The latest casualty of the exorbitant retail rents charged by Greenwich Hospital is the excellent vintage shop Joli, closing down this week. We understand Greenwich Hospital has to make money for its charitable concerns but, with imagination, this can be done without destroying the livelihoods of small local businesses and without ignoring its responsibility as custodian of a special part of London. Pricing out independent shops is counterproductive. Greenwich is a place valued by locals and visitors for its heritage and unique character. That will be lost if it goes the way of most high streets in the UK and becomes an identikit mass of chain stores. We call on John Healey, Deirdre Mills and vice admiral Martin Connell, respectively the trustee, director and advisor of Greenwich Hospital, to stop this happening.

Lloyds Bank have announced they are shutting branches across the country, including Stoke on Trent Tunstall's last bank in the town, which is always packed and almost every business uses.  Not everyone uses online banking, and the nearest other branch is also shutting.  The reason for closure stated is custom has fallen 41% "nationally" not locally.  There's numerous cash points in Tunstall on the outside of takeaways and Minimarts which have been subject to fraudulent activity and not looked after by the businesses. Many residents don't feel safe to use these and shutting this local bank with internal ATM's and staff to help withdraw funds will only increase the likelihood of people falling for these cash point scammers. I am the vice chair of  the Tunstall Town Centre Community Association and I've been asked start a petition to keep our last bank open.  CLLR Din for Tunstall and David Williams MP have been notified and will support the petition. 

Deep funding cuts are contributing to the decline in communal, thirds spaces – from community buildings shutting down to youth club closures. New Freedom of Information (FOI) data found that spending on community-related services and provisions fell by 18% between the years 2022 and 2024. This leaves many people, particularly young people without safe places to connect, grow, and thrive. The loss of these spaces is more than just a physical closure; it fuels rising social isolation, loneliness, and a growing sense of disconnection in our communities. 

On the 30th of January, my housemate, a university healthcare student, was struck by a car at the Wavertree-Tunnel road junction, resulting in a serious injury involving multiple breaks which ultimately required surgery. This is not a unique tragedy. This junction is crossed by hundreds of people daily, not only is it a direct access route to Edge Hill train station, but it is a popular route for commercial shoppers in the adjacent Wavertree retail park, University students getting to campus and young children getting to one of the many Primary schools in the area. The constant flow of vehicle traffic from four different directions allows for one second when pedestrians can cross without the safety of traffic lights before the next cars come charging. Traffic lights are needed immediately to put a stop to further incidents. Additionally, clear road markings will prohibit vehicle users from separating into two lanes where there is only meant to be one, preventing misuse of the junction and more tragic accidents. Let’s come together and hope that what happened to my housemate does not occur to anyone else. We need to make our roads safer. Sign this petition to support the installation of traffic lights and clear road markings at the Wavertree-Tunnel road junction.

These cuts will place more barriers in the way of disabled people trying to access work, volunteering, education, training, day centres, social occasions, and much more. The enhancements to the statutory minimum have been a lifeline for many disabled people, granting them much more independence and reducing their financial burden. Please remember that not all disabilities are visible or physical.    The restrictions to the older person’s buss pass will also disproportionately affect those living in Hampshire’s most isolated communities that are already underserved by buses, and who are already struggling with the increasing cost of living.    In the long-term, these cuts will act to worsen the mental health crisis affecting Hampshire's communities by increasing isolation and the financial strain on the most vulnerable people.  This initiative is only saving £75,000 annually, which is a minimal saving in relation to the damaging social, health and environmental effects it will cause consequently. These changes prevent people in Hampshire from the right to 'live safe, healthy and independent lives', as per the county's strategic plan.    We therefore call on Hampshire County Council to immediately stop these changes and maintain the enhancements to its Concessionary Travel Scheme.

Students studying their GCSE's in year 11, but who are still 15, currently get kicked out of the library at 5pm. Other students in the same year group ,aged 16, are able to stay until 8:30. Pupils need a quiet place to study as many come from homes with younger siblings and have very little space to themselves. The library is essential for these students yet they are only able to have a maximum of 2.5 hours of peaceful studying on a school night. Which is why it's crucial to allow these students to study until 8:30 to improve their own education.

 Management companies and housing associations are ripping off residents by overcharging and not providing adequate services. Cambridge City Council pays the service charges to these companies for residents who receive housing benefit, but there is barely any scrutiny of whether these charges are legitimate.  Service Charge Justice Cambridge is aware of tens of developments in Cambridge where residents are paying overinflated, bogus or entirely unjustified charges, many of whom are recipients of Housing Benefit. Cambridge City Council is experiencing a £11.5 million 'budget gap', with vital public services facing being cut, all the while public money is being channelled directly into the bank accounts of management companies and housing associations whose residents say they are being overcharged and underserved.  It's vital that the Council investigates how much public money was allocated towards housing service charges for the financial year 2023/24, and supports Service Charge Justice’s campaign for better regulation of service charges.

