In July 2017, it was announced that the the state pension age in the UK will rise from 67 to 68 between 2037 and 2039, seven years earlier than previously planned. UK State Pension's are ranked the worst in the developed world. This is down to the earnings related element of a State Pension being removed, with the introduction of a new flat rate state pension. We are letting down the worker's of today, and the pensioners of now, if they cannot be provided with a decent retirement income at a fair realistic retirement age. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report that over 18.5% of people over age 75 have incomes below the poverty line. This is down to the state pension. Whilst it is a fact that the UK population is now living longer, I do believe that the income tax, and national insurance contributions, paid by an individual up to age 65 should be sufficient for them to retire at that age and live a peaceful retirement without worrying about basic living costs. It is down to the Government to stop wasting money on: * Trident Nuclear Missile System * High Speed Rail Link * Refusal to Recycle better * Benefit Fraud and Errors * Bad Gold Sale * Computer Blunders * Perk Credit Cards * Areas where cuts could be made but alas the Government won't cut back This is by no means an exhaustive list but gives an indication of the money being wasted that could be used to top up the UK State Pension Pot. Please I ask you the Government to consider this petition, and respond in due course. Thank you for reading.

The Act makes it illegal to sleep rough and/or beg. Whilst I do not wish anybody to have to sleep rough or beg, the people who are forced to do so should not be persecuted in any fashion, let alone from a legal stance. The Act was written at a time when wealth defined whether you were a criminal or not, thus segregating the poor from the rich, as a wealthy person would never find themselves in that position. The Vagrancy Act is out of date common law and needs to be vanquished so that Councillors cannot try and force Police to enforce such legislation when they are on a power trip, such as in the case of https://news.sky.com/story/outrage-as-council-leader-asks-police-to-clear-homeless-before-royal-wedding-11194599

We love living in Gateshead's best kept secret... Birtley! But the streets and pavements of our little town have now gone beyond what is an acceptable level for public health. There are increasing amounts of litter but more worryingly, dog waste. People with buggies are finding it impossible to steer away from unwanted 'deposits' and in the summer when children wear sandals it's nothing short of dangerous. When I asked the local council what could be done I was told cuts to local authority budgets meant a street cleaning service can no longer be provided in the Birtley area. We love living in Birtley - great schools, a bustling high street and amazing people, but the cleanliness of the streets is now unacceptable. As residents, many of us are vigilant and make sure any litter is picked up. But more needs to be done! Will you join me in signing and sharing this petition, as well as doing what we can when we see litter, to make Birtley better?

The only time this service ran successfully was while it was run by government after National Express handed it back after two years in 2009. In its five years as East Coast, the state-run firm returned a little more than £1bn in premiums, as well as several million in profits, to the Treasury. Detailed financial analysis from the Office of Rail Regulation shows it was one of two firms to make a net contribution to government coffers over the previous two years. Now, history is repeating itself. Grayling is terminating the contract with Stagecoach/Virgin and releasing them from the £2bn worth of payments they were due to make between 2020 and 2023. Guess who will pick up this tab. Not only that, but Stagecoach/Virgin will still be allowed to bid on future contracts. Unbelievable. I want Grayling to hold the franchisee to its obligations or bar them from future government bids. Other private companies in other sectors have backed out of their contractual obligations with impunity if their contract is not profitable within a couple of years, and it is becoming a norm. Public services should not succeed or fail at the whim of private firms' accountants. It is the government's responsibility to consistently fund those services on which the public depends for its health, security, education, transport and energy. If Grayling does not hold Stagecoach/Virgin responsible for its financial obligations or ban it from securing future contracts he should be sacked.

Other countries had advanced industrialists, inventors and scientists but did not have the labour to match Britain's economy. In addition, the Irish in Britain played a pivotal role in politics in order to ensure social justice and improving our level of equality! The Irish, also, had a prominent role in the British Trade Union movement and it is the very reason to educate society on the role of Migrant Workers and Refugees within Britain, today! It is, also, important to ensure that the British public has a greater understanding of Irish culture and our own neighbouring country, Ireland. Through education, we can achieve a far greater peaceful relationship at grassroots level for both the isles of Britain and Ireland.

