As a mum with a child in a primary school in Penarth, I am horrified to learn about the desperate measures our schools are having to take given this funding crisis. In the Penarth Cluster of schools, head teachers are cleaning school facilities at weekends to earn rent; there are redundancies and teachers have to take on other paid work. At least one local school’s governing body is looking into the possibility of closing on Friday afternoons which would create difficulties for working parents and teachers. Next, we hear our children’s health and safety may be at risk. I am shocked at the unfair and outdated formula used for school funding which seems fundamentally against The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, "A more equal Wales - where everyone has an equal chance whatever their background". School funding is in crisis across Wales, yet the Welsh Government is expecting the introduction of a new curriculum; a new additional learning needs bill and for schools to produce 1 million Welsh speakers. We already know that children in Wales achieve lower PISA scores than children anywhere else in the UK and have done for several years. But it's not just about academic achievement - our schools should be able to provide all-round education and support for all of our children to thrive.

Castle Mill Stream is a poorly managed backwater of the Thames in Oxford, a stretch of which is owned by Network Rail, who have no use for the land. However, it currently provides a much-needed home for those who live and work in a city in the midst of a housing crisis. These individuals are currently under threat of eviction, and no promises have been made by any organisation to properly manage the area as residential moorings. Please show your support by signing this petition. To find out more, read our story below. ---- Our Story: We are five resident boaters at Castle Mill Stream that runs alongside the Oxford Canal in Jericho. One of us has lived here 19 years and three of us for 4-6 years. We have been informed that the stretch of bank we are moored on (from the south end of William Lucy Way to opposite Combe Road) belongs to Network Rail. For years they have ignored it, but under pressure from Oxford City Council they put up signs on February 12 and attached letters to our boats on February 21 warning of eviction. In a statement the City Council have welcomed their action, linking boats on Castle Mill Stream to a long list of anti-social behaviours which they say the area has seen "in recent years". They are presumably including a much wider area than where we are moored. Only one incident has occurred on this stretch in the last two years - the presumed arson of an uninhabited plastic boat this winter. The fire service put it out but no-one cleared up the mess until we took half a ton of debris from the burnt hull and from a sunken boat to the dump. We agree that Castle Mill Stream requires proper management to prevent a cycle of abandoned boats appearing. However, we believe that the area and surrounding community is better off for the presence of permanent residential moorings. Stationary live-aboard boats provide the area with individuals who have a vested interest in the safety and upkeep of this otherwise dark corner of central Oxford. Charging mooring fees will prevent boat abandonment and make any anti-social behaviour less likely. The City Council have talked about possible future moorings on this site, perhaps financed by Canal & River Trust, but we are sceptical about how long this could take. We therefore believe that these moorings are best managed by the boaters themselves. This would ensure the area does not fall into further disrepair and attract more abandoned boats while waiting for C&RT to take action. It would also keep moorings affordable, preventing any further strain on the housing situation in Oxford. Official sites such as the Hythe Bridge Arm and the Agenda 21 moorings in North Oxford began as unofficial moorings. We have formed ourselves into a non-profit company, have applied to Network Rail to buy the land, and are preparing a planning application for residential moorings, including floating pontoons, a water tap and a sewage disposal point, all to be financed by our mooring fees.

This public house as been the heart of the community since being built in 1928. Its steeped in local history dating back to Robert Ireland Blackburne after whom the pub is named after. The links to Orford Manor and the old Orford Hall (now Orford Park) partnership with Warrington Memorial Bowling Green whose Trustees actually own most of the surrounding land and of course the adjacent Playing Fields allotments. Its grounds is also a habit for protected species such as newts, toads and other wildlife that can be found with the grounds.

Brighton & Hove is in the top ten local authorities in the country for numbers of rough sleepers. These are just the ones you can see. There are thousands more people living in tents, cars, boats, hostels, and emergency and temporary accommodation. All people, homeless or not, are free and equal in dignity and rights. But in truth, rough sleepers are treated at best as a problem and at worst as a nuisance to be cleared away. The Homeless Bill of Rights (www.homelessrights.org.uk) tries to make human rights real for those of us who are unfortunate enough to be homeless, by giving them respect, dignity and help in their struggle to survive. The most important right is the right to housing; but at the very least no-one, ever, should be forced to sleep rough. It has been adopted by six European cities including Barcelona. We want Brighton & Hove to become the first British city to adopt the Homeless Bill of Rights.

SCHAC (Save Care Homes And Centres) RCT Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council are proposing to close many of their 11 residential care homes and their 5 ‘day centres’. We believe these proposals are not a ‘modernisation’ as they are described by RCT but an attempt to reduce costs to, in their words “... deliver care services more efficiently to maximise the benefits and manage cost pressures.”. We do not believe that ‘extra care’ sheltered housing is an acceptable alternative for people who are assessed as requiring residential care. In closing council owned and run residential homes, RCT are pushing people into the increasingly financially insecure private sector. Our SCHAC response to the RCT proposals can be read here: https://schac-rct.blogspot.com/2019/04/schac-save-care-homes-and-centres.html?view=magazine And RCT proposals here: https://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/EN/GetInvolved/Consultations/CurrentConsultations/CurrentConsultations.aspx We request that RCT: End the paragraph 6.14 restrictions on entry to residential care immediately Not one closure - keep all 11 residential care homes and the 5 day centres open Refurbish all 11 residential care homes to highest legal and care quality standards Give priority consideration to RCT owned residential care homes and day centres in the allocation of funding support following an assessment We propose that RCT think through again what they are proposing in relation to day centres, provide details of organisational structures, aims, strategies and a detailed operational plan then issue a new statement and start the consultations again. Open the books - RCT to disclose how the closure proposals will cut its annual spending on adult care both in terms of revenue and capital spending, together with comprehensive details about how these amounts were arrived at. RCT should defend and speak out for the older people of RCT and prioritise council owned provision. RCT should directly request that the Assembly and UK government provide the financial support needed to provide improved provision of adult care and supported housing without making cuts or privatisation - the money was found for the banks, it can be found for our older people who need care and support.

