With social institutions likely being closed for the remainder of the year we should be able to drink in public areas, such as parks, which allow for individuals to socialise while still adhering to distancing rules.

More than 22 tonnes of formaldehyde, which causes cancer and is used as an embalming fluid, were poured into cages to disinfect salmon in Loch Ness, Loch Sheil, Loch Lochy and seven other lochs over nine months in 2019. Residents of Lochaber and elsewhere in the Highlands are rightly worried as many of these lochs feed public water supplies. Formaldehyde is a colourless, strong-smelling gas used in a liquid solution called formalin to treat farmed salmon in freshwater lochs. SEPA, which authorises its use, says that uncontrolled releases “have the potential to cause significant harm to the environment”. The chemical was classified as a human carcinogen by the UK government in 2016. New data released by Sepa disclosed that a total 22.4 tonnes of formaldehyde were used by 12 fish farms on 29 occasions between April and December 2019. Seven companies were given permission to apply the chemical, with the vast majority – 19.6 tonnes – being used by Norwegian-owned Mowi, formerly known as Marine Harvest. At one loch – Loch Lochy, near Spean Bridge – Mowi used 11 tonnes of formaldehyde – far more than elsewhere. The company poured 3.2 tonnes into fish cages at nearby Loch Arkaig, 2.8 tonnes at Loch Sheil in Glenfinnan and 2.2 tones at Camas na Mult on Loch Ness. https://bit.ly/fish_farm_pesticide

Millions of people, who have struggled to pay rent due to coronavirus, could soon be forced out of their home - because the government's temporary ban on evictions is set to end on the 23rd August. And as it stands there are no laws or proper protections in place to stop landlords evicting those of us who have lost our jobs and struggled to pay rent during the crisis. To fix this mess, influential MPs and housing experts are calling on the government to give judges the power to protect renters from being evicted because of arrears caused by coronavirus. Only then can the government lift the ban on evictions. We need to send the government a clear message: Make sure renters are properly protected before lifting the ban on evictions. So that no one is forced from their home due to the coronavirus crisis. A huge petition, signed by hundreds and thousands of people across the country, is the first step

Wandsworth Borough Council failed to adequately inform and consult the public of this development. It sent out just 34 letters to local residents, despite a thousand registering their concern to a similar plan in 2008. It omitted to mention the land will become the base for a football club, who play at a semi-professional level and have a total of 28 teams. The chairman of the planning committee which considered the application is also a director of Enable, the organisation responsible for the management of leisure and sports services in Wandsworth. The chairman closed down debate at the meeting; allowing a supportive letter from the football club to be read out, but rejecting a short submission on behalf of almost 7,000 local residents against the development and failing to refer to an unprecedented 1,000 formal objections from the public. The committee failed to call for a traffic and parking impact report, despite the issue being of significant concern in the area, where there is no dedicated parking. Residents were not informed that a community boxing club which was expected to be upgraded as part of the development would instead lose space and may now face closure. REJECT this application: it is not supported by the public. Planning applications must not only be fair, they must be seen to be fair, especially when they relate to common land.

Glyphosate-based herbicides such as RoundUp pose a real risk to the public, our environment and workers. Glyphosate has been banned in Holland, Denmark, Sweden and France and by some Councils around the UK such as Trafford, Brighton, Bristol and Croydon. B & Q are ceasing sale of Round-Up following links to cancer in the US. Roundup kills beneficial insects. It has been proven to cause mortality of species including bees, predatory mites, lacewings, ladybirds and predatory beetles. Argentinian studies suggest that glyphosate use leads to a decline in honeybee activity. The demise of the monarch butterfly population in New York has been blamed on glyphosate. Glyphosate in soil takes approx 140 days to break down to half its toxicity and will continue to be taken up by plants from the soil for 2 years and longer. It’s toxic to earthworms and inhibits mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi are essential for tree health, collecting nutrients and water to feed their host plant and protecting tree roots from harmful fungi and root rot diseases. Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that it was “probably carcinogenic”. A court case against Monsanto was won by a man who developed cancer after using Roundup. He was awarded $289 million in damages. Other councils now use eco-friendly alternatives such as non-toxic Foamstream. Methods such as Mesh-Tech are now also available to combat Japanese Knotweed. This petition is supported by Independent (non group) Cllrs Elizabeth Haynes, Dave Thomas, Alan Slade, Jason O'Connell & Louise Shepphard.

Social and childcare workers have worked tirelessly during the Covid Outbreak. Care homes have been a significant source of infection, with many social care staff not going home. Some live in caravans and some risk their families contracting the virus. The majority of Social Care staff are on National Minimum Wage. The WELSH government made the statement, they should stick to it. Many professionals would have been unable to go to work without childcare staff and for this reason, the payment should extend to them too.

