Grantown Initiative and Grantown-on-Spey and Vicinity Community Council recently wrote to The Highland Council regarding the changes to parking arrangements in Grantown-on-Spey which appear to have been made without due consultation with community organisations or consideration for businesses in Grantown-on-Spey. We believe that changes made to the parking arrangements in Grantown-on-Spey have resulted in a dangerous situation for drivers and pedestrians, are potentially damaging to businesses in the town and generally make the Square far less attractive to visitors. Meanwhile Highland Council has failed to provide adequate additional parking in spite of the fact that it holds land at the former council depot which could be used for such. A review of these newly made parking restrictions and a meeting to discuss was requested by both groups. Whilst we support the principle of Highland Council taking civil enforcement powers in respect of parking in Grantown, we must object to the implementation of this draft Order. We feel that that the Parking Scheme recently introduced in Grantown, over which Highland Council appears to be seeking these powers, is not fit for purpose. Not only does it raise serious safety concerns but it has removed essential parking bays around the Square and along the High Street. Not having had the opportunity to discuss the recently introduced parking scheme, Grantown Initiative now requests that The Highland Council takes immediate steps to rectify these issues enact sensible parking restrictions in Grantown-on-Spey. Specifically we request the following changes; • The removal of the parking bay(s) opposite the Co-Operative which have added to congestion around the busy High street / Seafield Avenue junction and have created a hazardous situation for pedestrians and motorists alike. • Removal of the chicane style parking bays along the length of the square which creates congestion, particularly around the Bus Stops where busses cannot properly access the stops due to parked cars. We would suggest that spaces be realigned to allow easier access for buses and freer flowing traffic and reduce unnecessary congestion. • Removal of the new double yellow lines, which have robbed the square of 20 parking places. • The creation of a new off street parking facility to provide sufficient parking for the town as a whole. This could be provided at the site of the old council yard adjacent to Grantown Primary. This could also be used to provide a safe drop off area for the school. • Provide an opportunity for the community to have a say in parking restrictions in Grantown-on-Spey

The recent successfully prosecuted fraud case where a Capita employee stole over £2million from Barnet Council underlines the urgent need for the Council to take back control of all of the former Council services from Capita. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-45641513 Barnet Council commissioned Grant Thornton (GT) to undertake a major review to identify how such a large scale fraud had been able to take place. This project, called Project Rose, was given a budget of “up to” £500,000 and has been on-going ever since. The review found: • Lack of budgetary controls • Not carrying out basic bank detail checks • Inexperienced managers responsible for large amounts of money • Lack of written financial procedures and checklists Barnet Council agreed to pay Capita £252.54 million But, Barnet Council have already paid Capita £352.41 million with FIVE more years to go! Barnet Council is in financial crisis with a budget overspend of £10.3 million this financial year and a funding gap of £66.8 million over the next three years. Frontline services such as street cleansing, waste and recycling, Libraries, social care are all facing more and more cuts that are already affecting Barnet residents. Capita Plc are in their own financial crisis. Their Share Price has dropped from £13 a share to under £1.50 a share in the space of the last two years. On 11 December 2018, Barnet Council Policy and Resources Committee will decide on whether to end both contracts. We are campaigning that they VOTE to end both contracts and begin the urgent process of taking back control of those services. End Details of the Grant Thornton Review on Capita https://www.barnet.gov.uk/citizen-home/council-and-democracy/finance-and-funding/Financial-controls.html Is this the end of Capita in Barnet - Grant Thornton's report is a devastating critique of Capita's dismal performance http://reasonablenewbarnet.blogspot.com/2018/09/is-this-end-of-capita-in-barnet-grant.html Project Rose: the devastating report Barnet Tories didn't want you to read http://wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.com/2018/09/project-rose-devastating-report-barnet.html Damning report slams Capita and financial management at Barnet Council http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2018/09/damning-report-slams-capita-and.html

Paul Ermitano, a highly respected cardiac physiologist and his wife Jamila, an experienced nurse, are Filipino citizens who gave up their careers overseas and came to Poole over 3 years ago to tackle staff shortages in our NHS. The Home Office are refusing to grant the family an extension on their visa stopping Paul carrying out the vital, life-saving heart scans that he is trained to do. They’ve been ordered to leave the country immediately. This decision has come about because they briefly accepted child benefit for their son. They've paid it back in full. The family have no means to support themselves financially and Jamila is due to give birth to their second child in 3 months time. Our new Health Secretary the Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP has put NHS workforce and efficiency at the top of his agenda. Therefore it defies common sense and decency that resources are being spent on ejecting these lovely and useful people. Home Secretary Sajid Javid should extend the stay of this family so they can safeguard the delivery of their unborn baby and continue their vital work for our NHS.