"Too many horses are being killed or injured." Sylvia Clelland. The 2023 Grand National meeting at Aintree racecourse, resulted in the death of three horses including one in the main event of the weekend. Despite changes being made to the course for safety over the years far too many horses are dying as a result of racing. Sixteen horses have died in the showcase race since 2000. Safety measures could easily be implemented to improve the safety of the Grand National. These include having smaller and fewer fences, fewer participants and a shorter distance.

Cannock Chase is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that is used freely by thousands of visitors each and every year. Visitors are not only from the local area but nationally and internationally. Users include families with children, ramblers and walking groups, cyclists, runners, dog walkers and horse riders, who not only enjoy the benefits of the Chase but support local businesses and the local economy. Cannock Chase is particularly unique in the area due to the beautiful open landscape that is safely accessible by all, without restriction. All users have the benefit of the large area which allows them the freedom to safely enjoy their activity without encroaching on others. Any proposal to alter this access will have a significant and detrimental effect on the local community, residents, visitors and local economy. Allowing the free roaming of cattle within areas that will be used by families, children, horse riders, dogs and cyclists will put the safety of all at risk. Cattle are large and powerful animals who can take to flight easily and without warning. The proposals to fence off large areas of Cannock Chase has been undertaken without any proper, open and public consultation and without consideration of the detrimental impact upon the area and the risks to public safety. We request a full open and public consultation and the disclosure of all consultation meeting minutes, decision making reports, cost schedules, wildlife and natural beauty impact studies, local business impact studies and public safety impact studies.

To protect the health of those who do not smoke

First of all, some residents are claiming to have been sold properties on the estate with the assurance that Fibrenest or at least fibre connections are available to properties and since new addresses often don't show in broadband speed checkers, this is difficult and often impossible to confirm first-hand until a property has been purchased. There is also an expectation that information given by sales representatives is completely true, which in this case, is not. Secondly, many individuals on the estate rely on reasonable connectivity to work, whether it's remotely from home to a service at work, through online business or in some cases as online content creators using streaming services. With an average speed of 6mbps, this is barely achievable and in most cases, means that standard resolution images can often take an unacceptable time to download. Living on the estate is affecting businesses and in some cases, a slower connection can create security concerns. In my case, I purchased my current property in September 2019 with the assurance from the sales adviser at the time that Fibrenest was available. When we had purchased the property and arranging service providers, we soon found out that the only broadband option was Sky averaging around 7mbps. I regularly work from home using a remote connection to my work-place and the connection frequently drops which is a significant difference from my previous home on around 40-50mbps. This is not to mention multi-tasking is near impossible, such as downloading whilst trying to stream, something which we take for granted until our connection can't handle it. It affects me on a daily basis and is often the talk of the estate (or at least those affected). Something needs to be done and the support from the community on this issue will hopefully bring to light its significance.

Hydrotherapy is exercising in warm water. The temperature of the water is 33 – 34 degrees Celsius; swimming pools are usually a maximum of 28 degrees Celsius. The warm water helps people with pain, stiffness and limited mobility to exercise more easily. The pool is currently used by 400 patients a year with a range of musculoskeletal conditions including axial spondyloarthritis (ankylosing spondylitis), hypermobility, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. The closure of the pool left many people’s health seriously deteriorating as no suitable alternative has been offered. There are no other hydrotherapy pools in Bedfordshire.

Netting trees and hedgerows is a cruel and unsustainable practice, leading to the indiscriminate death and suffering of song birds and other birds, including specially protected species. Birds get caught up and tangled in the nets and die a slow death. More and more development companies are resorting to this cruel practice in order to bypass ecologically sustainable building practices, leading to the loss of nesting sites and habitat for birds.

Ban All Five Pesticides Linked To Bee Deaths! France Becomes The First Country To that put this into action. In May 2018 the EU banned three of the significant pesticides implicated in the collapse of bee populations. Clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam are now prohibited for use on crops. We need to go a step further and set a high bar in the effort to save the bees. Given the importance of pollinators to nature and the survival of the biosphere, this could not happen too soon! Studies have reported that the neonicotinoid pesticides attack the central nervous system of insects, leading to loss of memory and homing skills, in addition to reduced fertility. Bees that cannot find their way back to the hive quickly die. However the pesticides have also been shown to affect butterflies, birds and other pollinating insects. There is a reason why France is ahead of the field in this regard: The “bee killing” pesticides were tested first on French fields in the 1990’s – and the French farmers witnessed first-hand the catastrophic effects that occurred in 1994; describing “a carpet of dead bees”. 400,000 bee colonies died within days – yet the story was buried under a layer of corruption and distorted science. Since that time, activists and manufacturers have battled to control the situation. Full stories Overwhelming Evidence Linking Neonicotinoid Insecticides To Massive Die-off Of Bees And Songbirds The new move is certain to be celebrated by ecologists and sets an example of protection of nature that the rest of the world needs to follow. ..... We must also follow this! Please help me, put this into action.