This is so important to Connor it would give a huge boost in confidence and self achievement. it has been his dream since a small boy to be a bin man .He proves himself to be huge help to the local bin men every collection day they have come to know and love him .as do all the local residents to have this role in an official capacity if only voulentary to put on that uniform would make his world complete.

The proposed changes will mean Basildon Hospital will become the only local 'specialist centre' for some stroke, heart and respiratory care. This means that many patients in Southend or Chelmsford will be transferred to Basildon for treatment. Public transport links are very poor between Chelmsford and Basildon (and even worse from further north in the county), and many people will find it very difficult, or impossible, to visit relatives and friends there. But such support networks are vital to patients in recovery. Additionally, Basildon Hospital has not been able to cope in recent years, and has often been on black alert. How will it cope with the extra demand? The STP has opened a public consultation into these proposed changes. Please sign the petition to let them know we think the planned changes compromise patient safety and recovery. There needs to be stroke, heart and respiratory care across the county - not just in Basildon. These proposals are part of Sustainability & Transformation Plans. These are the means by which the government is delivering huge cuts to our local health services. If you want to read more about the changes to our area you can here: file:///Users/jess/Downloads/NHS-Mid-and-South-Essex_Your-Care-in-the-Best-Place_Summary-Document.pdf https://midessexccg.nhs.uk/about-us/mid-and-south-essex-stp-joint-committee/committee-papers/november-2017-1/2703-full-part-i-papers-29-11-17/file

Residents in Newtongrange and Mayfield were promised that community facilities would be retained. We call upon Midlothian Council to honour this commitment.

Peel Ports are vandalising the facilities at Inchgreen Dry Dock purchased in 2002 from Clydeport. They blew up the cranes in July 2017 claiming it was too costly to service and maintain. No investment has been made in the facility since 2002 and rumour was they wanted to infill the dock and sell the land for housing. They have now confirmed to Inverclyde Council that they are not selling the dock or infilling. The Dry Dock is the second largest in the UK and a major asset for Inverclyde and the west coast. Who are Peel Ports? The Peel Group is constructed like a Russian Doll, a company within a company within a company and so on that produces hundreds of companies. The holding companies are registered in Tax havens, the Isle of Man and the Cayman Islands, owned and controlled by John Whittaker tax exile and his sons through Billown Trust. They own 75% of the parent companies Tokenhouse Ltd, Tokenhouse Investments (Guernsey) Ltd and Peel Port Holdings, the other 25% is owned by a Saudi Arabian conglomerate the Olayan Group. The Peel Group own A&P Group (APG) based at Cammell Lairds in Birkenhead Merseyside and have 4 Dry Docks, they also have dry docks in Falmouth, Tyneside and Teesside, and now control Inchgreen according to their web page. APG have a joint venture with BAE Systems (BAES) and tendering for the Type 31e Frigates (each £250m +) have the same build time as the Type 26 Frigates being built by BAES in Govan and Scotstoun. The Frigates and a £200m BAES investment promised and supported by the Tory Government during the 2014 Independence Referendum did not materialise. Former Tory Defence Secretary of State, Lord Michael Fallon also reduced the build number of Type 26 from 13 to 8, another broken promise and BAES have only been contracted to build 3. Sir John Parker’s 2016 Report ‘The National Shipbuilding Strategy“ has also been used to break promises to Glasgow hence the joint venture, BAES providing Engineering, Design and Systems and APG doing the build in Birkenhead. However this report also suggested that a Regional Industrial Strategy could be developed to build the Type 31e and Clydeside has the capacity. Which begs the question- Did BAES not consider a joint venture with Ferguson’s Marine using Inchgreen and develop a Regional Strategy to build these Frigates? We think not, the joint venture would not like Ferguson’s Marine gaining expertise in MOD work, and APG would prefer their Merseyside investment to benefit. Peel Group have invested over £250m in Cammell Lairds and have grand plans to invest £50 Billion over 50 years in the Atlantic/Ocean Gate Project which covers both sides of River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, the docks, container facilities, shipyards and riverside developments etc. Their future investment and the millions of public money they receive from the EU, Merseyside & Manchester Local Authorities, Enterprise & Regional Boards and Government is all for the Atlantic/Ocean Gate Project and none for Inchgreen. Merseyside and Manchester newspapers with community groups have asked whether the tax payer is getting value for the vast amounts of public money Peel receive and continue to receive. Their control of the Merseyside waters and coast has been a major concern for some community groups and one ExUrbe produced a critical 2013 report on Peel’s operation - “PEEL AND THE LIVERPOOL CITY REGION”. Peel has no intention of investing in Inchgreen Dry Dock and attracting work or they would not have destroyed the cranes. The Peel Group’s investment strategy is totally focused on Merseyside. However they could be in for another Public Purse payday when the Greenock Ocean Terminal Project under the City Deal gets final business case approval. Estimated costs are £14.793m, £7.193 from the Tax Payer, identified private sector investment £6.1m from Peel and £1.5m from the Dunard Art Fund, to date no contract has been signed or approved. We petition the Scottish Government and Inverclyde Council to bring Inchgreen Dry Dock into Public/Community Ownership for the future prosperity of Inverclyde and its citizens. We now have support from the local political parties Lib Dem’s, SNP, Greens, Labour and most Independent Councillors, local MP & MSPs also Unite and Unison Trade Unions. Our local newspaper the Greenock Telegraph have raised the profile of the Campaign with the Inverclyde public by their many articles on the issue. Copies of the Campaign petition can be obtained by contacting the below or sign online at:- https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/campaign-to-save-inchgreen-dry-dock-1 email: [email protected] Tel 07719 646944 Its important for the future Industrial development of Inverclyde, attract good paid skilled jobs, secure a major asset for the West Coast of Scotland and preserve its shipbuilding heritage.

