British expatriates are not happy and are demanding their human rights. Thousands of British citizens are married to citizens from other countries around the world, known as non-EU or non-EEA (European Economic Area) nationals. Since 2014 the UK government opened the doors to citizens from the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar whose citizens can travel to the UK with an Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) document. This allows them to visit the UK for up to six months without a visa and free from any payment. Travellers from these three countries only need to complete their Electronic Visa Waiver online at least 48 hours before departure and present a printed copy on departure and again on arrival in the UK. No surprise then, that when British nationals living and working in many countries around the Middle East, who are married to non-EU citizens e.g. South Africans, Russians, Ukrainians and many other countries, discovered this form of discrimination against their spouses and families they were not too happy. The non-EU spouses of all British nationals living outside the UK are required to obtain a visa which must be valid for each visit when flying back into any UK airport. British citizens feel they are discriminated against because they are married to non-EU citizens. Why should they have to go through the process of having to prove that their spouse has the right to accompany them each and every time they return to the UK.? A campaign has been launched to provide awareness of this discrimination towards British citizens and their families. See: https://www.facebook.com/britishcitizensandtheirfamilies

Wild animals are still being used in horrific conditions for the sole purpose of 'enjoyment' but when they are held captive in cramped housing, forced against their will to train and perform and are subject to loud noises from crowds of people, how can a civilised society call this entertainment? I hope that in 15 years from now that the next generation of children don’t have to witness animals in these conditions and if they ask what a circus is, we can tell them the use of wild animals was a barbaric form of entertainment that ended many years ago. Help us make this a reality. 90% of the British public support a ban on wild animals being used in circuses (The Guardian). David Cameron has called it an "outdated practise" (The Independent). Despite this clear majority of support, three Conservative MP's are blocking this law from being passed. Those Members of Parliament are Christopher Cope of Christchurch, Andrew Rosindell of Romford and Phillip Davies of Shipley. Animal Defenders International, the British Veterinary Association, RSPCA and Ricky Gervais are among the high-profile supporters who back this key piece of legislation. Sign the petition now to show these MP's how severely out of touch they are and the media backlash they face from not allowing the law to pass through Parliament. For further reading, see the government's policy paper on animal welfare and their progress made on banning wild animals performing in circuses: http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-animal-welfare/2010-to-2015-government-policy-animal-welfare#appendix-3-wild-animals-in-travelling-circuses www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/05/law-to-ban-wild-animals-in-uk-circuses-being-blocked-by-three-tory-mps www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ban-on-wild-animals-in-circus-blocked-by-tory-backbenchers-10092779.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2230913.stm

In the forthcoming license fee review, the Government will endeavour to impose severe cuts upon the BBC in order to benefit the commercial broadcasters. The Government is too close to commercial broadcasting lobbyists, and is acting in their interests, not in the public interest. In particular, abolishing the BBC Trust would serve to greatly undermine the independence of the BBC from political interference. The BBC is one of the greatest and most valuable assets to the United Kingdom, and forcing cuts for purely political, ideological purposes would represent a terrible act of cultural vandalism. The British people need to show a collective will to resist such damaging changes, and demonstrate to the Government that any actions towards privatizing the BBC would cause severe electoral consequences for the Conservative party in the future.

We saw lots of tiny corrections following big (and incorrect!) headlines during this election campaign. The changes to the way corrections are published was a key recommendation from the Leveson Inquiry that both the Conservatives and Labour agreed to adopt. It's time for Ofcom to make sure corrections are the proper size and place. The Times front page from 24th April 2015 had the headline 'Labour's £1000 tax on families' - it was completely inaccurate. The Times published a correction on the 2nd May, but it was buried deep in the paper. If they had to publish their correction on the front page - where the original article sat - it would have been a prominent and therefore just correction. The front page would have looked like this: 'Our headline about Labour's tax on families was inaccurate: Some of these taxes and levies will only apply to companies, and the others will affect a small minority of families, not “every working family” as we reported.' It would be a just and fair way to report corrections that would have a deterrent effect on mistakes, media bias and failure to check facts.

We need to bring the 20mph zones to a part of Otley that has so many young families, along with traffic calming measures and assurances from local police that they will also work alongside the council. The rest of Otley has the 20mph zones so its time to bring the whole of Ashfield in line.... lets not let it take a serious accident.

