The closure of respite care and transfers for after care from hospital to Winifred Kettle home in Westhoughton is very important to our community Many people have used the facilities of this wonderful care home over many years. The services of dedicated staff from cleaners, domestics, carers and managers is exemplary. We all may need the services in the future. The elderly population is increasing, but more homes are closing. Many carers are elderly themselves and circumstances do not allow them to look after loved ones. We must rally round together to put pressure on Bolton councillors to change their minds.

Its a no brainer. People are hungry and poor and food is being wasted. Three men were recently arrested for taking food from a supermarket skip, this food would be wasted and yet the needy get arrested for taking it.

The UK throws away over 5.3 million tonnes (£12 billion worth) of edible food each year. In a time of economic hardship its grotesque that such a huge quantity of food is wasted whilst more and more people are becoming reliant on food banks. Supermarkets are one of the worst contributors to food waste but rather than donate their excess food to charity, many supermarkets send it to landfill or to be incinerated. This is partly due to fear of prosecution should someone become ill and partly out of a desire to maintain their profit margins - if people are getting food for free then they don't need to buy it from you. At the most basic level people take food from bins out of desperation, because they need to eat to survive. However, many others rescue food because they wish to reduce their environmental impact or because of an anti-consumerist ideology. Many of these freegans donate rescued food to charity or share it with their friends, family and neighbours. Technically something which has been thrown away still belongs to the person who threw it out and taking it can be seen as theft. People who rescue food from bins are charged with "theft by finding" or similar offences. But how can someone "steal" food which has been thrown away and is destined to rot on a landfill site? Below are some links containing more information and details of some of the arrests and prosecutions: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13037808 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6933744.stm http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-bin-raiders-revelations-on-waste-food-put-21st-century-scavengers-in-the-spotlight-8904765.html http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/28/three-charged-vagrancy-act-food-skip-iceland

Peter Lilley has been accused of lying and making deliberately misleading statements regarding fracking and its safety on national television (Channel 4 news 26/1/14). He was unable to adequately defend his statements. It is vitally important that any minister involved in such a sensitive area be trustworthy. He also has a conflict of interest as he is employed by Cayman Islands-based oil and gas company Tethys Petroleum and so has a vested interest in promoting fossil fuels and not investing in their alternatives.

This is a very important facility which at present serves 7 Schools, 4 Day Centres, 6 Care Homes and about 135 individuals each week. The people using the Pool are aged from 6 months to 80+ and cover a very wide variety of disabilities and injuries. It has 2 Physiotherapists who do one to one sessions, some Aqua fit classes and of course the straightforward sessions for people unable to exercise in a normal swimming pool or on dry land. This facility keeps people mobile, in less pain, helps them recover from surgery, eases spasms and so many more wonderful benefits. It is the only facility fit for purpose in the Peterborough and surrounding area. We need you to keep funding it until an alternative is in place. Feel free to check out St George's Community Hydrotherapy Pool on http://www.sgchp.btck.co.uk/

Children with ASD usually suffer with anxiety, but this can be increased massively due to not handling or coping with the children correctly. Increased anxiety in ASD children can then cause a "meltdown" or tantrum to occur which can last a long period of time and the effects of this usually result in the said child being excluded from School as they are now labeled violent and a Health & Safety risk. We are increasingly hearing of children being labeled and treated as "Naughty" by teachers simply because they do not have the ability to recognise or understand ASD and the impact that this has on the child. This is not the child’s fault but the way the situation is handled. We are seeing and hearing of an increasing number of children being penalised by mainstream schools for having a disability. They do not receive the correct level of help and support whilst in school due to the lack of teacher training. If all teachers received the appropriate level of training and support then all parties involved and most importantly the child, would benefit. Children are often left demoralised and anxious and feel picked on by their teachers. This is due to their teachers not getting the required training to help them cope more effectively with the challenging concept of handling these unique personalities. More importantly, parents are left fighting for understanding and help against budget cuts and the bureaucracy of Government departments and LEAs. Whilst this continues both the child and parents feel bullied by the LEA's and the Government’s lack of understanding of ASD which results in stress for parents and children and the officials getting defensive instead of dealing with what should be the common goal… the child’s welfare and education. This then causes years of struggles between the parents, schools and LEA's to try and get the correct level of support for the children themselves with the children and parents often made to feel like criminals. If a child has a physical disability such as being in a wheel chair, provisions are made for their disability to ensure they receive the appropriate level of education and core skills that can only be learned as a child. Why should it be any different for a disability that you can’t see? Why should it take so long for the professionals we trust our children with each day to recognise and understand the educational and developmental requirements of our beloved children? This shameful treatment of our ASD children who have to fight for the right to be understood, to have someone who understands what they are going through and is able to nurture not misunderstand when they are going through difficult stressful times that create sometimes violent outbursts. This can be changed by the government and LEAs who set the curriculum and have both the means and the power to ensure all children no matter whether black or white, physically disabled, able bodied or indeed mentally disabled, have the appropriately trained teachers and staff to help them develop to the best they can be. Give these children a chance by giving teachers the appropriate training to recognise, understand and help these children. They are neither naughty nor stupid, they are simply misunderstood. Help our teachers to help our children! This is appalling treatment of our children. Please help to put an end to it.