Rough sleeping has almost doubled in the last year, but, the number of supported beds for homeless people has plummeted. There is also not enough affordable accommodation for people to move on to, making matters worse. As a result, despite the goal of no second night out, rough sleepers are waiting an average of 12 weeks before some form of accommodation is provided. We therefore urge BHCC to fund resources to expand the amount of support accommodation available for homeless people all year round, not just when temperatures hit 0c and ensure that the existing budget available is spent. PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION BEFORE WEDNESDAY 31ST JAN 2018 so that we can take the signatures to the council at their next meeting. Please share this with family, friends, work colleagues, school mates, members of your clubs etc - it really does have an impact.* *My first petition to BHCC received 4,111 signatures. On the 6th April 2017 the Housing Committee passed the petition with 100% of the vote, which was then carried to the resources committee - who reserved £135,000 for night shelters. This funding has gone to finance a night shelter which the council opened on the 10th Dec 2017 in the Brighton Centre. Many thanks to all those who signed up, you made a big difference to some of the Brighton and Hove rough sleepers!

As a Granny of 3 children at Kelty Primary School I was shocked to see text sent out by Fife Council informing parents that only the entrance to school will be salted..the playground today is like a sheet of Glass and 1 wee girl took tumble landing fully on her face..yesterday a wee boy broke his wrist after slipping on ice ...It is Fife Councils policy to make pupils go out in all weathers at break times so therefore it falls upon them to make the playground a safe environment, Surely!

