People are finding it hard to make ends meet and some times have to choose between eating and having medication. People with Parkinson's, asthma and other life changing illnesses are finding this difficult to deal with. Ministers claim that it is not possible for England to abolish the charges because it would leave the NHS with debts of £450million a year. However The BMA chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum said that the Government should abolish charges and that many of the exemptions were unfair Still England is the only one paying . Read this for more information http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1372063/Prescriptions-From-today-English-pay-prescriptions-thats-April-Fools-joke.html#ixzz2vlx3a4IH

Firefighters in Wales “deeply concerned” about fire control merger proposals Firefighters in Wales have expressed their “deep concern” over proposals to merge the control room for Mid and West Wales with South Wales and relocate it to the headquarters of South Wales Police in Bridgend. Although a Welsh government panel was expected to reach a decision on funding for the project from its Invest-to-save fund on 20 February 2014, the Fire Brigades Union says it has not been informed of any decision. The union also said that it believed that the fire authorities of both South Wales as well as Mid and West Wales had passed the merger following a feasibility study at the end of last year. Fire Brigades Union executive council member for Wales, said: “Our highly-skilled control room members have proven time and time again that local knowledge saves precious time in responding to incidents. ”We are therefore deeply concerned about how the loss of a dedicated fire control room in Mid and West Wales will affect the service provided to local communities — and the future of our members. “The FBU in Wales has opposed this move from the outset and we have informed management of our serious concerns.”

Privatisation of the Land Registry will create a private sector monopoly of a function essential to the property market. It will remove competition and devalue the Land Registry. The Land Registry is a very efficient public organisation that is self funding and is not a drain on public finance. It has a 98% satisfaction rating with its users. The public consultation on government proposals to privatise the Land Registry closed on Thursday 20th March. There has been no publicity or attempt to inform the public of this radical change to an organisation that is vital to the UK property market. Another consultation on giving the Land Registry wider powers in the control of data essential to the sale and purchase of property closed earlier with the majority of the public not being aware of its existence. The Land Registry is well run, efficient and professional. If the government is to sell off one of our best performing public services, the wider public needs to be able to have its say. The public consultation is at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/land-registry-new-service-delivery-company

• Anglers generally fish for a day so parking and access is required for at least 8 hours at a time. • Angling is a sport recognised by the government and funded by sport England http://www.sportengland.org/funding/ngb_investment/whole_sport_plans_2013-17.aspx in Exeter alone there are 1,700 club members. • Many other local authorities work with their local Angling Clubs to encourage Angling for its widely known health benefits (http://resources.anglingresearch.org.uk/sites/resources.anglingresearch.org.uk/files/Making_the_most_of_community_waters.pdf) and economic benefits for the local area (http://resources.anglingresearch.org.uk/project_reports/final_report_2012) • Over the years the Council has eroded our ability to fish the River Exe throughout the town through the introduction of residents and short stay parking. • As members of the Exeter and District Angling Association we pay Exeter Council for fishing rights to the River Exe in various areas and the Exeter Canal. The club also owns the fishery rights at Weirfields with the sole access and parking facility available being the Clapperbrook car park. Without access to suitable parking we are unable to exercise these rights.

A Canadian gold-mining company Dalradian has been granted exploratory mining rights in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Gortin, Northern Ireland. This has been granted by Mark H Durkan, Environment Minister. It allows the company to completely set up their mining operations across the Sperrins, which will have devastating consequences for the local community, the environment and the local economy which relies on small-scale agriculture and tourism. If the Minister allows mining operations like Dalradian's to occur without a Environment Impact Assessment as required by law, then that sets a precedent for other types of major environmental developments, like an Australian company's proposed gas borehole recently in the news at Belcoo, Co Fermanagh. Update 19 Sept 2014: Dalradian's PR company is very upset at our petition. Below are a list of links to illustrate the background to this issue: http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/news-doe-041213-durkan-announces-gold http://ulsterherald.com/2013/12/05/gortins-golden-opportunity-for-job-seekers http://ulsterherald.com/2013/12/05/gortins-golden-opportunity-for-job-seekers/#sthash.S5QeER4x.dpuf http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-28848826 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-25575879

Currently Mental health patients can have to wait for more than a year for treatment or therapy and are not guaranteed the most appropriate therapy for their condition. I feel this unacceptable and a wait that can be too long for people that are in very difficult and what can be dangerous circumstances. Shorter waiting lists will help reduce the impact on other departments and teams within the NHS that deal with patients in crisis, often reoccurring due to lack of support and treatment. Surely a prevention of the crisis is better than having to deal with the crisis? Link to Early day motion 1063: http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/1063 For more information: http://www.bacp.co.uk/policy/edm1063/

