Defiant Sports are a Community Interest Company that provides fully inclusive access to a variety of sports regardless of ability or disability. They are a much loved and invaluable local service provider for many disabled and disadvantaged individuals, families and communities. This vital service is now under threat due to council actions. Those responsible need to be held to account and the people of Eastbourne need transparency over what is happening with the Fort Fun site and why the whole matter has been handled so appallingly via a public meeting. Just before Christmas 2023 Defiant Sports were told by Eastbourne Council that they would have to vacate the Fort Fun Site (a previously derelict amusement park located on Eastbourne Seafront). Yet just 12 months earlier the council had highly praised their plans for the site (which had the potential to make Eastbourne an attractive equal opportunities resort for disabled people) when they announced they were to be awarded a joint 5 year lease, along with Wingrove House. The group achieved this after a long and arduous bidding process where various local charities, not for profits and small enterprises had been encouraged to apply for the opportunity to develop the site and to submit plans of intent. The bidding process and criteria were unclear, the process was dragged out with deadlines moved and decisions continually delayed, some bidders only finding via Facebook that their bid would be rejected as they had asked for a long term lease and then discovered that the council only intended to award a short term 5 year lease. During the bidding process there was much disquiet on social media as to why the council was not looking for a major funder and questions were asked as to why only a short term lease was being offered. Councillor Robert Smart made it clear to some seafront groups this was because there was a chance that in the future the Eden Project might be interested in the site. This has been reinforced by his statement to the press this last week and in discussion with two constituents in a Meads conservative councillor surgery. When Council leader, David Tutt made the announcement that Defiant Sports would have the site, shortly before the local elections, he spoke glowingly about the plans they had put forward. Loretta and her team immediately started ploughing a load of resources and manpower into realising their vison for the site. The council failed to fulfil its duty to provide access to water or electricity or any planning permissions necessary for them to make any real headway despite frequent requests and the fact that these were based on the submission which had led to the council awarding them the lease in the first place. Without these permissions Defiant Sports could not apply for the grants which they had made clear to the council were necessary to realise their ambitions. Their hands were tied. Despite this they made a huge visible impact on the site, clearing much of the external structures, dismantling equipment and having much of the site waste, in the area allocated to them, removed. Amidst this process the council suddenly decided to change the area Defiant Sports had been allocated but in the ensuing months failed to define how they were going to do this - again leaving Defiant Sports unable to move forward. However much of the site had been visibly cleared by them. This was in stark contrast to Wingrove House, with whom they shared the site. Wingrove House had been awarded part of the site 6 months earlier than Defiant Sports with the, now retired, Councillors Burton and Tutt promising that their part of the site would be open by September 2022. Yet 18 months on and Wingrove House have not opened any part of their section of the site. However, despite all of this, the council have inexplicably announced that they are now awarding sole use of the site to Wingrove House and Defiant Sports are being forced to vacate it. Having focussed so much time and energy on this project - which it now appears the council had absolutely no intention of letting them realise - the group find themselves in financial difficulties and having to drastically reduce the services it offers. This abysmal near destruction of a small worthy community group that provides such a unique and necessary service to many local families, individuals and communities is reprehensible. The council need to be held to account for the total mismanagement of this process, reparation needs to be made to Defiant Sports and an alternative venue urgently found for them. Explanations also have to be given as to why Wingrove House now has sole use of the site and why does the site seem to be being reserved just in case the Eden Project want it in the vague future with no open, national tendering process. Please sign and demand the council: • compensate Defiant Sports for all the work they have done on the site over the last 12 months (estimated at £75k) • find them suitable alternative accommodation as a matter of urgency so they can restore some of their programme and support the disabled and disadvantaged in our community. • Request the council hold a public meeting with all the relevant councillors and officers there so we, the people of Eastbourne, can get some transparency over what the council's rationale was, what their intentions are, what it is that the Eden Project might have in mind, and open details over the results of the Eden Project feasibility study on which the council have spent £150k.

This is to send a clear message that there should be genuine punishment for those who cause others to suffer so much.

Alan Bates fully deserves recognition. Highlighting those who were and are the problem deserve likewise.

All the Politicians & Post Office executives conspired to cover up hundreds of wrongful prosecutions of Postmasters based on the flawed Horizon system. None of them have have ever been penalised in any way.

To get justice for all of those people wrongfully accused and convicted for something that they did not do.

