Cllr. Helen Thornton

Have been for my flu jab this morning. Please get yours if you are eligible.

The problem of PFI explained in 60 seconds 👇

Firm run by NHS doctors makes millions charging to cut wait lists A union has raised concerns private firms are

Very worrying...
BBC News - Firm run by NHS doctors makes millions charging to cut wait lists - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The NHS is struggling under the weight of long-term PFI debts

Yet this government are considering bringing in more private finance at the Autumn budget ⁉️

Patients must come before profit. Add your name to the petition 👇

vist.ly/4epjz

Looks like a David Hockney painting!

Private finance means that you - as a taxpayer - pay many times over for the same thing.

Say no to new NHS private finance. Make sure your name is on the petition 👇

vist.ly/4eai4

Please get your flu jab if you are eligible.

The real Reform voters have been revealed – it’s a slapdash coalition Farage will struggle to hold together | Aditya Chakrabortty This is no single bloc marching under one ideology, or even a mass of ‘red-wall’ voters. What unites them is a desire for something different, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty

Who votes Reform - analysis here.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Private care providers in three English regions make £250m in three years More than third of profits analysed went to firms owned by private equity or based in tax havens, research finds

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Remembrance Day on the hill at Uphill. Thanks to the Village Society for organising and to students from Westhaven School, Uphill Village Academy and Broadoak Academy.

NHS staff need greater protection amid growing racist rhetoric, says UNISON   | News, Press release | News | UNISON National Responding to the publication today (Tuesday) of survey by NHS Providers of senior managers showing their concerns about discrimination against staff by

www.unison.org.uk/news/press-r...

NHS staff who visit patients at home say St George’s flags can mean ‘no-go zones’ Black and Asian staff left feeling ‘deliberately intimidated’, according to chief executive of one NHS trust

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Last Christmas, you gave us first class: Royal Mail turns Scrooge with gift to staff of second-class stamps Switch comes amid first festive season since Daniel Křetínský’s takeover of parent company IDS

That's privatisation for you... hard to believe what the cost of a first class stamp is. Royal Mail needs to be state owned.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

We will remember them on Remembrance Sunday and every day.

The Interview - Celebrities: Patti Smith: Art, Music and Love Patti Smith - a singer, poet, artist and activist whose extraordinary career has spanned 50 years and influenced countless artists. She talks revealingly about her life and struggles to Katie Razzall.

Worth watching:
The Interview, Celebrities: Patti Smith: Art, Music and Love: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002m6f5 via @bbciplayer

Open Letter to the PM and Chancellor: Tax Wealth at the Autumn Budget - Fund Emergency Action to Tackle the Cost of Living Crisis I've added my name to Richard Burgon MP's open letter to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor - calling on the Government to Tax Wealth at the Autumn Budget and to fund emergency Action on the cost o...

Ahead of this month’s Budget, I’ll be delivering this open letter to the Prime Minister and Chancellor.

It calls on them to tax wealth to fund urgent action on the cost-of-living crisis.

Thousands have already signed — add your name today.
🔗 bit.ly/TaxWealthAutumnBudget

Flu spreads more easily in autumn when we spend time together indoors. If you are eligible the flu vaccine can help protect you from getting seriously ill. Find out more about the free NHS flu vaccine at grabajab.net or watch this film www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8tz... #winterstrong

We can’t let the Tories sabotage this once-in-a-generation chance to reshape the world of work | Angela Rayner The employment rights bill is in the Commons today. As Zohran Mamdani’s victory shows, people are desperate for policies that actually improve lives, says Labour MP Angela Rayner

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Zohran Mamdani elected mayor of New York on winning night for Democrats Democratic socialist, 34, becomes city’s first Muslim mayor as Democrats triumph in several other key races

Brilliant news.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Nigel Farage backtracks on Reform UK’s promise to cut £90bn of taxes Party leader says proposal had been an ‘aspiration’ and accuses Tories and Labour of ‘wrecking the public finances’

Lots of good reasons for lots of people - young, old, workers - not to vote Reform!
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Saw this in Bristol last night - brilliant.

BREAKING: The Renters’ Rights Bill has gained Royal Assent🚨

Renters are finally on the path to saying goodbye to unfair Section 21 evictions and welcoming our new rights.❤️

We’re waiting for the Govt to announce when the changes will be implemented.

#RentersRightsAct

Image shows an illustration of a yellow house. Text reads, 'The Renters' Rights Act is here. What does it mean for you?'

📢 Last night, the Renters Rights Act finally became law.

We’ve been campaigning for this for years. Read more about the bill and what it means for you ⤵️
https://wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/the-renters-rights-act-is-here-but-the-work-is-just-beginning-1308fb226853

Some nice new street art in Glastonbury - well new to me anyway.

Reform UK Councils
Council Tax increases

Durham: 4.9%
Worcestershire: 5-10%
Warwickshire: ~5%
Leicestershire: 3%
Kent: 5%
Lincolnshire: 2%+
Staffordshire: ~5%
West Northamptonshire: 5%
Derbyshire: 4.9%
North Northamptonshire: amount TBD
Nottinghamshire: amount TBD
Lancashire: amount TBD

Labour’s historic defeat in Caerphilly is a tragedy, but not a surprise. So long as UK Labour governs without a clear vision and story to tell people who we are, detached from its moral purpose and democratic socialist foundations, losses like this will only become the norm A majority of voters in Caerphilly turned to Plaid Cymru and a significant number to Reform because they want change. The only way to resist this is by offering a popular, principled and practical left politics that can transform the country by raising living standards, redistributing power and wealth, and securing a stake for everyone in a national community that guarantees the essentials of a good life for all. That requires rejecting the hyper-factional culture determined to concentrate power at the top of the party. Instead, Labour must draw upon the wisdom, talent, and energy of its whole movement to build an offer that can inspire the public. Time is short. We promised the British people a decade of national renewal. Their patience is wearing thin, and their faith in Labour is slipping away. To win it back, we must reconnect Labour with its mainstream. The result is clear - Labour will be wiped out in Wales next May without a major reset.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🌹A statement from Mainstream's Interim Council on Labour's tragic loss in Caerphilly.

We will be wiped out in Wales next May without a major reset.

Helios by @lukejerram.bsky.social at @bristolcathedral.bsky.social today.

Real living wage to rise by almost 7% in boost for low-paid UK workers Hourly rate to increase in April by 95p to £14.80 in London and by 85p to £13.45 for the rest of the country

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Welfare cuts have fuelled rise of far right and populism, top UN expert says Exclusive: Poverty rapporteur says governments must rethink welfare state as essential to fabric of society

Not surprising...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Wonderful Diwali celebration this evening in Weston super Mare.