We are asking WSCC council pension funds to commit to divest all their funds from fossil fuel companies. Divestment is the opposite of investment – it means getting rid of stocks, bonds or investment funds that are unethical. More than 50 pension funds globally have now made divestment commitments, moving millions out of the fossil fuel industry. However, despite years of campaigning by local people and motions passed by both Adur & Worthing Borough Councils urging them to divest (https://worthingandadurchamber.co.uk/news-blog/8638924) WSCC pensions will not budge. The West Sussex Local Government Pension Fund, currently responsible for the pension benefits of thousands of us, continues to invest millions in fossil fuel companies. In December 2015 the UK signed up to the Paris Agreement. One of the main aims was to limit global warming to under 2 degrees C. The overriding cause of climate change is CO2 gas emitted from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas). Only 20% of present reserves of fossil fuels can be burnt if we are to keep to the target set in Paris. However, companies such as Exxon, Shell, BP continue to extract existing reserves and pour millions into new projects. The scientific consensus tells us that if we continue on our current course the earth will heat to a level which is beyond that required to sustain life. Heatwaves and wildfires, in the UK and globally, plus the accelerating loss of biodiversity, demonstrate that climate change is already here and is causing the deaths and displacement of millions of people worldwide. David Attenborough said, “What humans do over the next 50 years will determine the fate of all life on the planet.” Please sign the petition to urge WSCC Pensions to divest from Fossil Fuels. [The fossil fuel portfolio could be easily reinvested in green alternatives and get better returns]. (https://www.divest.org.uk/councils/) More: In the UK there are over 30 divestment campaigns targeting local councils and the pension funds they manage. Find more out about the campaign here. https://gofossilfree.org/uk/local-government-guide/ New Government proposals, published on June 18th 2018, are designed to give managers of Britain’s workplace pension schemes new powers to dump shares in oil, gas and coal companies in favour of long-term investment in green and “social impact” opportunities. Pension fund trustees now should have more confidence to divest from fossil fuels and put their cash in green alternatives. As a member of the West Sussex Pension Scheme I urge you to sign our petition to request WSCC to rapidly divest from this industry and invest in technologies and solutions that make a positive contribution to the future of life on earth. Local government Pension Funds are failing to protect themselves from the financial risk of climate. These are the findings of a report in November 2018 (https://cdn.friendsoftheearth.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/Risky-Business-LG-Pension-Funds-Climate-Crisis.pdf) https://gofossilfree.org/divestment/what-is-fossil-fuel-divestment/ https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2017/nov/13/southwark-council -pension-fund-divesting-12bn-from-fossil-fuels https://www.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/2018/01/Divest-from-carbon-campaign.pdf Campaign supported by WorthingCAN, XR Worthing, XR Chichester, XR Shoreham, XR Horsham and XR Arun Valley.

Current medical data from a significant NHS England study shows that diabetics, especially Type 1 diabetes which is not directly related to obesity, are at significantly increased risk of dying from Covid 19 (more than 3 times higher than a non-diabetic for Type 1, and more than 2 times higher for Type 2). The risk is such that the leading diabetes charity Diabetes UK is calling for the government to ensure employers either continue to furlough diabetics or allow them to work from home even with the easing of lockdown restrictions. This plea has been ignored, and so thousands of diabetics will be forced back to work and to a massively increased risk of death. It is a blatant disregard for their own official medical data and for human life. My husband is a Type 1 diabetic and has been for over thirty years, very rarely missing a days work and contributing hugely to his workplace - I do not want to see him sent to his death because the government refuse to acknowledge the facts and put appropriate shielding advice in place.

In the last 2 months, since 'Corona virus Lockdown' began, it has become apparent that broadband provision in the Ballyroney area is extremely poor. Ballyroney is a rural area. Broadband speed is low (often less than 2 Mb/s). Home working is difficult, local businesses have difficulty operating, children have difficulty accessing online learning and people have difficulty accessing online services such as shopping, banking and streaming services.

The East entrance of Drumpellier Country Park has been closed to cars and unauthorised vehicles for the past few weeks due to the pandemic. As a result, the road and surrounding areas have been much safer and much more enjoyable for children, families, cyclists, joggers, dog walkers and of course the habitual wildlife in the park. The Country Park is an area of natural beauty, which had been spoiled by cars accessing the park via this road. More litter is brought and dropped by car users, exhausts pollute the environment, cars park in passing places, cars park on the road beside the football pitches to collect children from St. Ambrose/Buchanan High and drivers going too fast also pose significant risks to the abovementioned groups. Once lockdown restrictions are gradually eased and people are once again allowed to drive to local nature spots, I passionately believe that visitors to the loch and wider Country Park can and should use the visitor centre car park, which has ample space and is specifically designed to accommodate visitors with cars. There is no valid reason for vehicles other than waste disposal, authorised council vehicles and a park resident's authorised vehicle to access the park via the road entrance at the East. Instead the road at the East entrance to the Country Park should be preserved as a safe environment in which people can be encouraged to continue walking, cycling, running and scooting and in which children and wildlife will be safe.

Animals are not commodities to be used to 'make an extra bit on the side' Although Facebook have renewed guidelines about selling animals, it is still rife on many popular selling sites and community websites. Selling animals in this way encourages impulse and casual purchases. Checks are not necessarily made on potential owners meaning animals can be subjected to inappropriate ownership or unsuitable conditions for their needs. The temptation of an 'easy sell' encourages 'hobby breeding' while rescue centres are full to bursting with animals needing homes. Social media and selling sites provide disreputable breeders with a means to reach the wider public who may not be informed or aware of the risk involved. There is no justifiable reason to sell an animal on a selling site. Rescue centres exist for the very purpose of helping people re-home unwanted pets or surprise litters. Professional breeders can sell through official websites. Please sign this petition to try and stop animals being sold in this casual and dangerous way. Thank you

The government is handing out billions of pounds in bailouts to big companies who are struggling due to the coronavirus crisis. This is really important to support the economy and keep people in their jobs. But some companies have dodged their obligations in the good times by not paying their fair share of tax. And now many of these same companies are asking for a handout when things get tough. This isn’t fair on the rest of us who do contribute. Paying taxes is essential to help fund public services like the NHS, schools and our care system. The Fair Tax Mark has set out three clear conditions for bailouts. Any big company getting a bailout should lift the lid on their tax affairs, disclose who ultimately profits from their activities, and promise not use tax havens and tax avoidance schemes. Politicians in Scotland and Wales are taking action. The UK government has announced it's putting legally-binding tax conditions on just one bailout so far - for Cesla Steel. Join us in calling for Rishi Sunak to make sure that all big companies getting bailouts pay their fair share.