A shocking BBC investigation has uncovered widespread abuse of body-worn cameras by police officers. In some cases, officers are turning off cameras right before using force on members of the public. They’re also DELETING crucial footage and sharing sensitive videos in private WhatsApp groups. What’s worse, under the current guidelines - they can get away with it! With the policing watchdog warning that confidence in the police is at its lowest point ever, the Home Office must take robust measures to increase transparency in policing. Suella Braverman needs to make it compulsory for officers to keep their body cams on while on duty and hand over all relevant footage for trials.

Lack of Public Discourse: The Home Office's refusal to engage in open, transparent, and inclusive conversations about cannabis policy denies the British public the opportunity to voice their opinions, concerns, and ideas on a matter that affects millions of citizens. Selective Adherence to Expert Advice: The revelation that the Home Office disregarded the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs' recommendation for drug decriminalization while acting on other advice raises questions about the consistency and transparency of decision-making. Impact on Communities: Current cannabis policies have real-life consequences, including criminalization, disproportionate law enforcement, and potential harm to individuals and communities. These policies should be reviewed impartially to ensure they are effective and just. Our Concerns: We are concerned about the perception that certain decisions regarding cannabis policy may have been influenced by interests outside the realm of public welfare. It is important that any investigation into Home Office cannabis policy includes a careful examination of the factors, including potential industry interests, that have influenced decision-making. This should be done to ensure that policies are developed and implemented in the best interests of the public. Our Request: We call upon the UK government to launch a formal investigation into the Home Office's handling of cannabis policy. This investigation should include, but not be limited to: 1 - An examination of the decision-making process regarding cannabis policy, including the factors considered and the extent to which expert advice is followed. 2 - A review of the impact of current cannabis policies on individuals, communities, and public health. 3 - An assessment of the Home Office's commitment to transparent and inclusive public conversations on drug policy matters. We believe that a comprehensive investigation is essential to ensure that drug policies in the UK are grounded in evidence, promote public well-being, and reflect the values of an informed and engaged society. Conclusion: By signing this petition, you join us in urging the UK government to conduct a thorough investigation into the Home Office's handling of cannabis policy. We believe that transparency, fairness, and evidence-based decision-making are essential in shaping policies that impact the lives of millions. This petition aims to gather public support and bring attention to the need for a fair and impartial assessment of cannabis policy in the UK, highlighting the importance of open dialogue and adherence to expert advice, while remaining open to a wide range of concerns.

Too many breeds being tarnished by the same brush when really the reality is it’s down to irresponsible owners.

To be unjustly arrested and incarcerated for 20 years of his adult life is bad enough, but, then to suggest he should pay cost in money for it is wrong, wrong, wrong

It's important because so many people are being penalised for following the law but parliament and the police are on completely different pages and giving justified good people the correct information on knife law. So everyone knows where they stand and this is not open to debate. A universal UK no quibble knife law would protect people and defer the people who use these knives in vicious attacks with no question as to what they have done and what the punishment would be.

On Saturday 13th August 1831 the twenty three year old Richard Lewis was led to the scaffold in Cardiff and hanged by the neck until dead for allegedly injuring a soldier in the Merthyr rising riots. His trial was mired in controversy. The trial reports indicate that there was no reliable evidence proving Richard Lewis had caused any wounding and witnesses contradicted themselves. Nonetheless, he was found guilty due to the political climate of protest and revolt. We believe he was made a scapegoat so others did not follow in his example! In 1874, a man named Ianto Parker confessed on his death bed, in the USA to the Reverend Evan Evans that he stabbed the soldier and then fled to America fearing capture by the authorities. Another man named James Abbot, who testified against Penderyn at the trial, also admitted to lying under oath. We call on King Charles to right this cruel injustice! "O Arglwydd, dyma gamwedd." (O Lord, this is injustice.) Were the final words of Dic Penderyn, before being executed for a crime he didn't commit, the stabbing and wounding a soldier in the skirmishes between the starving workers of Merthyr Tudful and armed soldiers sent in to quell the Merthyr Rising of 1831. 191 yrs on, the original injustice is perpetuated by the lack of a pardon...time to put that right!

Anyone can break suddenly, this is not something we need to waste time and money testing for. Cars are even equipped with automatic safety breaks that entirely eliminate the need for good reaction times. Too many failed tests too much backlog not enough passed drivers losing money losing time losing as a country.