Stoke-on-Trent has the dubious distinction of being called the Monkey Dust capital of the U.K. A blite on the reputation and economy of Stoke-on-Trent. We the undersigned, are disgusted and ashamed that Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire Police, rather than tackling the supply and use of drugs and other street crimes, are focusing on the homeless and fining them £100. This proposal is not only sadistic but increases the pressure on the police, courts, probation services as well as council resources, during a time of peak demand and will do nothing to reduce genuine homelesses. We demand that as the Councillor responsible for Communities, you take immediate action to stop the persecution of the most vulnerable people in our city and drop plans to fine the genuinely homeless. This is the second year in a row that Stoke-on-Trent City Council has attempted to victimise the homeless and profit from their misfortune In a move so disgusting that Scrooge himself would be ashamed by it. Homelessness will not end by hiding the problem nor profiting from their misery but by acting with compassion, decency and vision. To be clear, we have no objection to the prosecution of criminals, who feign homelessness to take advantage of the public or aggressively beg for money, however, we seek an acceptance and protection for the genuine homeless.

This issue is vital to the betterment of youths services in Peterborough. Currently, the people that are in charge of youth services have not been classed as youth in years and are in no place to have a say in the issues of the youth no matter how good they are at their job. However, if a youth council did exist, or there was a youth presence in the council (11-16 year olds) there would be better input for the decision makers. This could lead to less crime and violence as the youth would be occupied elsewhere and may lead to better results for the youth of Peterborough in academic and social terms.

On 26 September 2018, four protesters received lengthy custodial sentences for their part in blocking fracking trucks from entering Preston New Road site. The civil space for local communities to protest against the shale oil and gas industry in the UK is becoming more and more restricted and this represents a growing threat to fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly. This is exemplified by: - The granting of sweeping civil injunctions to private companies, giving them special legal treatment in the face of widespread public protests. - Central government proposals to bypass local councils by making exploratory drilling a ‘permitted development’ - removing the need for planning permission and for local communities to raise their objections through their local representative body.

Every parent of a child within Suffolk, that has to rely on funded school transport to High school from September 2019 will have to pay between £600-£800 pounds per child per year for continued transport to their current recognised catchment school. SCC will only fund travel to what it now considers to be a pupils nearest school, but nearest schools admissions policies for year 2019/20 prioritises places for students from its feeder and catchment Primary schools, not students from Primary schools outside of catchment. The financial implications for Suffolk families will be immense. Siblings may have to attend different High schools, as an older child already receiving funded transport will continue to do so but parents may not be able afford to fund a sibling or siblings. There is no guarantee that a child from a non feeder or out of catchment school will be accepted, so parents could be forced to pay for their child to attend a school, occur debt and hardship to do so, have to consider home schooling. SCC sent out an online transport survey this year to parents within Suffolk. According to a report by Councillor (County) Robert Lindsay 3600 responses were received, 85% strongly opposed these proposed changes and 5% opposed, but SCC still passed the changes. School Transport should be free and funded for all pupils.

It is adding to the high levels of air pollution already experienced in Derby. It is not in line with Government clean air targets for Derby. The smell and noise is having a detrimental effect on local residents. Forthcoming Incineration taxes will make it a costly burden. The 25 year contract commits Derby and surrounding Derbyshire areas to polluted air for the next 25 years.

By not commenting on it and not fixing the situation on Celebrity Big Brother as it happened Channel 5 have made it clear they do not think this behaviour is unacceptable. They allowed it to continue for entertainment value and profited from this. This sends a message to the general public that what occurred in the house was alright and you can also behave that way.

