Thingumajig Theatre will be on the streets of Sowerby Bridge this Sunday 15 Dec at 4:30 and 7:30pm, with Jellish.
Jellyfish puppets, costumes, design and direction by Kathy and Andrew Kim. Lights and sound too
It looks and sounds jellicious! Continue reading
Dear Craig Whittaker,
The Coalition Government is taking a Care Bill through Parliament that will make it possible to close hospitals and A&E and other departments without proper public consultation.
As you will know, the House Of Lords recently voted to accept Earl Howe’s last-minute amendment to the Care Bill. Amendment 168 essentially makes it possible for hospitals and A&E and other departments to be closed without public consultation – however successful, useful and popular they are.
The hospital closure clause 118, along with the rest of the Care Bill, will be debated and voted on in the Commons on 16th December. Clause 118 would allow any hospital to be closed down, or lose its A&E, maternity or other services, with hardly any local consultation.
I believe you have a responsibility to the public to make sure that this terrible Clause does not become law.
Continue reading
Calderdale 38 Degrees is organising two handovers of the National 38 degrees petition against the Gagging Bill: one to Linda Riordan MP on 13th December 12.15 at Shaw Lodge. The other, to Craig Whittaker MP, took place on Sunday 8th December at 11am at Ripponden Market.
If the Gagging Bill becomes law, it will effectively outlaw civil society involvement in election campaigns and allow government to carry out a data grab on Trade Union membership – opening up the possibility of blacklisting union members.
Continue reading
Earlier this year Calderdale NHS 38 Degrees asked Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group(CCG) to change its Constitution, in order to protect Calderdale NHS from back-door privatisation.
Reviewing its constitutution and procurement policy in response to 38 Degrees’ request, Calderdale CCG decided there was no need to change the constitution – despite acknowledging a public perception that commissioning healthcare services from private healthcare companies “is a fundamental threat to the sustainability of NHS providers”, and also endangers the provision of health care that is free at the point of need.
Continue reading
Here is Ed Davey MP in a government propaganda video about the opening of facilities to handle the biomass Drax now imports, as it’s converting three of the six units at the power station from burning coal to burning biomass.
Plain Speaker has reported on various occasions about how large scale biomass burning is not green or renewable – here and here, for example – and has also pointed out that corporate biomass developers are swallowing massive subsidies paid for by the public.
Continue reading
Climate News Network reports that SINTEF, the largest independent Scandinavian research organization, has a plan to use Norwegian hydropower schemes as a giant “blue-green battery” that will act as a backup when wind power fails to deliver enough energy.
Norwegian hydropower schemes linked to Europe’s large wind farm projects could successfully use energy from surplus wind power to pump water uphill and provide “battery” power to even out energy supply and demand.
Continue reading
Recent data on A&E attendance show that deprivation and mental ill health are both strongly linked to high levels of A&E attendance.
So-called “austerity” economic policies have cut jobs and wages and introduced welfare reforms with adverse effects that have given rise to “grave concerns” among many South West Yorkshire Partnership Trust Foundation service users, carers and staff.
Data in Focus on Accident & Emergency, 3rd Dec 2013, by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (hscic) show that in each of the last 5 years, A&E attendance by people living in the most deprived 10% of areas is double the rate of those living in the least deprived 10%
Continue reading
Jonathan Hepworth contacted UCV Plain Speaker with strong criticisms of the MP’s 11% pay rise, to come into effect after the 2015 General Election.
This is what Jonathan thinks:
I am writing to express my disgust at the announcement that MPs are to get a pay rise of 11%. I work in commissioning specialist mental health services and I can tell you that in all sectors, NHS, independent and voluntary, all have made significant cuts and efficiencies. Health managers, clinicians and support staff are all acutely aware of the need to optimise limited and reducing resources, whilst tasked at the same time to improve on quality and to manage the increasing levels of regulation.
Continue reading
At the 8th January 2014 Hebden Royd Town Council meeting, Councillors will discuss proposals to build a Sainsbury’s Local store on the car park on Valley Road, where the Hebden Bridge Fire Station used to be.
Here are contact details for councillors, in case anyone wants to get in touch with their ward councillor.
Yesterday, the 5th December, Sainsbury’s Supermarkets notified Hebden Royd Town Council of their plan.