A spit hood is a material bag that goes over someone’s head with a drawstring to tighten it - and the Metropolitan Police want to start using these restraints on people across London. Spit hoods are degrading and inhuman, and can be used on anyone. In Suffolk, a spit hood was placed on an 11 year old girl with severe learning difficulties. Having a bag put over your head while being held down would be traumatic for anyone, let alone a vulnerable child. The police already have handcuffs, batons, leg restraints and are allowed to use force... Do they really need to use spit hoods too? There appears to be little solid proof they are actually necessary, but what is certain is that they can be dangerous, and cause significant panic for a detainee, whilst officers could protect themselves with masks and eye protection instead. The image of their use has been described as reminiscent of torture and horror films. They can prevent recognition of urgent health issues involving breathing and swallowing, and with inequality a hot topic currently for the UK society at large (including the Police), there are questions around whether or not their use could deepen social divides and exacerbate inequality issues, particularly bearing in mind their recent use against those with mental health issues. Major police forces around the UK don't allow the use of spit hoods - and they shouldn't be allowed to be used in London.

This is important because the UK is one of the least wooded countries within the whole of Europe. The country was completly covered in trees when the first people arrived. Now only 13% of our land area is wooded. Woodland is the naturally occuring habitat for this country. Fields, wildflowers, breakland and heathland although great for wildlife are habitats that arose in the abscense of our woodlands. Without woodlands on our east coast the land is being lost to the sea due to erosion. Without woodlands in our uplands the soil and wildlife are suffering amd floods downstream in our urban areas are rife. Most of the UK' indigenous biodiversity resides in our wooded areas because that is the natural habitat they would have had in this country before the great clearances of the forests. Surely for a country which is naturally of woodland habitat it is the duty of the Government to make sure there is plenty of this rich habitat left and that it expands. -Woodlands hold our greatest biodiversity. -Woodlands act as a windbreak (when enough of them) so should reduce effects of wind on urban areas. -They are brilliant places for people to escape to. -Trees help give us clean air and beautify the landscape. -They slow down and in some cases prevent soil erosion. -Trees help to prevent flooding by slowing down the process of water falling as rain getting to the sea. I believe if this cannot be done then the east coast of the country should at least be focused on. We loose meters of land a year to the North sea on the Holderness coast due to soil erosion. Houses cant be built on the cliffs, its a danger for people to be there. With the addition of trees the soil wound be bound together, it would be less saturated and as a result erosion would be a fraction of the rate it is now.

TTIP may be dead but worse still is the upcoming Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta). Not only the NHS but every service will be totally controlled by corporations that can simply sue governments for any supposed future profits that it claims to lose if action is taken to protect the public. We elect governments and hold them to account - we do not elect corporations to decide what is best for us.

They are already using enough equipment to apprehend and pacify offenders.It is very worrying that the met police are going to use this in custody suites where there are no independent witnesses. Police officers are not in a position to establish whether an individual is in a satisfactory medical condition to carry out this forceful and highly stressful action.

Coeliac disease is a long term health condition, which if left untreated, can lead to serious health complications, such as osteoporosis, fertility problems and in some cases, small bowel cancer. So, while small savings may be made now by cutting services for patients, there are likely to be long term financial implications resulting from this decision by the CCG. It is effectively a false economy. Coeliac Disease is often diagnosed alongside Type I Diabetes, both auto immune diseases. The effective control of Coeliac disease has a direct affect on the control of diabetes in patients. TRUE: Coeliac disease patients often have Type I Diabetes TRUE: Controlling Coeliac Disease helps in the control of Type I Diabetes FALSE: Type I Diabetes is a lifestyle disease - No. That is Type II. Type I is an auto immune disease. TRUE: Coeliac Disease is a diet controlled disease. FALSE: Coeliacs can eat without using gluten free foods. Unless you're a fruitarian or a health addict, this is a false assumption. How often do YOU eat wheat? TRUE: Many foods have hidden Gluten. TRUE: Gluten Free Foods are prohibitively expensive and often a lot smaller FALSE: Coeliacs order cakes, jellies and biscuits (They are not available to us) TRUE: The government should renegotiate with suppliers who charge excessive handling charges. NOT penalise the patient. TRUE: If some local health care authorities or doctors authorise the purchase of sweet items (mine doesn't) on prescription this should stop. The list should be revised to only include breads, flours, cereal, pastas and pizza. TRUE: Coeliacs often dislike wheat free substitutes. However the items on prescription are generally of a higher quality than supermarket items. TRUE: A large standard gluten loaf costs .80p - £1. A SMALL Gluten free loaf costs £3 TRUE: It's not fun being Coeliac. However having a son who is both Diabetic and Coeliac is a huge worry. One has the potential to cause cancer, the other loss of limbs or death. If the Coeliac Disease is not controlled, it affects the control of Diabetes? To say it keeps me awake at night is an understatement. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE sign this petition. Ask the government to reform the list of items available to non sugar items only. Do NOT let them take away this vital service. A large percentage of low income families will not be able to afford the gluten free alternatives. People on high incomes probably don't use this service anyway. My son was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes age 17. After two years and many changes in medication the hospital couldn't stabilise my son's Diabetes. They decided to test him for Coeliac Disease which tested positive. The government is opening the door to a huge amount of health issues with this move. Coeliac disease can cause cancer. Gluten free food is prohibitively expensive. In addition the quality of the food available on prescription is of a higher quality than that available in store.

