Over 9,000 early deaths are caused by air pollution in London every year. There are areas in London that exceeded annual pollution limits just eight days into 2016. These pollution hotspots are on our high streets, by our children’s schools and where we work. We’re finding out more and more about how damaging air pollution is - not to just people with asthma, like myself, or other respiratory or even heart conditions, but to children whose lungs are smaller, whose growth is stunted, because of the dirty air they breathe. That’s why, despite living in Zone 3, I was shocked to discover that both of my children’s schools are in air pollution hotspots, where legal limits are regularly broken. Sadly, this is not unusual, as many primary schools are on roads with heavy traffic and this is the biggest source of air pollution in our city. Even more shockingly, under current plans by the UK Government, London won’t meet legal limits of air pollution until at least 2025 – 15 years after the original deadline. At the moment the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will mean only the cleanest vehicles can enter central London from 2020. This is still, however, not enough to clean up all of London’s air even by 2025. That’s why Sadiq is looking at whether the ULEZ should be expanded to the North and South circulars. Yet, there are pollution hotspots outside of this area. So, the ULEZ needs to be expanded to cover the whole of Greater London to protect all Londoners. The UK Government has been taken to court for failing to protect us from air pollution and the previous Mayor did very little to clean up our air. While I welcome the considerable efforts that the new Mayor has taken, I encourage him to be bolder, braver and faster with action to address this crisis.

Please accept the advice from the soil association and other word leading scientists that glyphosate is harmful to health when ingested in any quantities and the use of it as a pre harvest dessicant has been shown to cause high levels of glyphosate in the grain and humans who consume wheat soya barley based products show significant levels of glyphosate in their urine. It is a WHO suspected carcinogen a hormone disruptor damages the gut biome and may contribute to auto immune disease. The EU has refused a full license and given only a short temporary approval to glyphosate and deprecates it's use as a dessicant. My wife and I both have developed auto immune diseases and we both were exposed to glyphosate spray mist directly and in our food through no choice of our own as it is almost impossible to buy glyphosate free produce. Products that may contain glyphosate from pre harvest desiccation include flour, bread, sauces ,pizza, pastry, beer, soy sauce, biscuits, any meals using wheat as a thickener (most do) etc ... https://www.farminguk.com/news/Soil-Association-writes-to-major-bread-companies-asking-them-to-avoid-glyphosate_42519.html

Council Tax is calculated using out of date property values (which were outdated when Council Tax was introduced) and is often set at a rate that is unaffordable for people on low incomes. This means that people are forced to make a choice between eating, heating, paying their rent and paying their Council Tax. Local authorities will seek a Liability Order if a person finds it difficult to pay their Council Tax and this adds to their debt burden. Liability Orders are impossible for a low waged resident to defend and local authorities know this. If one applies for Council Tax Support, they are required to pay their Council Tax until they are assessed. This means that some people face court action and even financial ruin. Currently, a person on a low wage living next door to someone with a higher income pays the same amount in Council Tax. This is unfair on the people that can least afford it.

Promoting the brand of terrorism only goes to incentivise more allegiance from possible extremists. Without the major media coverage the main incentive of notoriety and the spread of fear is withdrawn. Stop promoting the brand of terrorism on TV news stations and news papers. A huge drive for extremist terrorists to do what they do is the publicity afforded them, and the feeling of being part of a cause.

Having endured nine months of road closure due to land slip it now transpires that the 37 service during this time picked up more traffic flow on its redirected route (Newton St Loe & Saltford) who frankly have services to both cities of Bath and Bristol. A decision has been made by the company that the service 'doesn't cut the mustard' and is not commercially viable. BNES & SGC need to take URGENT action at Council ward level to step in and provide a solution for rural home owners both young and elderly.

The proposed plant sits within a cluster of fields just across the road from both an Area of outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) regions. There are two Bronze age barrows that are Scheduled Ancient Monuments and a third non-scheduled Iron Age round that are in close proximity. Concerns exist on both the visual impact on the beautiful countryside of National archaeological importance and the environmental impact this brings. http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCO8831&resourceID=1020. We believe that the affect on this Archaeological site* will be profound. As such we think that the decision should lie in the Secretary of Sates hands. *Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 Section 61(9) Lets not set a detrimental precedence that allows the subsidies for burning Fossil Fuels and polluting an area heavily devoted to Green energy sources. Join us in opposing this inappropriate development.