"(The NHS) is being starved of funds and progressively dismantled and replaced with corporate structures known as Accountable Care Organisations which will facilitate the introduction of American-style healthcare systems." (Allyson Pollock, Professor of Public Health. The Independent, November 3rd 2017) World-renowned scientist Professor Stephen Hawking owes his life to the NHS. He has joined Professor Pollock and other eminent NHS campaigners in an urgent legal action against Jeremy Hunt and NHS England for a judicial review of their ACO plans. These are due for implementation in 2018: http://www.crowdjustice.com/case/jr4nhs-round2/ WHY ARE ACOs SUCH A CONCERN? ACOs derive from the USA's enormously expensive public/private healthcare systems. With their advent we, the public and taxpayers, will face having to pay increasingly for our healthcare costs. To get prompt, accessible treatment we will have to pay for it out of our own pockets and/or pay for health insurance. Those of us who can't pay will face care rationing, delays, care denial and suffering for ourselves and those who matter to us. High risk patients, the sickness-prone and elderly, will face exclusion from care. That’s because ACOs will allow private companies like Virgin and Circle, including insurance companies, sub-contractors and property companies, to take over control of the running of our NHS. They will decide which services are provided and to whom; which services are to be provided free and which are to be charged. They will be paid more if they save money, encouraging cuts and reductions in services despite the risk to our health needs. They will receive NHS funding - our money - to do this. Our trust in medical practitioners will be undermined by the knowledge that our healthcare providers will be motivated by commercial considerations. This conversion of our NHS into a US-style public/private enterprise has been described by Professor Stephen Hawking as “an attack on the fundamental principles of the NHS”. It is being done by stealth, at great speed, without proper public information and consultation, and without the necessary parliamentary scrutiny and legislation. THAT'S WHY YOU MUST READ THIS PETITION PROPERLY. AND PLEASE SIGN IT. NO, WE CAN'T AFFORD US-STYLE PRIVATISATION. It is NHS England's spending of huge sums on privatisation (estimated at £4.5 billion+ a year), rather than on rising public healthcare needs, that is a major factor in making the NHS 'unsustainable'. Private companies, with their dividend payments, bank loan charges and add-on management fees, cost far more than state-funded, low interest, in-house provision. NHS ENGLAND are also paying huge fees for private consultants with US interests like McKinsey and United Health subsidiary Optum. NHS England’s CEO Simon Stevens is a former United Health senior executive. The lawyers, accountants, billing agents and added management for contracting NHS services add to the heavy costs of privatisation. Company secrecy laws obscure these costs. PRIVATISATION - BAD FOR OUR HEALTH. BAD FOR OUR POCKETS. Studies, including by the World Health Organisation, show that the USA’s public/private healthcare systems, with their ACOs, cost far more than any other leading nation including the UK. Yet the USA consistently ranks lowest in healthcare quality and public access. We don’t want that here. YES, WE CAN AFFORD A FULLY NATIONALISED NHS. The savings made by abolishing privatisation and renationalising the NHS would be a major step towards covering all our healthcare needs. Modest tax increases on the best off and monetary interventions used by the authorities for bank bailouts and national debt financing since the 2008 Banking Crisis could be used for any NHS funding gaps. These have been market-friendly. WHAT LEGISLATION DO WE NEED TO SAVE OUR NHS? The proposed NHS Reinstatement Bill is draft legislation for abolishing privatisation and re-establishing the NHS as a publicly-funded, publicly-run, publicly-accountable, all-round service for everyone. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP? Support legal actions (like Professor Hawking's) against the responsible authorities: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/jr4nhs-round3/ The legal action by claimants Professor Hawking, Professor Allyson Pollock and other eminent campaigners has won an important part of its case - Jeremy Hunt has been forced concede to having proper public consultations before he and NHS England can proceed with implementing any ACOs. And the judge has allowed that the case on the remaining points could proceed but ruled that the claimants must be liable for full legal costs, with no cap allowed on them. This means that CrowdJustice have had to launch another round of fundraising. This urgently needs support. Write to your MP asap asking him/her to sign the Early Day Motion 660. This calls on the Government to provide parliamentary time to debate and vote on the ACO plans: http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/660 Write to your MP and local councillors asking them to support the NHS Reinstatement Bill: http://www.nhsbillnow.org/ PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION AND CIRCULATE IT AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE. USEFUL INFORMATION: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-hunt-health-department-nhs-legal-action-americanise-privatisation-customers-id-pay-a8033986.html Professor Allyson Pollock's much viewed TED talk (18 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz5dl9fhj7o NHS In Stitches (3 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=93&v=2FxacqvVsok