GP surgeries could lose up to 15 per cent of their income from April if some services they currently offer such as spirometry, ECG and 24-hour blood pressure are given to private providers. This financial loss could harm the overall work of the surgeries, while patients would have to travel further to access the privatised services. The threat of privatisation of LES services arises from the Government's unleashing of competition law on the NHS. But Stockport CCG should stand up to the pressure, as some other CCGs have done - we need to tell them this urgently, at their February 12 meeting.

The Calderon dolphins are near extinction and innocently go to the shores to interact and play. They are greeted by sharp hooks that lead them to their slow and painful deaths in their own blood. They are magnificent, intelligent creatures and there is and never will be a good reason on this Earth when such a massacre should be necessary. "The hunts, called "grindadráp" in Faroese, are non-commercial and are organized on a community level; anyone can participate. The hunters first surround the pilot whales with a wide semicircle of boats. Then they drive the whales slowly into a bay or to the shallows of a fjord. When a whale is in shallow water a hook is placed in its blowhole so that it may be dragged ashore. Once on land or immobilized in knee-deep water, a cut is made across its top near the blowhole to partially sever its head. The dead animals are then dragged further to shore after the remaining whales have been likewise killed. This "grindadráp" is thought to be legal and provides food for many people in the Faroe Islands. Some Faroese consider the hunt an important part of their culture and history. Animal-rights groups, such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, criticize it as being cruel and unnecessary, while the hunters claim in return that most journalists do not exhibit sufficient knowledge of the catch methods or its economic significance."

The use of water cannon would be a violent and excessive use of force to combat protests on the streets of the UK. The right to protest is one of the most important aspects of our free and open democracy and I believe that the threat of this weapon will be an inhibitor to people of all ages from exercising that right. My concerns are twofold. 1 - ACPO's own report into water cannon states that: "the full-pressure jet from a water cannon is capable of causing serious injury or even death and says there are also possible injuries from the impact on the body of street furniture or other debris." http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/22/police-home-secretary-approve-use-water-cannon-austerity-protest We have seen all too frequently instances of police abusing their power, and using unnecessary force to break up protests. Be it the death of Ian Tomlinson, or the assault on anti-fracking campaigner Sean O'Donnell, elements of the police force would prefer to use violence and aggression to silence peaceful protest. I don't believe allowing them access to this weapon will lead to less unprovoked aggression, but more. 2. This leads to my second point. The police are not the government's armed guards, hired to subjugate the will of the people. Increasingly I fear they are becoming so. ACPO argue that they would like water cannon in their arsenal "because austerity measures are likely to lead to continued protest" http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/22/police-home-secretary-approve-use-water-cannon-austerity-protest For starters that is presumptive, and is not representative of their own report: "The report says there is no intelligence to suggest there is an increased likelihood of serious riots within England and Wales." If, however, they are right that increased austerity measures will need to further protests, then so be it. The people have a right to protest against the actions of the government that they do not agree with. It is not the job of the police to suppress this feeling with threat of serious injury, or even death, through the use of water cannon should people wish to protest. The police are for the protection of us all, not to maintain the establishment status quo. Water cannon are dangerous to the public and reinforce the notion that the police may use excessive force to quell the will of the people.

We feel this is an important step to ensure optimum safety while crossing what can be a busy road. It is en route to shops and schools, and more recently a Post Office. From personal experience it can be a tricky road to cross at school run times and I believe having a crossing would make it significantly safer and easier to cross, particularly for children who are able to walk to school by themselves. Although it is a 20mph road, I have seen many motorists exceeding the limit and think a crossing would help slow traffic down. I have spoken to a few parents who agree it would work well. My husband tells me there used to be a crossing lady at this point when he was a child. A pedestrian crossing was installed on Beacon Street where the Post Office used to be so I think a crossing on Wheel Lane would be well used by customers of the Post Office and shops also.

The Virgin Active East Dorset club has been a really important part of the Corfe Mullen community. Many people, young and old, depend on it for not only keeping fit, but as a place to meet, talk and laugh with friends. Without transport and extra funds, many would find it hard (if not impossible) to travel to another club. We desperately need to keep this facility as an asset for our community.

Bradford Council are currently conducting a "Libraries Review" and are proposing removing this vital service from some communities and reducing this in others. Libraries serve a vital educational purpose and provide access to anyone in the country. People from all ages and backgrounds use the service and it is a disgrace that the Council can cut this. The government says it is keen on improving education of young people but still allows Councils, like Bradford, to destroy the library service. Local libraries are the backbone of many villages and provide a fantastic range of books, both fiction and non-fiction, internet access and an information service on various things. Many are used as meeting places for local people and serve their communities well. The council have proposed branch libraries be run by volunteers and moving the location of these to much smaller impractical places including places of worship, community and private buildings. This could be as small as a few bookshelves in a local church or shop which could also be unmanned. This would seriously damage the education of both young and old by reducing access to books and educational material. These plans also include the complete removal of mobile and housebound services, both used by the most vulnerable and disabled people in the district. Without this service many residents would have no access to any books, the service is a lifeline to them. The mobile library also visits areas where local libraries have been axed in the past, so the loss of this would result in no library access in that area. The library service is a service we cannot afford to loose and we cannot stand around and let these highly paid MPs walk all over it. This is about loosing a necessity that our ancestors fought to have, it is about mass job losses and most importantly it is about the damage it will have on education of the people in the district. Do not let this happen. Sign our petition today and SAVE YOUR LIBRARY!