Successful Campaigns

Yesterday four of our group spoke in front of a full Edinburgh Councillor meeting and handed in all your signatures to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh. The council then debated the issue and voted on what to do next. We are absolutely delighted to report that the council voted overwhelmingly to continue Edinburgh Childcare 4 All, and so we have won!!! We're due a full investigation and report into how this happened , guaranteed funding for children currently in the scheme and, importantly, a guarantee that the scheme remains open to new applicants! For all of us this was never just about our individual children. Because we know how vital this support is to vulnerable children and their families, we are so relieved that more kids and communities will now get to benefit! Edinburgh remains a shining light in inclusive practise and can be proud of the example it is setting to the rest of the country. If you are interested to watch our deputation and the petition hand in, a recording is available on this website. https://edinburgh.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/801091 Our speeches and the hand-in begin at 1 hour 5 mins and the debate and vote begin at 3 hours 49 minutes. We couldn't have won this without you all sharing this petition and emailing your councillors. You really made a huge difference by putting pressure on when it counted. Thank you for your time and energy! We will keep the petition open for now while we hold Edinburgh Council to account and make sure they keep their promises. You'll hear from us again if we need you to put the pressure on again. But just now we can all celebrate! Woo Hoo! From all of us in our Keep Edinburgh Childcare4all group - thank you from the bottom of our hearts! PS - Here's a news report from yesterday https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/parents-demand-edinburgh-council-restart-27630509?int_source=nba

20/02/18 - We won! Sarahah has been removed from both the Apple App Store and Google Play. It follows over 120,000 of us signing a petition, then thousands of us writing in to Apple and Google and posting on their facebook walls. First Apple took down the app, so we went back to Google and a few days later they took down the app too!

Buglife is delighted to confirm that the London Resort project has officially been terminated. This decision follows a High Court ruling to liquidate London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH) due to financial and contractual disputes, bringing an end to a decade of uncertainty and environmental concern. The High Court’s ruling not only signals the definitive end of the London Resort plan but also lifts the shadow of doubt that has loomed over local businesses and the community for years. It ensures that this critical natural space remains safeguarded for future generations. Furthermore, the Planning Inspectorate has held LRCH accountable for its "unreasonable behaviour" throughout the planning process, awarding legal costs to a number of organisations, including Buglife, National Highways, Kent Wildlife Trust and others. This recognition of wasted resources underscores the importance of due diligence and respect for environmental regulations in major development proposals.

We won! In a decision that set a new national precedent, a government planning inspector granted permission to keep Kirkby Moor wind farm running until 2027. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-49515965

After thousands of us signed the petition, emailed, tweeted and called Jeremy Hunt and chipped in for hard hitting ad vans, the government announced it was scrapping the dangerous data sharing deal between the NHS and the Home Office! https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/09/government-to-stop-forcing-nhs-to-share-patients-data-with-home-office?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

17/4/18: We did it! The voices of cross party MPs and the respectful but resolute demands of the Commonwealth Heads of State, together with personal stories in the press, finally all had an impact. The government apology and promised action were resoundingly good if tarred with shameful tardiness. But implementation is all and we should ensure that an independent body takes on the role of monitoring progress, highlighting problems and ensuring a voice for the people directly affected. Only then, will justice be done. Click here for more information: https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2018/04/18/save-the-windrush-generation-petition-hand-in/

On the 3rd December 2020 the Environment Secretary announced plans to ban live exports following Britain’s departure from the EU. This ban is dependent upon the result of an eight-week consultation, beginning today, which seeks views on ending the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening where the journeys begin or transit through England or Wales. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55167473 Due to this awful trade, animals must endure excessively long journeys, and frequently experience pain, exhaustion, stress and overcrowding. Having campaigned to put an end to this suffering for over 50 years, we are delighted to hear that the Government plans to ban live exports at long last. Echoing our sentiments exactly, George Eustice, Defra Secretary of State, called the trade a “cruel and unnecessary practice”, in a press release on the announcement.

26/07/18 We won!!! Home Secretary Sajid Javid said "cannabis-derived medicinal products" will be available "by the autumn" through the NHS system Announcing the changes, Javid said: “Recent cases involving sick children made it clear to me that our position on cannabis-related medicinal products was not satisfactory.” Thanks to the hundreds of thousands of 38 Degrees members who signed this petition, wrote to Sajid Javid, and pushed the government to make this important change to the law.

01/07/20 Plans to extend an open cast mine by its owners have been rejected by councillors. The Banks Group wanted to enlarge its Bradley West mine in County Durham to extract an extra 90,000 tonnes of coal. More than 6,000 letters of objection were sent with opponents branding the plan "environmentally unacceptable". Durham County Council's planning officers had recommended the plan be approved but councillors rejected it at a meeting, held via videolink. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-53255021

Significant success! I am absolutely delighted to be writing today to tell you that we have had a considerable victory in our campaign to have the beds reinstated at Rothbury Community Hospital. There have had to be compromises, but what we have achieved is a pragmatic agreement. As you will remember, we argued for Coquetdale Cares: The Community Vision, back in 2017. Earlier this year, myself and Maurice Cole, met with Sir Jim Mackey and Claire Riley of the NHS Trust. They really listened to our concerns and began to get things moving. During the last few months, the CCG and the NHS Trust have been listening and working together, and with community representatives, to make what they are calling The Art of the Possible, a reality. The Art of the Possible is their response to our Vision. And we like it! It involves a plan to: Increase outpatient clinics, from falls clinics through to orthopaedics and others, some of which will use new technological links that enable virtual consultations. Provide additional clinical and daycare services utilising the hospital site as a hub for health and care delivery. Services include: Dementia care Learning disability forums Health and well-being clinics Chemotherapy care Enhanced emergency healthcare planning Mental Health and IAPT services Physiotherapy Dentistry Introduce a new metric to measure the number of miles travelled for services and, where possible, the NHS will look to reduce this. Introduce a flexible bed model – with inpatient beds available within the hospital for short-term rehab and end of life care. The number of beds will be dependent on clinical need. Importantly, they have really taken on board our idea to have rooms available for carers/partners/loved ones to stay when appropriate. This will be particularly during end-of-life care, and potentially if someone is admitted with dementia, their carers could stay too. They are definitely looking into making this available. I hope you will agree that this is all excellent news. The team are delighted. However - at the CCG Meeting yesterday, I made a sincere promise to the community - to keep a watchful eye on how this all develops. We have every intention of closely monitoring the unfolding of this. We cannot afford at this stage to let our guard down. The opening date is planned for 1st April 2020. Let's hope there is nothing 'foolish' about it! With great thanks to you for your continued belief in the Campaign and support of it. Love and happiness Katie Katie Scott Co-ordinator, Save Rothbury Community Hospital Campaign https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-49497435 https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/victory-sight-rothbury-hospital-campaigners-16826710 https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/health/health-chiefs-and-campaigners-hail-significant-progress-on-future-of-rothbury-hospital-492708