Because Saint Peters square is again the site of protesters demanding justice and a fairer society. On the 16th of August 1819 it was the people of Lancashire demonstrating for parliamentary reform that were massacred at Peterloo. This time it is the homeless people of Greater Manchester that are upholding the fine tradition of radical protest in Manchester. They have set up camp near to the central library entrance and are demanding better treatment for homeless people across Greater Manchester. Because the number of homeless people is growing across the UK due to the austerity measures being pursued by our government. Because these people deserve a home. This is a heroic David vs Goliath struggle, and we should make sure David wins!

The Camp is the epitome of your friendly local pub and has been serving the city of St Albans for over 100 years. With locally brewed real ales, and great value pub food – our local pub is at the heart of the community. The pub is also the social hub of the area, providing local entertainment including regular quiz and karaoke nights, evening events to raise money for local charities and hosting live televised sporting events. Despite being the centre of the community, soon locals in St Albans will be left without their local pub. The pub is due to close on 15th May and we desperately need your help to save it. The closure of the Camp public house demonstrates how vulnerable communities are to speculative and aggressive development tactics. An application to register the Camp as an Asset of Community Value has now been submitted to St Albans City Council. With the closure of the Camp imminent, we need you to help us urge the Council to accept the application to list the pub immediately. This will ensure planning permission is required for the pub to be demolished or converted to any other use. The listing also gives the community an opportunity to potentially come together to form a co-operative group to buy and run our local pub. Please sign this petition and urge the City Council to accept the nomination to ensure the pub continues to be part of our local community.

The Theatre has been in New Mills since it was opened in June 1911 and has served the local community since then. The theatre provides live entertainment on a regular basis and provide home to the local operatic society, who have performed in the building since 1922 and our newly formed youth theatre Take Part in the Art which provide theatrical training and performance skills for 5 - 18 years it also showcases every year for the last 30 Yrs New Mills Dance and Theatre Centre who have just won the AKA Seniors Ballet Competition for the 7th Year in a row. Without external funding to support the buildings upkeep and urgent repair bills sadly the theatre future looks uncertian

BREAKING NEWS! The Department for Education have advised that NO application was made by the Council for disposal of school land. The School Assets Team has informed us that they have now written asking for an application to be made. The original planning brief was to upgrade the existing school but now the council has approved plans to demolish it entirely and build offices and shops on a large part of the land. These offices and shops will account for up to 75% of the additional m2 created (compared to 25% additional m2 for the school) and will generate revenue for the council. The Architects Appraisal Panel has strongly advised against this use of the space. The Victorian Society objected, as did Resident Associations and other campaigners spearheaded by Julian Lloyd Webber to have Marlborough listed, but the Council ignored them and granted planning permission anyway. English Heritage, in their report, say that they received representations against listing Marlborough from both the local authority and the planning developers. Julian Lloyd Webber said: "This is dreadful news. It will be a crying shame if this beautiful and historic building is demolished because the listing came too late. Once it's gone it's gone. It is a truly desperate situation and indeed a murky one as far as I'm concerned. When you have a company as big as John Lewis involved who already have a phenomenal amount of power in that area, my suspicions are raised. It shouldn't be about big business which prices everybody but the Russian Oligarchs out of South Kensington. "The plans for the new school are completely out of character for the area. The existing Marlborough school building is beautiful and totally in keeping with the area. And what about the children? For four years, which is one child's whole primary school life, they will have to go to an interim school on the clearings site. This is far from ideal. It is a murky business." James Hughes from the Victorian Society said: "In terms of an official response, I would express our deep disappointment at the outcome of the Committee discussion. The building is handsome, impressive and expresses the pride inherent in a structure that was intended to serve a public good. It has functioned adequately for over 130 years, and could very well continue to do so. The decision is short-sighted and one that in time will be regretted. It is a building which should be used and cherished and this part of London will be architecturally poorer and less interesting for its loss." IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT JOHN LEWIS HAS ALREADY CASHED OUT OF THE CLEARINGS DEVELOPMENT, THIS HAS ALLEGEDLY BEEN BOUGHT BY MIKE ASHLEY. FOR PRESS & BLOG ARTICLES, PLEASE CLICK ON LINKS BELOW: http://www.kcwtoday.co.uk/2015/06/17/local-residents-and-parents-fight-to-save-marlborough-primary-school-building/ http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/petition-halt-demolition-victorian-school-9294290 http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/victorian-school-demolished-after-john-6333737 http://fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk/ https://savemarlborough.wordpress.com/

Our children play and whilst they play need to feel safe and secure without feeling threatened or intimidated by groups.