A lease agreement for our 4 acre woodland (named Ladybird woods by our toddler children) is vital for Ignite Unlocking Potential as a social enterprise to support schools, community & families with educational services including Wales's only Nature Kindergarten, Ladybirds Parent & Toddler group, Adventure camps and activity days for children with physical disabilities & additional learning needs. During the 4 years as a business tenant paying against a draft agreement of 21 years, we have transformed 4 acres of unused land into a centre for excellence in Nature based Pedagogy. To date, this learning & play space has enabled us to make a real difference to the lives of over 8000 children and provides leading edge education and training services to education & health professionals across Wales and the UK. Please read some of our reviews from parents & teachers that we have recently supported. Your signature will provide our children with the hope that we can continue to enrich their lives and provide a place that nurtures and unlocks their potential. "My little one went to the summer camp up the country park he has ADHD and struggles sometimes with friends and groups, to say he had an amazing time is a understatement he loved it the staff where amazing with him , come bk a very different child and much more confident, he can't wait to go again thank u all !!!!" Leanne Evans (Parent). "You don't know what a massive part your team has played this summer for my kids x so thank you all x" Caly Cross (Parent). "Had a wonderful time volunteering with the Ladybirds Parent and Toddler group today- very wet and soggy but a beautiful atmosphere, Thank you" Catrin Doyle (Volunteer). "This week I started my Forest School Leader training with you guys and I've loved every second. So many amazing ideas, people and open-ended resources! Just what I needed to get my mind back on track, can't wait for the next sessions!" Jordan Baxter (Teacher). “The community has nothing but wonderful things to say about the organisation and we’ve been waiting years to be able to attend!” “Ignite embody all of the goals and principals of the Well-being for future generations ACT. The adults love it.The Children love it.The community Need it.They promote health and wellbeing - both physical and mental, through a connection with the outdoors.They need the space!” Eve Harris (Parent).

Do you want to save Tarporley's precious, affordable retirement flats, Oathills Lea? Where will our elderly population go, if this complex is closed or sold off by Weaver Vale Housing Trust? Oathills Lea is currently under review and its residents are worried sick, as you can imagine. Built in 1970, Oathills Lea has 23 retirement flats for residents aged 50 and over. It is the perfect location, especially for the less mobile residents and those who no longer drive. The bus stop is just 100 yards; the Co-op 250 yards; post office 250 yards; village centre 100 yards; doctors 0.5 mile(s). All of this helping our older villagers maintain their independence. Oathills Lea is the only accommodation of it's sort in the village. Not only is it made up of individual flats, but there is a communal area where the residents congregate in the afternoons to socialise with each other. Many of it's former and current residents have always lived in Tarporley and others have sold their homes and moved here to be closer to their families. None of us want to be evicted from our homes and it is putting the more vulnerable villagers under immense pressure and stress. What will Oathills Lea be replaced with ? Weaver Vale Housing Trust, recently you were promoting the flats as a "Home for Life". Why have you gone back on your word ? Why aren't you filling the empty flats, when given the ageing and increasing population of Tarporley and the surrounding villages there is probably a demand for them ? If anything more retirement flats are likely to be needed over the years. PLEASE sign our petition and share it with your friends and family

Approximately 700,000 people in the UK provide UNPAID care for a loved one with Dementia, saving the Government £11.6 BILLION each year. ... Without these unpaid carers, the UK care system would collapse, leaving millions in crisis. Yet when these carers find THEMSELVES in crisis, they are routinely told that somebody will respond to them in 5 - 10 days or that respite care is unavailable due to a lack of funding. Alzheimer's Society reported these facts as far back as 2014 and yet the situation continues to deteriorate. ... And with the number of people living with Dementia expected to exceed 1 million by 2021, things are set to deteriorate further still. (https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/policy-and-influencing/dementia-uk-report) We are therefore echoing the Alzheimer's Society's plea for "appropriately resourced national Dementia strategies", and in particular the BADLY needed measures laid out in their statement on carer support. (https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/policy-and-influencing/what-we-think/carer-support) Because, as things stand today, the vast majority of unpaid Dementia Carers feel ignored, unsupported and alone - day in and day out. We need change! And we need it NOW! --------------------------------------------------------------------- Please also see our website at https://www.startcaring.co.uk for details of our 'Who Cares?' Postcard Campaign. Start Caring! - Because change happens faster when we all work together.