The UK produces billions of pieces of throwaway plastics such as plastic straws, plastic cutlery, plastic cups and coffee cups every year. Yet a huge percentage of these are not recycled - instead they end up littering our streets, our beaches and washing out to sea where they pollute our oceans and harm marine wildlife, which we then end up consuming! One of the most effective solutions is to introduce a small tax on throwaway items (straws, cups, cutlery, takeaway boxes, coffee cups, beer cups) at the point of sale. This has been incredibly successful with plastic carrier bags, where a small 5p charge has resulted in a reduction of over 80% in use in supermarkets. The tax collected should be ring-fenced for investment in anti-pollution strategies and solutions that work towards a circular economy where ‘waste’ is designed out of our system. In the recent budget, the government announced that they would investigate the possibility of bringing in a plastic tax to the UK, but nothing's confirmed yet. Please sign the petition to show your support for the idea, and help stop plastic pollution at source.

Products containing glitter and lustre made of tiny pieces of plastic (micro-plastic) are having an effect on the environment and on us. The UK could reduce the global impact of these harmful micro-plastics by banning them as soon as possible. Plastics are now found in almost every corner of the planet, including all the worlds oceans. Even worse, micro-plastics are being found in almost every level of the food chain, right up to the top! Because we are at the top of most food chains there is no doubt that means you and me! One recent study showed that up to a third of fish caught in the North Sea contained micro-plastic particles. We have no idea what long term effects micro-plastic will have on us, our children or the other animals and plants that share our planet. This is a very disturbing thought. Next time you eat something, what will you think? I think we need to do everything we can to stop using any plastics that can pollute the environment. We need to do this as soon as possible, before it's too late and everything gets contaminated. Banning glitter and lustre micro-plastics in the UK would be a step in the right direction. We would send a clear message to other members of the global community that we are doing something for global environmental protection. That might influence them to follow our lead. Please Mr. Gove, do the responsible thing and ban micro-plastic glitter and lustre from the UK.

Coventry does not need to build on Green Belt and Warwick DC does not need to build homes for Coventry - Coventry must correct the population data, as the cabinet member for finance, John Mutton, admitted on BBC CWR. On 26 Nov 17, he wrote to local people, "We are well aware of the STUPID NUMBERS that the Office of National Statistics instructed us to use in relation to the number of houses required" The Coventry Local Plan, on which Councilors will vote on 5 Dec 17, will determine where houses go for the next 14 years. Coventry Council has used absurdly high numbers which no one, including experts, believes in. The Council predict that the city will grow twice as fast as any other town in the region - 2x Birmingham, 3x Warwick, and 4x Stratford. Is that possible when jobs growth in Coventry has been mediocre? We can have the homes our children really need and keep our countryside. Building on Green Belt at Keresley, Eastern Green, and Kings Hill will destroy the beautiful Forest of Arden landscape which inspired Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Putting a 'Brownfield First' policy into the local plan, will stop unneeded building on Green Belt, unless it is absolutely necessary.

WE KNOW that plastics are having a devastating effect on our seas - fish, mammals and filtering down to us humans, causing cancer's etc. WE KNOW that plastics are being ingested by birds and killing them. WE KNOW it's time for a change! WE KNOW!

Because we have to fight for animals rights

Animals have long held the status of being sentient beings in the UK, through legislation created in the EU. This means they are recognised as being capable of feeling emotions such as joy and compassion, but also fear, suffering and terror. The vote in Parliament, narrowly won by the Government, removes this status from all animals in the UK, and is a massive blow for the welfare of wildlife, pets and livestock alike.

Why should we let the government determine whether animals have feelings? WE live in a DEMOCRACY! The vote against their sentience should not have been a vote to begin with. Animals are intelligent, compassionate, emotional, sentient beings and it's up to to you to be their vote!

Under EU law, animals are currently recognised as being capable of feeling pain and emotion. This MUST continue if we are to be a humanitarian nation after we leave the EU.

It is important to avoid the loss of progress made in animal welfare that has been made in recent decades.

Lilies cause severe kidney damage in cats. The vast majority of cases of lily poisoning occur in the home, usually from flowers in a bouquet or a pot plant. In severe cases the kidneys fail completely and the cat makes no urine at all.The build up of fluid and toxins causes acute kidney injury and death.

Whilst speaking to a colleague recently, I was shocked to hear that wild animals (such as camels and zebras) are still being used in circuses - right here in Bristol and across England. I haven't been to a circus since I was a child and naively assumed we'd outlawed the practice. Keeping wild animals in cages, before forcing them to perform tricks for our entertainment is cruel and archaic - and has no place in a modern, animal-loving society. According to PETA's website, Scotland and Wales have already been taking steps to ban the use of wild animals in circuses - whilst just this week the Republic of Ireland have announced a ban from next year (with Northern Ireland expected to follow suit). However, the government in England appear to have been dragging their feet for years over this issue - even though 94 percent of people support a ban. I think it's high-time we changed this and enforce our own ban on the use of wild animals in circuses, as soon as possible.

By making Chalky Meadow an asset of community value we will be in a very strong position to protect the site and help it thrive. We would like this meadow to be looked after by the community for the community. Chalky Meadow has become one of the last pockets of wild nature in Thaxted; we would like to keep it this way, we would like Thaxted to be proud to protect its wildlife for future generations to come.