ACOBA (Advisory Committee On Business Appointments) seems essentially ineffective in scrutinising the appointment of ex ministers and civil servants into positions within big corporations. It is "advisory" only, therefore can be ignored. It rarely advises against any such appointment, and it is time limited in scope. These business appointments leave open the strong possibility that the appointees can use their knowledge of, and contacts within government to the corporations' advantage. Given the often very senior positions they have held within government, we can not be sure that the possibility of a future job does not affect their departmental decision-making, in favour of these corporations. This affects significant areas such as defence, health, social security and justice. It risks blurring the boundaries between private and public benefit. It reduces trust in government.

These refuges save the lives of women and children escaping from abusive, violent and dangerous relationships. They are essential.

It costs £380 per year per child to travel to school by bus. The council thinks the children that live within a 3 mile radius of the secondary schools could walk. By the time they got to school in wet weather they would be soaked. In low temperatures they could fall on untreated paths and roads. It's a long walk especially after a long day in school. But since the council sees it as a walkable journey each day they allow local bus companies to provide a service at the cost of £10 per week per child. This service should be free of charge. As it is in some other Welsh local authority areas. This school year without any consultation with parents the price of travel increased by a massive 21% per year. The council says it has nothing to do with them. I believe it has everything to do with them when they decide to allow the bus company to charge in the first place. The council should be paying the bus company and providing a free service to the children.

Why should an apprentice be paid less money, by a considerable amount for working full time This is important as people on apprenticeships should be entitled in making the correct amount of the money that they are working for. Why should an apprentice have to work 9-5 5 days a week maybe even longer hours and more days to be paid less than a part time worker at the place or even the full time worker? Its the same job role? both working the same amount of hours if not more? for then to get a monthly payment of what seems to be nothing.

While the French government threatens its destruction a blockade has been launched of the The Calais ‘jungle’ refugee camp. Last week’s visit to Calais by the French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve could herald the end for the camp. Now this threat has been amplified by the launching of a blockade of the camp by local businesses, police, truck drivers, dockers and farmers. The blockade is backed by the Mayor of Calais, who is a member of the fascist Front National. The camp is ‘home’ to some 9,000 people, around 800 of them are children, 700 unaccompanied, according to the latest census by Help Refugees. We are year on from the death of Alan Kurdi, the boy found drowned on a beach in Greece, that shocked the world. But things are getting worse. Last week thousands of refugees were rescued from the Mediterranean Sea as they attempted to get to Europe. Now the Calais camp is facing destruction. The British and French governments are failing in their duty of care towards the refugees, victims of war, poverty and oppression. After years of statements scapegoating the refugees by the British and French governments, along with the right wing press, it is no surprise that people draw the mistaken conclusion that the refugees are a problem they have to deal with. We oppose the planned destruction of the Calais camp and the blockade that has been initiated.

These pellets kill hedgehogs, birds, amphibians and pets and poison children if eaten. Hedeghogs eat the slugs and die. Cats and dogs have been killed eating these pellets. Children can also be harmed if they eat the pellets. Hedgehogs are likely to be extinct within 15 years. Slug pellets only kill 10% of slugs and there are slug pellets available that only kill slugs. Hedgehogs are a natural predator of the slugs. We need to do all we can to prevent their extinction.

To ensure that as much as possible is recycled To stop all the confusion between boroughs and counties To help new incomers to understand which bin to put which recycling in To cut down on all the recycling that is rejected by the recycling plants Less waste goes to landfill