It is wrong that the Government endorse such misery for commercial gain of a privately owned airport and traffic control body. Whilst destroying families quality of life who have never had to suffer flight paths before. Consultations were not used for new flight path trial over conservation parish and neighbouring parishes. National flight path consultation used by Gatwick Airport showed no flight path route maps and discriminated against the elderly and poor that do not have internet access - no voice for them. Please sign and put a stop to aviation free-for-all of our skies and stop the damage they cause to our environment, quality of life for their personal gain. Whilst runways lay empty to the north of the M25, make airlines use these before bringing misery to more hardworking taxpayers of the south east. Thank you Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions

Heath road where the site is proposed is an established boundary helping to maintain the vital balance between urban and rural areas. Dumping thousands of tons of tarmac over 17 acres of prime farmland near the Greensands Ridge breaches that boundary and threatens our rural heritage. And worse still, for no proven benefit.

Because Tony Benn spent his entire working life trying to help people and make the world a better place. He was a constant source of criticism to those he saw as doing wrong, no matter what their political stripe and he retained his honesty and integrity in a working environment where these values are rare. He was an outstanding example of how good people can be and do and can be admired from across the political spectrum. It is entirely appropriate that his life be commemorated.

The magnificent Brighton Hippodrome needs your help to save it from being wrecked. It is a unique theatre building, listed Grade II* by English Heritage because of its historical and architectural significance. It was converted into a variety theatre in 1901/02 by Frank Matcham, the leading theatre architect of the time. It is one of only three theatres of its type in the country. It is of national importance. After closing as a variety theatre in 1965, it was a bingo hall until 2007. The stunning interior, however, is still in remarkable condition, with very little deterioration. Nonetheless, the Hippodrome is top of the Theatres Trust list of Theatre Buildings at Risk. Suddenly, in mid 2013, a proposal to convert the building into an eight-screen cinema emerged. The plans involve demolishing the stage, the fly-tower, all the back-stage facilities, the stalls and the orchestra pit. Without these it ceases to be a theatre. Please sign the petition to help to keep it intact. English Heritage has a statutory responsibility to protect listed buildings. It says any changes should be reversible. The proposed changes will make this impossible. No one so far has tried to produce a scheme for restoration for its real purpose: live performance. It would be a national scandal if the opportunity to save the Hippodrome were squandered because of misinformation and short-term gain. Please sign this petition to allow the Our Brighton Hippodrome campaign to produce that missing theatre proposal, for presentation to the Council, to English Heritage and the developers. We have the knowledge, we have the experience and we have the contacts. All we need is time. Read about the campaign, see the full details of our objection and see pictures of the Hippodrome Website: www.ourhippodrome.org.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/ourbrightonhippodromepage Twitter: https://twitter.com/ourhippodrome The developer’s plan for conversion (not restoration!) to a multi-screen cinema: www.brightonhippodrome.co.uk/

We love science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). We think its worth celebrating the exciting possibilities it offers with the young people of the UK. We know how vital STEM is to understand our world and make it better. There is so much inspiring and important STEM work done in the UK, and more to do. That's why it makes us sad that companies which profit from weapons which kill people across the world, should be allowed a role at the Big Bang Fair. One of this year's sponsors, Doosan, is on financial blacklists because of cluster bomb manufacture, and yet you allow them space at your event. As well as the products they manufacture, BAE systems have been the subject of several corruption investigations. Are these really the sorts of groups we want involved in the education of children? Science and engineering should be about improving life, not taking it away - please ask the Big Bang Fair to drop the arms trade.

Tooting High Street is an 'A' road, and as such is an important route for people moving both within, and passing through the area. The width of the road, not including the pavement, varies from 10m to 12m in width (from Tooting Broadway to the junction with Blackshaw Road). Using this road, on foot, or by bicycle is not straightforward. We believe space exists for high quality separated cycle routes to be placed on the road ensuring that people of whatever age or ability can choose to cycle locally. 'Armadillos' and planters which have been used on Royal College Street in Camden have been super-imposed onto the visual to give a simple idea of what could be. Parking/delivery bays can be provided from adjacent roads. The space currently used between buses and delivery bays could be re-purposed. This narrowing of the carriageway should result in lower speeds by motorists, and make it easier for pedestrians and the less able to cross the road. With 50% of car trips in London being less than or equal to two miles, many of those journeys could be cycled if the streets were designed in a more inviting manner. Local businesses suffer from the dominance of motor traffic that the current street design facilitates. A more inviting and attractive public realm would boost footfall, and in turn increase trade for local businesses. We need to show significant local support for this so that TfL listen to us and can ensure the next update / resurfacing includes installing proper cycle tracks. This post from the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain illustrates how using existing legislation, officers can install high quality cycle tracks: http://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/blog/2013/07/26/a-view-from-the-drawing-board-cycle-track-priority-across-side-roads Supported by Wandsworth Cycling Campaign, Wandsworth Living Streets and Tooting Lib Dems