When Healthcare Environmental Services (HES) - a private healthcare company making profits from the NHS - collapsed, staff were left without the wages they were owed. HES were the private company that made a fortune out of the NHS before collapsing in scandal over their failure to dispose of hazardous waste that is now piled high in warehouses across the UK. Now these failures are forcing former staff to foodbanks. The Scottish Government can end this by stepping in to make sure the staff get paid. Despite the company’s collapse, NHS boards have continued to pay HES Ltd despite wages being withheld from staff. Continuing to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds to HES Ltd in December and January whilst workers were denied their wages makes a mockery of the NHS. We are only asking for what we are rightfully owed. We need the Cabinet Secretary to end this injustice.

Since the Federation of the two schools in 2015, Ilfracombe Infants has seen a steady decline in standards resulting in an Ofsted which has gone from Outstanding to requires improvement across every category. As an incredibly large Infants School with a wide diversity of pupils we have suffered from having to share a Headteacher with another school which is a 40 minute drive away. We also do not believe that the current management ethos matches the needs of our pupils and we would like to see a return to community based learning values which are nurturing, creative and fun.

Many dog owners are unable to let their dogs off lead, a good example is my Labrador who is not yet great at recall. An enclosed space would allow for more exercise without the worry of them running off, eating things they shouldn't, getting injured/lost, as well as not bothering other park users such as fishermen or people who may have dog phobias. We have some great open spaces in the local area but few that provide this. The picture above shows two possible sites, though only suggestions!

Merseyside Police have been ravaged by Government austerity. However, Newton-le-Willows deserves it’s fair share of the remaining resource. However, the Borough of St. Helens now has the fewest opening hours for enquiry desks across Merseyside. Southport Police Station: 93 hours Bootle Police Station: 84 hours a week. (Despite being so close to Liverpool City Centre) Sefton therefore has a total of 177 open hours. Bootle still has a magistrates court. Wallasey Police Station: 20 hours Birkenhead Police Station: 93 hours The Wirral total: 113 hours per week open. The Wirral still has a magistrates court. St Anne St: 93 hours Admiral Street: 84 hours Walton Lane: 84 hours Liverpool Total: 261 hours per week open. Liverpool still has a magistrates and crown court. Huyton Police Station: 93 hours Kirkby Police Station: 16 hours Speke Police Station: 16 hours Knowsley therefore has a total 125 hours a week in total. St Helens Police Station: 93 hours per week Newton-le-Willows Police Station: 7 hours per week Our borough therefore has 100 hours per week in total. Therefore, our borough has the fewest open hours out of all of Merseyside. We have 77 fewer open hours than Sefton. And 13 less than Knowsley, which has a smaller population than our borough over 3 Police Stations. St Helens North has been unfairly treated.

Chris Grayling isn’t fit to do his job, he has awarded a £14m contract to Seaborne Freight, a company with no ferries and no cash, without due diligence. He has overstepped the mark and stopped Thanet District Councils democratic budget setting meeting. He needs to go!

Sir Christopher Chope has repeatedly blocked legislation intended to protect the lives and rights of young women. Today, he killed legislation intended to protect young women at risk of female genital mutilation. He does not represent British society and should not be entitled to influence British politics.

This practice endangers the safety of firefighters and the public of Derbyshire alike. It puts an immense amount of moral pressure on firefighters and junior officers to act in an unsafe manner using unsafe practices that will put our members and the public at risk. We have had decades of experience and training for riding with at least four crew members and it is incomprehensible to believe that these methods that have been instilled for years can just be switched off overnight. Firefighters will act, and forcing our members to take these risks is unacceptable. The actual effect is minimal. There has only been approx. 60 calls per year that this could impact. That is barely 2 per RDS unit a year! It will not improve the retention or recruitment of on call firefighters due to the fundamental issues still going unchanged. Those being the low remuneration, migration opportunities and the failure to recruit in sufficient numbers with effective means. The project was supposed to improve reward, retention and motivation for on call firefighters, it will none of these. The Fire Brigades Union has consistently made its case throughout the project meetings to managers, but to date without any realisation. This project is led by a simple notion that because other services do it, we should. This is a weak planning method and does not put Derbyshire at the forefront of firefighter safety. Like the introduction of small appliances, Derbyshire made bold and solid decisions to remove them and The Fire Brigades Union applauds our service for this. In a different set of circumstances, there could have been a firefighter fatality, or serious injury. The introduction of riding with three crew members is no different!

Following storm damage in 2014, Network Rail are currently working on a resilience programme to upgrade the London to Penzance railway between Exeter and Newton Abbot. In 2018 they hosted public forums and presented plans to build a new line 30 -40 metres out to sea at Holcombe - a scheme which would have annihilated the beach. In November last year they then announced that revised plans were now being considered. Subsequent Freedom of Information requests for details have been denied, "in the public interest". In February 2019, Network Rail advised that their current proposal between Parson's Tunnel and Teignmouth is, "to deliver a new railway alignment involving a new sea wall beyond the footprint of the existing." Holcombe Beach, with it's open sea aspect framed by the towering red Devon cliffs, is possibly the most visually outstanding part of any journey on the iconic train route, and has been a cherished destination for both local's and visitors for many generations. Whilst it is agreed that the railway must be maintained and updated, we enjoin that this must not be to the detriment of a special and unique location. Network Rail must use their best endeavours to ensure that any development they undertake specifically maintains or enhances the visual and environmental merits of Holcombe Beach. Appropriate independent cost benefit analysis should be included in order that the opportunity cost of particular actions can be evaluated.

Lancashire County Council are proposing to cut break time services that will affect children with special educational needs! Lancashire Break Time Services are short breaks given to a guardian or parent, whilst their child or young person takes part in a fun activity! There are many children/younger adults who attend the essential Break Time funded services after school and in the school holidays. These activities are safe, and allow children to participate in invaluable social interactions and play activities in a safe and supported environment. Without this they would be isolated and it would have a significant negative impact on their ongoing personal and social development. This would also have a major impact on the wider responsibilities of many parents, many of whom work full time. One mum in the Lancaster Guardian said, “My son has been to the clubs since he was four years-old... It’s already a struggle to get appropriate care and funding for SEN children, why are they targeting cuts at the most vulnerable?” Lancashire county council want to know what the public think right now, if hundreds of us sign the petition we can show them how important these services are to parents across Lancashire. Please sign my petition to help protect the essential funding that these people so desperately need!

My Granddaughter has nut and sesame allergies and carries an epi pen at all times. She has a choice of whether to go into a restaurant or eat from takeaway food outlets and can use her own judgement about her choices. However, it mandatory to attend school, but schools can be deadly places for children with serious allergies.

It will impact on peoples jobs, incomes and sets communities against one another

Young people and Adults with special educational needs and a lifelong disability cannot self-advocate, nor can we rely upon the system to protect them. Advocates and social workers come & go, we need to address the shortage of social workers in the SEND system. These genuinely disabled and terminally ill people are not  work shy, they are being told that despite evidence to the contrary they must work, or that they don't qualify. They cannot defend themselves and quite frankly, our government should be doing its level best to protect them, instead poorly qualified assessors employed by US companies, who are profit driven are in charge of assessment. Assuming everyone is a criminal & treating genuinely disabled & terminally ill people like this is unacceptable! Terminally ill people need to be fast tracked as soon as they are diagnosed!