King’s College London has received planning permission to demolish the unlisted 154-158 and to façade the Grade II listed 152-153 the Strand. These charming buildings with their narrow medieval plots provide important context and setting to the Grade I listed Somerset House and St Mary-Le-Strand. Their loss will be hugely detrimental to the conservation area, the surrounding listed buildings, and will substantially harm one of London’s most historic thoroughfares - the processional route from St Pauls to Buckingham Palace. The buildings are protected by both national and local planning policy as designated heritage assets: Nos 152-153 are listed and part of a conservation area; 154-158 Strand are identified as Unlisted Buildings of Merit, which contribute to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area. The proposed design of the replacement building does not respect Westminster’s heritage and local distinctiveness - it removes a group of buildings with distinctive façades and replaces them with something bland. It will also be dominant in its environment, unbalancing the composition of Somerset House, and repeating the mistakes of the past: when the neighbouring Brutalist building was built a large group of precious late-17th and early-18th century buildings were destroyed, similar to those at 152-158. At the planning committee meeting on the 21 April Westminster Councillors regretted the loss of these buildings and construction of the Brutalist block, yet still approved the demolition of 152-158 Strand. No further encroachment of this kind should be allowed. The character of central London depends on a balance between large institutional and commercial buildings and smaller scale buildings on narrow plots. This case has triggered national interest. The amenity societies have made substantial objections, and there were many individual objections. The proposal has struck a nerve with all who love London. As a national institution and a seat of learning, King’s should be leading the way in respecting heritage and planning law. Demolition would fail on both accounts. We call upon King’s College London to shelve the plans for demolition, and reconsider their proposals. Historic buildings are an asset to a historic campus, and should be celebrated as such. Britain is respected worldwide for its sensitive approach to historic buildings, indeed John Ruskin himself was an alumnus of King’s College London. Do the right thing by history, and by the future: save these buildings. For more information and images see our press release here: http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/docs/articles/Kings%20College%20Press%20Release%20210415.pdf or contact SAVE on 0207 253 3500/[email protected]

For over forty years thousands of dedicated trade union members have benefited from the educational opportunities provided to them by the Trade Union Studies Unit at Stoke on Trent College. Not only have the courses students have undertaken benefited them personally they have also benefited countless thousands of their colleagues in hundreds of workplaces across North Staffordshire, regardless of whether they are trade union members or not. The training has led to safer workplaces. Where well trained health and safety reps are present accident rates & fatalities at work are considerably lower than in workplaces with no health and safety trade union rep. What could be more important than protecting your health and safety at work? It's not something to take for granted and it requires dedicated well trained volunteers, like trade union reps to make sure that it happens in your workplace! Industrial relations are better & disputes avoided where you again have well trained, confident trade union reps in place able to work directly with employers. This saves millions of pounds every year to our economy by avoiding unnecessary conflict. This couldn't be achieved without reps having access to quality training. As things stand we face the very real prospect of losing a vital local cog not only in adult education but also one that directly benefits the economy of North Staffordshire and plays an indirect part in helping to deliver safer workplaces for us all. Without the Trade Union studies Unit at Stoke College it will be far more difficult for reps, who have your best interest in the workplace at heart, to access training. Reps will have to travel much further afield to gain the skills & knowledge they need which will be a significant barrier to their learning which not only lets them down but also lets their colleagues down. Colleagues no doubt like you. With the imminent closure of the Trade Union Studies Unit at Derby College the area along the A50 corridor from Stoke to Derby and beyond will also have no dedicated facility for the training of trade union reps. Rather than closing the unit at Stoke the college should be actively seeking to secure it's long term future and embracing the opportunity to fill the void which will be left when the unit at Derby closes. Please don't allow the management of Stoke on Trent College to shut what is such a valuable education resource. Without it your life and livelihood could be put at risk.