovely Hainault nursary open!

Libraries are are havens, refuges and gateways, the vibrant hearts of the towns and villages they serve. They are engines of social mobility and social cohesion, places where knowledge and opportunity are available to all, for free . A library is also a rare space where a community comes together, from toddlers enjoying rhyme time to older visitors finding a place to browse and meet friends – and of course people simply wanting to borrow a good book,. Now that 1 in 8 schools do not have a library at all, public libraries are all the more vital. An open library is proof that we value knowledge and opportunity, as well as community and culture.

The UK is a wealthy country, but this wealth is very unevenly spread. The UK government doesn’t properly tax wealth, such as land, shares and property. Our current tax system gives an advantage to those who live off their wealth, as opposed to those who work for a living. This leaves us with under-funded public services and sets the UK on track to become one of the most unequal countries in the world. One change that the Chancellor could adopt is taxing income from wealth at least as much as income from work. The Institute of Public Policy Research estimate that this would raise £90 billion over five years. According to a poll Tax Justice UK commissioned with Oxfam the public overwhelmingly support this idea. Join us in calling for an end to the low tax lifestyles enjoyed by some of the wealthiest people in the country and a fairer Britain.

Saturday evening (18th Jan) saw yet another accident at this junction. A young man was thrown from his bike, injuring his leg. It could have been much worse! Living opposite this junction, I have been witness to the increase in accidents, prangs and near-misses (many of which never get reported) since the opening of the 'new' McDonald's. I have gathered concerns from local residents and shared these with the Hampshire County Councillor for Aldershot South, Bill Withers, who assures me that the junction is being "looked at". Yet residents and road users have seen no improvement in over 2 years, since the restaurant opened. We cannot put up with this delay any longer. The time for action in now! I don't want the next time I hear a collision and look out of my window to be faced with the scene of a life changing injury or even a fatality involving someone's loved one/family member/friend. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing I could have, indeed should have, done more. The time for dither and delay is over! Hampshire County Council need to take action NOW!

Transport for London has privatised cleaning on London Underground. Underground cleaning has been handed to global outsourcing company ABM while London Overground has outsourced cleaning to Vinci. The collapse of outsourcing giants Carillion and Interserve has shown that outsourcing is both inefficient and unfair to workers. Despite working unsocial hours in dirty, hazardous conditions, cleaners are treated less favourably than directly employed workers. We call on the Mayor to commit to ending the privatisation of cleaning, bringing this work in-house and working to end privatisation and outsourcing generally within Transport for London.