• Insist that companies asking for a UK tax-payer funded bailout sign up to a Fair Tax Pledge
    The UK Government is providing a necessary and welcome package of financial measures to workers and business through the Covid-19 crisis – not least via the furlough job retention scheme. However, should financial bailouts be agreed for distinct business sectors, we believe that this should be conditional on a series of responsible tax conduct commitments. Such conditions would further embed responsible tax practices and help maintain a level playing field for business. Across the world, some £400 billion of global corporate profits are shifted annually to tax havens. In the UK, this manifests itself as an annual corporation tax shortfall of some £7 billion. We, the public, call on the UK Government to insist that businesses requesting a tax-payer funded bailout commit to a set of fair tax conditions, as put forward by the Fair Tax Mark in their ‘Fair Tax Lockdown’: 1. Publish a binding tax policy that explicitly shuns tax avoidance and the artificial use of tax havens, and commits to the declaration of profits in the place where their economic substance arises (i.e., no profit-shifting). This policy should be the subject of an annual compliance audit, and be “owned” by a designated board director.  2. Ensure that the consolidated annual profit & loss of the parent company is publicly available, together with details of associated corporation tax payments (total, current and deferred tax). Multinational enterprise should disclose this on a Country-by-Country basis. A current tax reconciliation should be provided, together with a narrative to explain any deviations from the headline tax rate(s). 3. Make clear who the ultimate beneficial owners of the business are, and those with significant control. We believe that these measures are fair, material and proportionate. If a business is not actively involved in tax avoidance, these conditions can quickly and easily be committed to. To find out more about the Fair Tax Lockdown call to action you could visit the Fair Tax Mark website https://fairtaxmark.net/ or follow them at https://twitter.com/FairTaxMark and https://www.facebook.com/FairTaxMark/
    3,489 of 4,000 Signatures
    Created by Mary Collett
  • Stop 3D cakes profiting off the coronavirus.
    Brides and Grooms should not be penalised for a situation out with their control and no decent, honest and empathetic company should be MAKING extra money out of an epidemic that has seen thousands of people lose their lives. I urge you to do the decent thing, as countless other suppliers have, and remove the charge and refund all those who have already paid out of fear of losing their deposits.
    463 of 500 Signatures
    Created by natalie braithwaite
  • End press abuse
    Hounding and bullying celebrities and ordinary people. Harassing Grenfell Tower survivors. Stoking prejudice and hate against muslims, migrants and refugees. Some newspapers are getting away with ruining lives because the system that’s supposed to hold them to account is run by the very newspaper bosses publishing the stories. But it doesn't have to be like this. An independent regulator - with the power to really hold newspapers to account - could make sure there are real consequences when papers overstep the line. Broadcasters are regulated independently and soon social media companies could be too. Why shouldn’t newspapers be held to the same standard? It’s time to level the playing field. Nobody’s tweets should be more regulated than huge media outlets like The Sun and The Mail.
    47,000 of 50,000 Signatures
    Created by Hacked Off
  • Legislative Law for the Static Caravan Lodge Holiday Parks Industry,
    To stop the bad practices that have damaged the lives of so many people due to no fault of their own .
    6,780 of 7,000 Signatures
    Created by Keith Whitehouse Picture
  • Ban gambling companies from sponsoring football shirts
    If you go to a football match or watch football on TV, there is a high chance you will see a betting company's logo. That’s because the top football clubs in the country have deals with gambling companies, half of premier league teams have betting company logos on their kit. This means millions of fans across the UK and all over the world are being exposed to predatory companies which profit from problem gambling. An estimated 400,000 people in England have a gambling addiction. And it’s ruining lives. The Government and the Football Association should step in and do the right thing: ban any gambling company from sponsoring sponsoring football teams and advertising their brand on football shirts. Italy and Turkey have already banned gambling companies from sponsoring football shirts. Now it’s our turn.
    30,290 of 35,000 Signatures
  • British Gas - Reverse the Minimum Top-up Rise
    “I use a pre-pay meter because I can’t afford a direct debit. £5 may not sound a lot, but when you’re scraping together coppers just to make up the money, it can be the difference between a hot meal and going hungry.” – Daniel, British Gas customer* As anti-poverty campaigners and charities have made clear, this decision will mean that many parents and pensioners on low incomes will have to make a choice between food and fuel; it will mean not being able to cook a hot meal, have a bath or turn the heating on. Those who use top-up meters are often in debt and have insecure incomes, and rely on small top-ups to ration their heating to see themselves through to payday. What's more, research shows that those on pre-pay meters pay hundreds of pounds more in tariffs on average than direct debit customers. This decision will disproportionately affect those who are already struggling to get by. To implement it in the middle of winter, and what is the most financially challenging time of the year for many people, is the height of social irresponsibility. A company which last reported profits of £466 million should not be increasing the burden on its most hard-up customers. We ask that British Gas does the responsible thing and reverses this decision. Preet Gill MP has sent the following letter to British Gas bosses calling for this increase to be reversed. A huge petition, joining her call, could convince them to do the right thing: https://files.38degrees.org.uk/items/files/000/002/709/original/PKG_to_British_Gas_15-01-20.pdf *Name changed for anonymity
    92,807 of 100,000 Signatures
    Created by Preet Kaur Gill Picture
  • Lidl/Aldi for Stornoway
    Because there is very little choice between Coop and Tesco on an ever expanding Island. With tourism being high in the summer months shopping for locals can be a nightmare another couple of shops would help reduce the chaos.
