With the Coronavirus spreading at alarming rates, the Ministry of Justice are considering releasing "a limited number" of some low-risk prisoners in order to take pressure off the overstretched Prisons system. These include women, some of whom are pregnant or otherwise vulnerable to Coronavirus, with pre-existing respiratory disease and a range of other ill-health, notably mental ill-health.

Many argue that our political system is broken but why? - is it simply sour grapes from candidates who didn't win?

There is plenty of evidence to show that in the UK a political party can win a majority of seats in government without gaining a majority of votes cast. In the 2005 election for example Tony Blair's government won 355 seats with only 35% of the total votes cast. In contrast the Conservatives won 198 seats having polled 32% of total votes cast.

We have been notifiied by the Derbyshire County Council of a new scam :

Problem

Scam text messages have been reported which make claims that UKGOV has issued a payment of £458 to all residents as part of its promise to battle COVID-19.

The messages contain a link, which recipients are asked to click on in order to apply for the money.

These messages are a scam.

Action

Do not click on links in unsolicited text messages or emails. If you receive this message or similar, delete it.

The www.gov.uk website is the authoritative source for information that issued by the Government.

If you think you have been a victim of fraud, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit their website at http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

For further information, or to report a similar scam, contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 233 1133.

Please be aware that it may take longer for your calls to be answered during this difficult time.

It's right that we do all we can to limit the spread of COVID-19. But some people don't have a home to stay in. The government needs to help them as a priority.

Being told to stay home is all well and good. But what about those who don't have a roof over their heads to self-isolate under?

These are vulnerable people. Many homeless people struggle with mental health or addiction issues
There's no doubt that this is a deeply concerning time. I support all evidence-led efforts to minimise the impact of COVID-19. The models released this week make clear that self-isolation is a key intervention, but not everyone can self-isolate. There are reports that the police might get the power to arrest anyone with the virus found outside. I'm really worried as to what this would mean to people who have nowhere else to go - Britain's homeless.

Women in the UK have a lot to celebrate, but there is still so much to do to achieve gender equality, both here and internationally. As of December 2019 we have a record number of women Members of Parliament, but the number is still well below the 50 % that the Fawcett Society has campaigned for over so many years. The 2015 film "Suffragette" fired the imaginations of many younger women, but it also highlights some of the still-current gaps, especially in employment, reproductive and voting rights. *

"Council faces some of the most difficult decisions it has ever faced in balancing the budget."

The most recent Borough Council Auditors Report was discussed at December's Council meeting. It warns that the example of Councils such as Northamptonshire [which went bankrupt] is "…the importance of taking early action…before the position becomes unmanageable."

On 3 March 2020, Lib Dem MP Daisy Cooper put forward legislation which would ensure female offenders are given community sentences, unless they have committed a serious or violent offence which makes them a real threat to the public.

Women make up less than 5 % of the prison population, but they are more likely than male prisoners to be serving short sentences for non-violent offences. Most experienced childhood abuse, and many are domestic abuse victims. Many are single mothers of dependent children. They take up a disproportionate amount of Police, probation service, prison and other resource, still not making them any more unlikely to commit more crime.

At last night's Council meeting Chesterfield Labour Cllrs voted through an above inflation Council Tax increase and a Budget Plan that proposes doing the same each year through to 2025. Liberal Democrat Cllrs voted against this plan.

Paul Holmes, Leader of 17 Lib Dem Borough Cllrs, said "Chesterfield Borough Council is spending £1Million a year more than it has coming in. Instead of getting to grips with their overspending, Labour Cllrs keep relying on shuffling money around to fill gaps and on above inflation Tax increases and Car Park Increases. They recently increased short term car park charges by 14% (30 minute stays) and 12% (1 hour stays) and I voted against that in the Council Cabinet.

The Liberal Democrats believe in a modern Britain of genuine openness and equality without exception. We champion a society where everyone is treated with dignity and respect irrespective of their background, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or any other part of an individual's identity.

We have long and proud history of standing up for what's right; we are the party that successfully fought for same-sex marriage, gender pay gap reporting and ensured that upskirting was outlawed. But the fight doesn't stop there, today we are challenging the gender price gap, fighting to prevent another Windrush Scandal and proudly standing up for Trans rights.

This Tory government needs to take the climate emergency seriously - and that includes action to achieve a zero-waste economy.
By Wera Hobhouse, Feb 13, 2020

When a person puts their empty plastic bottle in a recycling bin, they understandably assume it gets recycled. When I was the Cabinet member for the environment on Rochdale council, and when we sent our paper and cardboard to be recycled, we knew it had new lives as cardboard inserts to kitchen roll.
The plastic bag tax introduced by the Liberal Democrats in the Coalition government was hugely successful, but it was only ever intended to be the first step.
However, this is not always the case.Far too often our waste, including recyclable items, are sold to private contractors who can incinerate or export waste to unregulated facilities.