This is important because after so many years of governments and police trying to shut down our scene we are still here and we still feel we are doing no harm. If you feel the same then please sign this petition and get this issue addressed by the people who can make a change.

Access to Work isn't a benefit and doesn't incur a cost to government - in fact it brings money into the treasury, yet Deaf and disabled people are having their support allowance capped or cuts made (meaning they can no longer afford to use qualified interpreters or the support they need). This places jobs at risk and has already resulted in job losses and demotions. People currently in work are potentially being forced out of work and onto benefits, which goes against everything the government is telling us they are trying to achieve. Deaf and disabled people bring a vast amount of skill and talent to our workforce that we can't afford to lose. We want to ensure that full support is provided, and people are enabled to gain, maintain and progress in their chosen careers. Personal choice and control needs to be handed back to the experts on Deaf and disabled access needs in the workplace - the individual Deaf and disabled people who use the scheme We want to ensure Deaf and disabled people are not subjected to a glass ceiling due to lack of support.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE ENHANCEMENT OF OLD PORTSMOUTH'S HISTORIC ARCHES - SIGN THE PETITION ON THE RIGHT OF THIS PAGE PORTSMOUTH ARTches Arts & Crafts Quarter proposals are under attack from a group of residents who want to protect their own interests. The proposed plans will enhance the area for the common benefit of the people who live in portsmouth with the additional objective of increasing tourism. It will also provide more jobs and other opportunities. SEE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RodM9qLqA_k Any objection is a prime example of local residents trying to stop anything happening on there own doorstep and treating the surrounding area as their own back garden. Can you not see what a waste of space these arches actually are, at the moment they stink of urine where they are used as unofficial public toilets. Bring them back to life and then regenerate the whole seafront. By all means object to anything tacky going there but don't obstruct the Council every time they try and improve something or you will end up with nothing ! 91% of people (out of 380) citywide who attended the citywide public consultation WANT the ARTches and like the proposals. ENGLISH HERITAGE are really enthusiastic with their support for ARTches quarter proposals. To get the £1.9million (bid to national Coastal Communities Fund) needed they need planning permission. The ARTches arts & crafts project is also already supported by Partnership for South Hampshire 'PUSH' (who have put £40,000 towards it) and the 'Portsmouth Society'. The ARTches is supported by the Uni of Portsmouth Arts Faculty senior lecturer too and will help lots of local artists and innovators.

Portsmouth City Council has submitted a planning application to redevelop the historic Point Battery Area of Old Portsmouth. It is almost inevitable that the area will lose its historic ambience and become just another café and retail outlet location. The heritage statement for the ARTches details that: “The primary objective for this development is to provide an artist's quarter and creative centre in the vacant arches and ancillary buildings that make up Point Battery.” Portsmouth City Council has not made the business case for changing this place of national, historic value into a low-rent market type venue with cafes and a brasserie. Therefore, the suggestion that the profits from low rent/subsidised units can go towards the upkeep of this heritage area, has no foundation beyond wishful thinking. This is an area with immense history and of international repute and interest. Once it has been tampered with, it will be gone forever. Local people are deeply concerned that there will be lasting damage to the listed buildings and their setting. Old Portsmouth is an area already well served by pubs/bars and cafes. If the proposed new cafes and brasserie were paying less rent and business rates then it would be unfair on existing businesses who work hard to survive especially during these difficult economic times. Please sign our petition and help stop the desecration of these historic listed buildings and their setting in the misguided pursuit of wildly optimistic commercial gain. PLEASE, ALSO OBJECT TO THE PLANNING APPLICATION: Use this link: http://idox.portsmouth.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=MTA36TMO5G000 to register and make an objection.