The State of North Carolina recently enacted House Bill 2 known as HB2. The bill prevents local governments in North Carolina from passing anti-discrimination laws, undoing those already in place. It also permits business owners to discriminate against LGBT+ people on grounds of religious belief, and demands that individuals use the public bathroom corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate, endangering transgender people. This is clearly a huge injustice to the LGBT+ community of the State, but also to those visiting who are now at risk. In 2016 we expect to see nothing but progress when we see LGBT+ rights in the news. Sadly this is not always the case, as we were reminded earlier this year by the passing of this bill in the State of North Carolina. I was dismayed therefore to see that our new Secretary of State for International Trade, Dr Liam Fox MP, has announced plans to open a UK trade office in the state capital Raleigh. Liam Fox must not press ahead with plans to open this office not just as an act of solidarity, but to pressure the authorities of North Carolina to undo these awful laws and keep British people out of harm's way. In response to the enactment of HB2 a boycott of the state has ensued, with musicians pulling out of gigs and businesses withdrawing investment. If the Department for International Trade opens a new UK trade office in Raleigh then this boycott will be undermined. Furthermore the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued a warning to LGBT+ travelers to the State of North Carolina. Brits working at the new office may be put at risk because of HB2. This is unacceptable.

David Cameron appointed Richard Harrington as Minister for Syrian refugees just 10 months ago. Theresa May has abolished his post within weeks of gaining power. The refugee issue has not gone away, and needs a specific ministerial brief, not a Home Office post script.

As said already, its our lifeline, particukarly to my job and our neurology appointments.

The consultant led services, for mums giving birth in the conurbation around Dewsbury, are due to be moved to Pinderfields Hospital Wakefield, in September 2016, to be replaced by a midwife led unit with 6 beds. Often mums in labour do not call an ambulance, but travel to hospital independently, via car or public transport. I would not want to travel from Cleckheaton or Birkenshaw to Pinderfields on the bus. Other women with no car may feel the same which will mean more calls for ambulances. The midwife led unit is for low risk births only, so first time mums should be directed to Pinderfields which will be dealing with higher risk births from the North Kirklees AND Wakefield areas. Will this not put a strain on the resources in Wakefield? Just after the Government Body rejected the Kirklees and Wakefield Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC) Report that the changes to Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust's Dewsbury District Hospital site were not in the best interests of the local population, the Daily Mail published a study showing that the death rate amongst inpatients at nearby hospitals, went up, when Newark A&E was closed. A large study in America also came to this conclusion. Shockingly, news has broken that Huddersfield Royal Infirmary is also earmarked for closure and replacement by an Urgent Care Centre. Pontefract Hospital has also just been redesignated an Urgent Care Centre. The resulting scenario of driving seriously ill patients in ambulances across the region and subsequent overcrowding in hospitals which have a fully functioning A&E will have a knock on effect for patients around the whole region of West Yorkshire and beyond, Barnsley for example and Oldham. We know Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust is facing 'winter pressures' and it is mid summer! Why do the CCGs and Trusts not get together and tell this 'democratically elected' government to stop the NHS vanity projects and fully fund front line services? This is what happened in a neighbouring hospital in London, when Chase Farm hospital was closed. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jun/19/north-middlesex-ae-staff-describe-unit-as-unsafe-and-unsupported http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323141/Shocking-proof-Accident-Emergency-closures-cost-lives-Death-rate-jumps-THIRD-department-closes.html Strategic Projects team http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36847643

Currently senior managers and others such as private equity funds may have a conflict of interest with the staff as it may be in their interests to run down the pension fund to pay themselves dividends. Senior managers may also be in schemes unapproved by HMRC which are far, far more expensive for the company to run. People who are paid a lot can afford to make their own pension arrangements or savings, staff cannot. It is manifestly unfair and unacceptable for anyone to have personal financial incentives to run down the staff pension fund. See the Philip Green affair. It is also good management for managers to align their own interests with the staff and company.

Both councils were making decisions on merger using the same process. A merger decision was to be made by both councils on 26th July 2016. At the last minute and only after Taunton Deane's meeting to discuss merger was called, West Somerset decided to pause until September 2016. Despite requests for a similar pause the leader of Taunton Deane has decided to go ahead regardless. After calling the Taunton Deane meeting the Leader of Taunton Deane has invited Sedgemoor District Council to be involved as well. Taunton Deane councillors are being asked to vote on a merger without knowing: 1. whether West Somerset are equally committed to merger; 2.why West Somerset are delaying and 3.without knowing if Sedgemoor District Council will be involved.