    1,177 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by Rachael Mackenzie
  • Stop Viagogo taking over Stubhub
    Stubhub is currently Viagogo’s only competitor in the UK for ticket reselling. If Viagogo takes over Stubhub, Viagogo will have no competition when it comes to reselling tickets online. That means fans will only have one place to shop if they miss out on a sold out event. This should be stopped. Viagogo makes huge profits by capitalising on high demand on sold out events, and was recently investigated by the CMA for misleading customers. If they’re the only company in the UK reselling tickets, more and more fans will have no choice but use Viagogo. The Competition Markets Authority can stop this takeover happening. If they intervene in this deal, it could mean that fans have a customers and fans have better choice when trying to get tickets to their favourite concerts and events.
    508 of 600 Signatures
    Created by Emily Carroll
  • Hotels in the UK: Comply with the Modern Slavery Act
    Slavery did not end with abolition in the 19th century. Instead, it changed its forms and continues to harm people in every country in the world. Including here in the UK. Currently, the UK Modern Slavery Act requires companies with a turnover of £36 million to release annual statements of their anti-slavery efforts. And hotels and the hospitality industry often don't do enough to stop the exploitation of workers, and in the worst cases, modern slavery. But some of these hotel companies are not producing these statements - even though they have to by law. This means that right now we don't know if they are failing to address the specific risks of modern slavery in their direct operations and supply chains, because they are not releasing an annual report. These hotel chains must reflect on the specific risks facing the sector: they must do the bare minimum and take slavery seriously. *These groups have not complied as of 22 November 2019
    35,128 of 40,000 Signatures
  • Thomas Cook’s bosses should pay back their bonuses
    When travel company Thomas Cook collapsed, thousands of jobs were lost and families were stranded on holiday, desperate to get home. Our taxes ended up paying for the clean-up. But the bosses in charge at Thomas Cook walked away with millions of pounds in bonuses. It’s not right. Now the government is considering making them return the money, and stripping them of the right to run companies again. It would be a huge step forward in holding big business to account. Forcing Thomas Cook’s bosses to pay back their money won’t bring our jobs or holidays back. But it could send a message - you can’t walk away while the public clears up your mess. It could make other bosses think twice before taking risks with our jobs and savings. By signing the petition, together we can create a wave of public outrage - it could tip the government into cracking down properly on businesses who cause a mess and walk away.
    107,208 of 200,000 Signatures
    Created by Debbie Prior
  • Do away with Holiday Single supplements
    I have been campainging for years and have been interviewed locally By Hereford and Worcester local radio, had positive responses from Newspapers and contacted Rip Off Britain. I have been asked in the past to pay extra but refuse to do so. Tour operators are just as guilty as they are complicit in allowing this practice to continue.
    138 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Neil Scott
  • Stop Killing Our Town Centre
    Lowestoft is losing shops in its town centre almost weekly. The latest announcement that Tesco is to close its store in London Road North is the last straw. Although the Tesco store closure may be part of a national strategic re-think by Tesco, we know that town centres and high streets up and down the country are having to deal with competition from out-of-town retail parks and online retailers. We also know that footfall in Lowestoft town centre is discouraged by high business rates and the cost of town centre parking. These issues are compounded by cynical leasing practices: as leases come up for renewal, property owners frequently raise the rents making the businesses unsustainable. Property owners are often living in other towns or countries and have no interest or stake in local communities: basically, they are speculators. On top of all this, seaside towns and former fishing ports like Lowestoft are struggling to replace lost industry and livelihoods. People who don't drive are finding it harder and harder to shop. People with disabilities, older people and families are particularly affected by shop closures, especially those on low incomes. Not everyone has access to the Internet, and many of those who do still prefer to shop in store, for the social interaction and company that it gives them. Loneliness is recognised as a significant social problem for many people: especially the elderly and those with mental health issues. Access to local shops helps to combat the isolation of vulnerable people. Lowestoft Town Council, East Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council have all backed 'Climate Emergency' motions. This means in part encouraging people to walk, cycle and use public transport rather than drive. Retail parks are aimed at car drivers and they do little to build and support a sense of community. Lowestoft now has several retail parks. Town centres are a community link. A vibrant town centre is necessary for the economic regeneration of this town. But it is more than that: it should act as a hub for our community, something that we can build out from, and build a future on.
    328 of 400 Signatures
    Created by Wendy Brooks