The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham council are proposing to close Sulivan Primary School in order to provide a site for a Free School.If the Council are successful in their closure the land Sulivan occupies would be given away by the council to a Church of England Free secondary school for 800 boys. Sulivan would then be merged with a primary school who are currently applying to become an academy. If the proposal goes ahead there will be a 20% decline in primary places on offer. This is a political decision not an educational one! Want to tell the Council how you feel about this? Please fill in the lbhf Consultation Form http://buff.ly/1ektOA0 it will only take 5 minutes and is vital to our campaign. The community are proud of Sulivan. It is an all inclusive school, Ofsted awarded good with outstanding features. The children's well being and happiness gained a top score in its last inspection. It is 89% full and its role is ever increasing (76% of parents chose Sulivan reception as their first choice). The nursery and reception are full with a waiting list. This year Sulivan celebrated its best SAT results ever. The one storey building is well maintained and is accessible for children with disabilities. There are nature gardens, a pond, meadow and playgrounds. The children grow food and cook in a special kitchen and outdoor science lessons are taught. Music lessons are provided by a full time music teacher and Spanish is taught in every Key Stage 2 class. There is so much (and more) Sulivan offer to the children who attend. If the council close this unique and wonderful school it will have a devastating effect on 300 children, their parents, carers, teachers and support staff. Please help us in saving Sulivan School. The Consultation deadline is 8th October 2013 and we need lots of support. Thank you! Again, if you feel strongly about what is happening to Sulivan then please complete the Councils Consultation form, http://buff.ly/1ektOA0 it's really important and will only take 5 minutes. Find out more at www.saveoursulivan.org Follow us on Twitter @saveoursulivan & Facebook savesulivanschool

I believe that the time has come that our representatives should no longer be allowed to eat at subsidised private restaurants, and that the food they consume should be brought into line with food the general public can buy at the same price point. Our MPs, having just given themselves a 25% pay rise, are still able to eat subsidised food at these exclusive restaurants, often for less than the cost of a full english breakfast at a greasy spoon cafe, or a McDonalds "meal deal". Please refer to the cost they pay for meals as shown in the freedom of information request from 2012, as linked below for some indication of the (sarcasm alert !) outrageous costs they have to pay. http://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/foi-responses/foi-disclosures-2012/foi-disclosures-july---september-2012-/house-of-commons-restaurants-and-bars/ Example: Grilled rump steak with Diane sauce and parmentier potatoes £4

Since it opened a year ago, The Bohemia has become a much-loved and popular local pub. It has quickly become a valued part of the local community, hosting a range of events from film nights and music to stand-up comedy. Along with its good food and great range of real ales, The Bohemia attracted people from all parts of the community. It has also supported an event organised last Christmas to promote local businesses in North Finchley. Unlike the previous pub on The Bohemia’s site, The Bohemia is a genuine community pub that has not attracted any police complaints and is a real asset to our high street. We want North Finchley to be a thriving and successful town centre where people want to live, work and visit for business, shopping and leisure. The Bohemia was part of this and its closure is a set back.

Victims of Caste based discrimination deserve immediate legal protection to avoid continued suffering. The Government is proposing an unacceptable delay in bringing what is already law, into force. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/caste-discrimination-legislation-timetable Here are just some of the many hundreds of cases showing that caste-based discrimination is a fact in the UK in 2013. - Mr G endured intimidating, hostile and degrading environment at the hands of so called Upper Castes at his work place. He was forced to resort to hunger strike action to draw attention of his employer to his plight. - An elderly lady is not given attention in a care home in accordance with her care plan due to discriminatory actions of Upper Caste care administrator. - Children in schools routinely face caste labelling and name-calling resulting in Bullying and harassment in Schools. A Pupil endured Caste bullying where he could not complete GCSE projects due to negativity and violence of those around him. - A professional couple at a law firm endured caste based bullying, intimidation and harassment as a consequence of inter-caste marriage. Superiors at work did everything to dissuade them from marrying resulting in harassment, snide remarks and denial of pay hike and promotion, eventually culminating in his dismissal after several years in service and her resignation. This discrimination is confirmed not only by the many victims but also by Government-commissioned independent research from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (2010) and other sources (see http : //niesr.ac.uk/sites/default/files/publications/caste-discrimination.pdf). We therefore demand the following: 1 The Government must act quickly to give effect to Parliament’s intention and to protect actual and potential victims of caste discrimination; 2 The Government must act immediately to set a new and prompt timetable for any further consultation; 3 Any consultation must start as soon as possible and must last no longer than 12 weeks; and 4 Any consultation must in any event end in sufficient time for the making of an Order under the terms of s.9(5) of the Equality Act 2010 by June 2014 at the latest.** ** petition still active due to government procrastination

The evidence of the effects of existing Unconventional Gas Extraction operations around the world is a serious cause for concern. The potential exists for toxic and radioactive water contamination, severe air pollution, tens of thousands of wells, pipelines and compressor stations devastating the countryside and blighting communities. The geological stability implications are also well documented. This form of unconventional gas extraction is short lived , whilst the environmental impact would last for generations. Fresh water supply requirements is another area of concern, potentially causing widespread drinking water shortages, reduced water quality and driving up prices. Without full disclosure of the long term risks, enabling the people to determine the costs and benefits, licenses cannot and should not be granted. Many European countries and others further afield have issued blanket bans on unconventional gas extraction operations. The reasons for this need to be evaluated in order to decide whether 'we' in the UK are prepared to take the risk. The only way this industry can take hold in the UK is if we allow it, in an open and transparent debate and being aware of the risks. There are many alternative methods of energy generation which can be researched and developed. The environment and our communities must take top priority over all else!

