At present, there is no recognised method for nil tax disabled vehicles displaying the Blue Badge, to be easily identified by Traffic Wardens or Parking Attendants. Since tax discs are no longer displayed, it is necessary to send individual Councils proof of tax exemption, for the entire journey and hope that they pass the information on to the relevant officials, to avoid the vehicle being subject to a parking fine.

Numbers have been depleated to unsafe levels

On 12th November HMRC announced plans to close 160 offices across the UK and move to 13 regional centres which will put thousands of members jobs at risk. As part of that decision HMRC announced that Barbara Ritchie House in Livingston & Bathgate Contact Centre are to be closed by 2020 with staff wishing to remain in employment expected to travel to the Edinburgh regional centre. The Closure of Barbara Ritchie House and Bathgate Contact Centre by 2020 will result in approximately 1200 jobs being withdrawn from West Lothian which will have an impact on both the local economies and employment in the area. We believe HMRC's plans to close Barbara Ritchie House & Bathgate Contact Centre are completely unnecessary and based on a political agenda without giving consideration to staff or local communities.

We now know that all of the offices in Bootle and Netherton – The Triad, Litherland House, St John’s House and Comben House – are set to close by or before 2020. This means that around 3,000 staff face a move to Liverpool. This will result in job losses, as they are among around 6,000 staff facing the move to Liverpool in the North West while the new Regional Centre will only hold between 2,800 and 3,100 staff. It will also devastate the local economy, putting many businesses particularly along Stanley Road who rely on HMRC staff custom to survive at risk of closure. We believe the plans in their entirety represent the simplistic vision of a senior civil service who like the way things look on paper, and don’t care in the slightest how their organisational pipe dream impacts on people. The reality is these plans hurt, both members and the Bootle community as a whole.

Scarlet is a loving pet fox belonging to David Robinson. Scarlet isn't like any wild fox as she was bred in captivity and is just as much of a pet as anyone's cat or dog. Scarlet was living a happy healthy life until the RSPCA decided they don't agree morally with a pet fox, this itself wasn't an issue as not everyone can always see eye to eye. The problem occurred when they ILLEGALLY seized Scarlet for no reason other than she was a fox. Their reasoning; apparently a vet thought it would be in her best interest to live as a wild fox despite not being even slight wild, a vet who hadn't even seen Scarlet previous to making this ridiculous decision. Not only this but the RSPCA used bully boy tactics to get David to hand over Scarlet with threats of coming back with a warrant and leaving him with huge legal bills if he refused. It was only afterwards David learnt his rights and pointed out he had not signed her over to the RSPCA! They are now refusing the reunite the pair based on nothing more than personal opinion.

Patient choice is important; homeopathy works, it's widely used by doctors in Europe, and patients who are treated by homeopathy are really convinced of its benefits, as am I.

At the end of last year the much loved University Settlement building in Splott was acquired by local property developer John Smart. His aim is to demolish the building and erect an inappropriate high block of flats. The University Settlement building was built in 1904 to house a movement that provided an education for all at the beginning of the 20th century in an age where this would have been unattainable and unaffordable for most working class people. Latterly it was the first St Illtyd’s Catholic Grammar School for Boys. The building, designed by renowned Arts and Crafts architect Robert Weir Schultz is the only remaining example of a University Settlement in Wales. Please join our eleventh hour petition in an appeal to John Smart not to demolish and the planning department of Cardiff City Council and Llywodraeth Cymru not to allow the destruction of this unique building. Mae adeiladau hanesyddol Anheddfan y Brifysgol wedi dod i feddiant y datblygwr eiddo lleol John Smart. Ei fwriad yw dymchwel yr adeilad ac adeiladu twr anaddas o fflatiau. Adeiladwyd adeilad Anheddfan y Brifysgol yn 1904 i roi cartre i fudiad oedd yn gyfrifrol am ddarparu addysg i bawb ar ddechrau’r 20fed Ganrif mewn oes lle na fyddai hynny o fewn cyrraedd trwch y boblogaeth. Dylunwyd yr adeilad gan y pensaer nodedig Robert Weir Schultz a dyma’r unig enghraifft o Anheddfan Prifysgol sydd wedi goroesi yng Nghymru. Ar yr unfed awr ar ddeg, a fyddech mor garedig ag arwyddo ein deiseb sy’n apelio at John Smart i beidio dymchwel, ac adran gynllunio Cyngor Caerdydd a Llywodraeth Cymru i beidio caniatau dinistr yr adeilad unigryw yma.

We want to make sure our children can get to Bowes Southgate Green safely. We have been approached by an increasing number of parents concerned about the lack of a natural crossing point on Wilmer Way. This is a main route onto the A406 North Circular and before and after school there is a high level of traffic. This makes crossing the road difficult and dangerous for parents and children and we have been told about a number of near misses in recent months. We are calling on Enfield Council to put in place a controlled crossing on Wilmer Way to help stop traffic and allow our children to cross safely to Bowes Southgate Green.

FoDDC need to reconsider the lease agreement on the Triangle to continue to allow Cinderford Town Council to maintain it as a community resource at the heart of the town. The original development was funded by Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) money for the community of Cinderford, not as a money making asset for the District Council. Cinderford Town Council have maintained the area and buildings ever since and the area is used by many community groups, local businesses and for weekly markets. The Town Council fears that FoDDC will raise rents to generate income but price out businesses leaving prime retail locations empty in the town. Without income, sale or redevelopment would be options for FoDDC and the community could lose the resource for ever. This could cripple local trade and threaten community events like the Remembrance Day Parade.

The Edinburgh International Festival's mission is to contribute to "many aspects of life, be it cultural and economic, education and society and enhances the lives of people not just in Edinburgh and Scotland, but around the world". We believe this vision is at odds with the human rights abuses and environmental destruction perpetrated by one of the Festival's sponsor: oil giant BP. BP is now being taken to court by Gilberto Torres (pictured above in the middle), former Columbian trade union leader, with the assistance of War on Want and a British law firm for being complicit in the crimes perpetrated by the oil company Ocensa. The company is accused of financing the torture, murder and disappearance of more than 12,000 people in the oil-rich and politically unstable region of Casanare. While issues of funding are of increasing importance to cultural institutions, we strongly believe there is no rationale to justify the reconciliation of fossil fuel corporations and the arts. Therefore, we are now calling on the Edinburgh International Festival to remove BP from its corporate sponsors.

4 is far too young for a child to enter full-time education, as they may not fully comprehend what is required of them, creating additional stress for their parents and teachers (and themselves). It is recommended that ages 4 to 6 be reserved for kindergarten education to prepare children more effectively for school per se.

It's great to see David Cameron finds the idea of balancing the books in a council budget so easy! We challenge him to spend a day in Oxfordshire's County Council office and show councillors how exactly he'd protect front line services after imposing massive cuts in council budgets. Councils across the country are struggling thanks to David Cameron's cuts, so we want him show them how it's done, as he appear to have the answers.