Many face food or heating choice

Unmesh Desai, London Assembly member, City and East, writes:
One in nine households in our capital won’t able to escape the cold this winter as they struggle to meet the costs of heating their homes.
We have recently marked Fuel Poverty Awareness day (Friday, November 27) which has highlighted the stark choice facing many low-income families and vulnerable Londoners of putting food on the table or keeping warm. This could be the bleak reality for yet thousands more who are at risk of losing their livelihoods due to the pandemic. It really doesn’t have to be this way and with its Green New Deal, City Hall plans to slash household energy bills through low-carbon heat and energy-efficiency projects. In the meantime, the government need to repair the holes they have poked in our welfare system over the last decade.
It was disappointing to see the chancellor’s Spending Review fail to commit to keeping the uplift in Universal Credit payments beyond April, or increase the rate of Local Housing Allowance to cover average rents. With unemployment rising, and in-work poverty at an alarming level, government ministers simply cannot put off taking action on making our benefits system fairer any longer.


Puppy smuggling has to be stopped
Owen Sharp, CEO, Dogs Trust, writes:
Every year thousands of puppies are smuggled across Europe in appalling conditions to be mis-sold to UK dog lovers.
Many suffer life-threatening health conditions, and some don’t survive, leaving their buyers helpless and heartbroken – as well as out of pocket.
Demand for dogs has soared during lockdown and it’s creating a lucrative market for puppy smugglers. Since lockdown started, we’ve rescued 14 heavily pregnant mums, and an incredible 140 puppies that could have fetched over £380,000 for cruel smugglers, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
On Tuesday, November 24, Dogs Trust Veterinary Director Paula Boyden gave evidence to a special one-off EFRA session (The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee) on puppy smuggling, to urge the government to take action.
Something has to change. For over six years we’ve campaigned to end this abhorrent trade, yet government continues to drag its heels.
Despite the three largest political parties pledging to stop puppy smuggling at last year’s general election, over 200 Parliamentary Questions being tabled on puppy smuggling since 2014, and 148 MPs joining our puppy smuggling campaign, we’re no closer to seeing this suffering end.
In fact, we have yet to see any significant action from government at all.
Current legislation is not fit for purpose. We need to cut this trade off at the source and close the loopholes which put innocent puppies at risk, and we need to do this urgently.
As the Brexit transition period draws to a close on December 31, now is the time for government to act and, dare we say, ‘take back control’ of this spiralling situation.
Government must change the law to raise the minimum age for puppies to be imported into the UK to a minimum of six months to make them less desirable to buy and sell, and introduce tougher penalties for smuggling.
With every day of delay more innocent puppies will continue to pay the price.


Send stamps to cancer charity
Terri Bush, volunteer stamp appeal co-ordinator, Bone Cancer Research, writes:
I am writing to you on behalf of the Bone Cancer Research Trust to ask for your help this festive season.
More postage stamps are used in December than any other time of the year.
We are appealing for your support this Christmas by asking your readers to save their stamps and help to fund life-saving research into primary bone cancer.
It’s really easy for your readers to get involved and I’ve included some copy below to include in your publication or even share across your social media channels.
Christmas is coming and soon you’ll be getting Christmas cards in the post!
But what are you going to do with all those used stamps? The Bone Cancer Research Trust has the answer… The Bone Cancer Research Trust Stamp Appeal.
Getting involved could not be easier! All you need to do is save your used stamps or horizon labels from the UK or overseas.
If you are a business, shop or public service you could even have a collection box for people to drop off their stamps. Your stamps will be recycled and turned into lifesaving funds.
Primary bone cancer can occur at any age, but affects mostly children, teenagers, young adults and the elderly. Every 10 minutes somewhere in the world someone is diagnosed with primary bone cancer. Collecting used stamps is a simple way to make a huge difference.
You can order a free Stamp Appeal pack today by visiting: bcrt.org.uk/stamps. Or join their Facebook group: Bone Cancer Research Trust Stamp Appeal. Please send your used stamps to BCRT Stamp Appeal, 20 Bowers Road, Benfleet, Essex, England, SS7 5PZ Thank you for your time and consideration in this urgent appeal.
Until there’s a cure...

Keeping children safe at night
Lynn Gradwell, director, Barnardo’s London, writes:
The past few weeks and months have been incredibly difficult for businesses in the hospitality sector which have been forced to shut
their doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
We all know the closure of pubs, bars and restaurants has had a dreadful economic impact on the livelihoods of so many people, so the return of London’s night-time economy is to be welcomed by all who work and live in this great
city.
But at Barnardo’s we know from our long expertise as the UK’s largest children’s charity that there is another side to the bustling fun of London’s night-time economy; one sadly where those who seek to harm and exploit children and young people use the hours of darkness as a time to operate. That’s why Barnardo’s is raising awareness of our Nightwatch training programme as night-time businesses seek to re-open.
Nightwatch aims to safeguard children and young people from child sexual exploitation (CSE) by increasing awareness of CSE among businesses and services working in the night-time economy.
We know CSE is underreported, and the training Barnardo’s can provide to hotels, businesses, other agencies and partner organisations will ensure staff and volunteers are alert to the issue and take positive action when there are signs of CSE.
This could be the difference between someone coming to harm or receiving the help they need.
For further information about Barnardo’s Nightwatch training please email tigerservices@barnardos.org.uk