Smithfield General Market is under threat. A major London landmark, the buildings are part of one of the greatest market parades in Europe built by Sir Horace Jones, the architect of Tower Bridge. Proposals from a group of investors and developers have been approved by the City of London Corporation. These involve major demolition of the buildings only leaving 3 stretches of street frontages standing. The plans will see the interiors, including the great market halls, completely demolished to make way for offices that will rise up above the remaining facades. There are already too many empty office buildings in London - there is no need to build more. Moreover, the City has hundreds of thousands of square metres already in the pipeline not far from Smithfield. These proposals will cause substantial harm to the conservation area and will break up a complete group of protected historic market buildings. These buildings have been standing empty for too long. We are backing a fully-funded, viable, conservation-led alternative that would preserve the General Market and Fish Market in their entirety and allow them to open within months as a food market and a place for cafes, retail, bars and restaurants. The City of London Corporation was advised to put the site on the open market following a public inquiry five years ago, to allow a conservation-led scheme to come forward. The City, who own the freehold, never did this. We are asking the Secretary of State and his Planning Minister to call the application in for a full public inquiry, to ensure that this important site is saved for the nation. The campaign already has the support of all the National Amenity Societies, many local businesses and residents, and notable names such as Michelin-starred chef Fergus Henderson, author and playwright Alan Bennett, and MP Glenda Jackson. “If you go to St Bartholomew’s and then walk through Smithfield, it is like walking from one cathedral to another. You wouldn’t pull down St Bartholomew’s, nor should you pull down Smithfield. Smithfield was the scene of many martyrdoms – this would be another.” Alan Bennett “You can’t stop change but you should be able to recognize when something is extraordinary which Smithfield General Market is! This is the time to say no.” Fergus Henderson For more information please see SAVE's website: http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/news/campaigns.php Link to the most recent press article, in the Financial Times, August 2nd. ‘Smithfield: Alternative option for Reviving historic London Market.’ http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1510ebfa-f83f-11e2-b4c4-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2bBXyYs6d

Since the unfortunate and sad end of GuilFest last year, organisers have been inundated with requests and offers of support in helping to reinstate the festival. Organisers have been busy and in continuing discussions with each other throughout this year looking at as to how and whether the festival could reinstate itself again next year (2014) . Organisers want to bring back the experience that has been appreciated locally by both young and old for 21 years. The festival provides an important role in the community and it is invaluable with regard to businesses and employment, not to mention local artists and performers. It is felt that 21 years of hard work in building this yearly family focussed independent event, which has seen a vast array of the world’s finest musicians and performers visit Guildford, cannot just be lost. Please show your support in bringing back the local treasure that is GuilFest by signing this petition.

Since the Wheatsheaf has been refurbished the pub has become a real magnet for local people, showing that in the right hands it is very much a viable business. On Friday 19th July rumours were circulating that the lease had expired and the present tenant Gregarious (formerly Antic) were on 24hr closure notice. There was also concern that whilst Gregarious want to buy the lease they were being outbid by Tesco. On Saturday 20th July this petition was launched. Some 10 days later, over 8,000 people had signed the petition. Early wins - but there is still work to do: Sadiq Khan MP received a letter from Enterprise Inns (the owner of the freehold) on Tuesday 30th in the afternoon stating that they are no longer selling the pub. Tesco have also, via our MP, confirmed that they are no longer looking to purchase the pub. There are a few on-going actions to ensure that we can secure the pub should Enterprise Inns change their minds. An application to get the pub listed as a community asset has been made, an application to get an article 4 listing has been made, and we are also looking to get the building listed as a 'Wandsworth Borough Council Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest'. Tooting is fortunate to have a diverse range of shops, and a lot of independent traders. We need to show the council the amount of support that exists to keep this community asset. On the blog you can find out more about how you can help to make sure that we win this battle. Tweet: #SavetheWheatsheaf and link to the petition please.