The Lower Thames Crossing has been cited as the answer to all our traffic prayers for the last decade and at a cost of £800 million! However, even if this environmentally disastrous project does go ahead, it'll be nearly another decade before it's built. Projections show it will only help ease congestion for a short period of time and is expected to reach full capacity in a few short years. We currently experience an unacceptable level of traffic related disruption, with impacts on our businesses and health due to breathing in stationary vehicle fumes. We need effective short term and longer term solutions, such as the long promised monitoring of the Blue Star Roundabout. This is why as a community we have come together to form the Citizens' Forum on Congestion. The Dartford Crossing is the UK's highest-earning toll road. We the undersigned are asking National Highways to pay just a small percentage of the £200 million annual revenue from the crossing charges to invest in exploring effective solutions, to boost our local economy and help with infastructure problems.   We deserve to be compensated as a community....Now is the time for us to be heard! Written by Green Cllr Laura Edie, On behalf of The Citizens' Forum on Congestion  https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1E1xrgy6xp/

Raise Your Voice: Because Democracy Should Work for Everyone! Did you know that Disabled People make up 24% of the UK population, yet less than 2% of MPs are disabled? That means Parliament should have 12 times more Disabled MPs just to be truly representative. Is it any wonder that policies affecting Disabled People often miss the mark? The reality is, politics isn’t accessible. Many Disabled People can’t even get into the buildings where decisions are made, let alone run for office. And without fair representation, their needs are ignored. This isn’t just a disability issue—it’s a democracy issue. If one in four people in this country is disabled, why aren’t their voices shaping our laws?

This petition to rename America to its indigenous name, Hah-nu-nah, is crucial in the context of recent governmental actions that have altered significant geographical names, such as the Gulf of Mexico and Denali. These changes have been implemented without substantial consultation with indigenous communities, highlighting a pattern of disregarding the original names bestowed by the native inhabitants of these lands. By advocating for the restoration of the name Hah-nu-nah, we aim to honour the rich cultural heritage and historical significance of indigenous peoples. This act serves as a step towards reconciliation and acknowledges the deep-rooted connections between the land and its first inhabitants. In light of the recent renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and Denali back to Mount McKinley, it is imperative to address the importance of indigenous nomenclature. Restoring the name Hah-nu-nah not only rectifies historical oversights but also fosters a more inclusive and respectful recognition of our nation’s diverse cultural landscape. Supporting this petition is a meaningful action towards embracing and preserving the indigenous identities that form the foundation of our shared history.

There are numerous travel challenges in Carholme Ward, which was last reviewed by LCC Highways two decades ago. There are issues with safe walking and cycling, especially for children going to/from school on foot or by bike. The 20mph area has increasing traffic levels, with many vehicles using the area as a cut-through between Yarborough Road and Carholme Road, regularly ignoring existing one-way streets. Parking is problematic for residents and visitors to the area. The area could benefit from a review of active travel opportunities and an assessment of how road markings could be improved to increase safety. 

The future of the iconic Prince Charles Cinema in London’s West End is under serious threat! We are beyond disappointed that our landlords, Zedwell LSQ Ltd and their ultimate parent company Criterion Capital, have demanded the inclusion of a break clause in our new lease. This could leave us homeless with only 6 months’ notice should they receive planning permission to redevelop the cinema. Losing The Prince Charles Cinema would mean losing not just an iconic cultural institution, but also an engine for the economy of the West End that brings people from all over London and the surrounding area to watch films, shop and eat and drink.  This would have repercussions way beyond the building itself. The Prince Charles Cinema was opened in 1962 as a live theatre before becoming a cinema in the mid-sixties.  Under our stewardship the cinema, which receives no public subsidy,  has become known for its unique range of programming spanning the history of cinema. At a time when cinemas continue to close throughout the world, we are happy to buck the trend with our thriving and fiercely independent offer. We feel that this demand amounts to a clear attempt by Zedwell LSQ Ltd and their ultimate parent company Criterion Capital to use their significant financial resources to disregard our legal entitlement to a new lease, and bully us out of the building once the existing one ends in Sept 2025.  We can’t let that happen.   ‘The Prince Charles has a place in my heart. It’s the people, the programming, the accessibility, feeling, texture... you cannot go wrong. You also know that on any given day, you can close your eyes, press your finger to the programme, and you’ll hit something great. It’s like tuning into your favourite radio station.’ - Paul Thomas Anderson  #SaveThePCC