After losing our beautiful mainecoon cat due to a careless driver, I was shocked to read that it is not a legal requirement for drivers to stop if they are to hit a cat whilst driving, this absolutely blows my mind - it is a legal requirement for drivers to stop for other animals such as dogs, horses, pigs etc but why should cats not be included within this law? They are just as loved as any other animal. The impact it has on a family having to deal with their pet being killed and left is unexplainable until it happens to you, the on going questioning and wondering in your mind. It makes it very hard to get closure and move forward and grieve as you rightly should. There are so many incidents of this happening - only takes a minute to look through social media and see how many people are upset/angry/devastated that someone has left their loved pet to die! Surely something has to change, people deserve to have answers just as they would if their pet was a dog and so on. Please sign if you agree cats deserve the same compassion as other 'working animals'. Cats are still loved and are still part of someone's family.

The NI Children's Hospice provides support and care to hundreds of children with life threatening and life limiting conditions on an annual basis. Rising costs have forced the charity to reduce bed capacity for respite stays for families from across Northern Ireland. The Department of Health have it within their power to ensure the relatively small funding shortfall is met.

In July 2012 a group of young Palestinian teenagers and their teachers from Shatila Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon, visited North Tyneside. During their time in the area, working in collaboration with two local artists Faye Oliver and Anthony Downie and supported by North Tyneside council, they created a large friendship mural (https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/shatila-children-finally-start-tour-1368800.amp). This friendship mural was put on display on a platform wall at Tynemouth Metro station - where it remained for over a decade without issue or incident. The friendship mural was a significant part of the local culture and heritage and it was seen as an example of the role art and culture play in bringing different cultures and communities together and part of a long-term project between the Shatila refugee camp and North Tyneside , which promoted various cultural exchanges. Refugees in their day-to-day lives endure conditions and hardships that many of us cannot imagine. Hence, this creative outlet was not just a piece of art, but also an emblem of solidarity, representing the plight and resilience of Palestinian refugees across the world. According to UNRWA, as of 2023 there are over 5.9 million registered Palestine refugees globally (source: https://www.unrwa.org/palestine-refugees). One of the main purposes of art is to provide an outlet and create a space for as many voices as possible. Encouraging children who endure horrific conditions and hardships as refugees to engage in creative works has a marked positive impact on their development and wellbeing. The mural was taken down by North Tyneside Council in October 2023, citing an undisclosed threat made to deface the art piece. Since then, there is no stated plan for returning it to public view, which seems counter to what it hopes to achieve. The mural is not overtly political, but by its very existence raises awareness about the Palestinian & refuges plight – not the culture of power, but the power of culture as the Palestinian academic Edward Said put it. As such, the act of removal is a direct attack on Palestinian & refugees arts and culture and fundamental principles of freedom in the arts. This has removed Palestinians from the view of the public in North Tyneside, an area proud of its cultural exchanges with people from many parts of the world. We urge North Tyneside council and all other authorities responsible for the removal of the friendship mural, at the earliest possible time, to reinstate this important piece of artwork at Tynemouth Metro Station or at the very least seek an alternative secure public place to put it back on display in the community.

Over summer 2022, several UK beaches were closed to swimmers due to the high levels of toxic waste in waters. In addition, according to Surfers Against Sewers, only fourteen percent of UK rivers warrant ‘good’ ecological status with no river in England free from chemical contamination and there may have been many more that went untested. This is threatening river and sea biodiversity, ecosystems and causing illness to people who enjoy using the river on a regular basis.

This cruel decision, that was implemented with no warning, will leave families in limbo with no other option of being reunited with their family in the UK. With Russia’s war on Ukraine about to reach its two year mark, Ukranians need a continued safe passage to join family members who have already taken sanctuary here in the UK. Family reunification is a human right. Families who were in the middle of gathering the necessary information to apply are now left in limbo with no other options to be reunited. But if hundreds and thousands of us show that we won’t stand for families being torn apart, we can force the Home Office to reverse the decision.

While we all recognise the convenience of smart phones, on balance they causes more harm than good during the school day. School should be a 6 hour respite, free from distraction, bullying, hate and violence The direction of travel globally and across the UK is for increased restriction of phones in schools. The Scottish Government, which prides itself on youth mental and physical wellbeing, should be at the vanguard of this safeguarding movement. We are failing our duty of care as parents by not doing all we can to have this harm removed from the school day in face of the mounting evidence.

The integrity of our legal system and the well-being of our society depends on holding individuals accountable for their actions, regardless of their status or wealth.

Contaminated blood products led to thousands of people being diagnosed with HIV/Aids and hepatitis after receiving contaminated blood products. Clarke has stated that he was not responsible for blood products during the early days of the infected blood scandal despite being a health minister at the time. About 3,000 people in the UK have died because negligence, while the number of people who had been infected with contaminated blood products ranges from 5,000 to 30,000. The exact number remains unknown.

The motorist is being taxed unfairly again

Because everyone should be entitled to one whatever the area they live in after paying in to the system all their working lives.

I hope you all join me in agreement that this is needed in our village. It’s just an accident waiting to happen and we all need to come together to take action on this.

Because our community should not be made to suffer due to the negligence of SBC