• Old and Bold... give us our daycare back!
    If we can't go to Daycare we just stay at home alone, watching TV all day, we are isolated, depressed and get no exercise. What is the point of getting dressed in the morning if there is nowhere to go? At daycare we have a hot meal, see smiling faces, we can joke and talk about our problems with staff and friends in a way that we can't talk to our family. This gives us joy. We are worried about the 2/3rds of elderly who have now left.. we want them back. The average pension is £120 a week, three days at daycare now costs almost half of our pension. If we don't come to daycare and become depressed and sedentary we are more likely to use expensive services such as personal care, GP surgeries and hospitals. Daycare is a lifeline, many of us cannot get out on our own. Support us to stay fit, healthy, happy and in our own homes - lower the cost of daycare, it will save the council money in the long run.
    107 of 200 Signatures
    Created by kathleen friend
  • Save the Mansfield Brewery
    The Mansfield Brewery has a history dating back to 1885, however since the brand was merged with Marstons, it has faced Second Rate treatment in favour of Marstons own beers, such as Pedigree, and Hobgolbin. If this treatment is continued, then it is likely this historic brand may eventually cease to be produced and a vital part of Mansfields heritage will be gone forever. The brewery brand is an important reminiscent of a key part of Mansfields history, and deserves to live on under the Marstons brand, rather than being marginalised in favour of other Masrtons Marques.
    65 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Ant Mitchell
  • Boats Are Homes! Prevent the Eviction of Boat Dwellers
    Canal & River Trust (CART) declared on 13th February 2015 that from 1st May this year it will refuse to re-license all boats that “don’t move … far enough or often enough” to meet its Guidance for Boaters without a Home Mooring – unless they take a permanent mooring. This places boat families under unique pressure as many cannot afford a mooring. Many boat dwellers work locally and some are key workers. Many require access to local services such as health care and schools and will be put to extreme difficulty if forced to move unreasonable distances. Like it or not, socio-political realities have made the waterways an affordable housing resource for many families. Canal & River Trust has long denied this reality, describing themselves as a 'navigation authority' and harbouring a marked hostility towards the water-based community. This position is no longer tenable and CART needs to accept its responsibilities as a landlord. MORE INFORMATION CART's new policy sets requirements that go beyond those stated in Section 17 (3)(c)(ii) of the British Waterways Act 1995. Boat dwellers are happy to comply with the clearly stated, lawful requirement not to remain continuously in any one place for more than 14 days. However, the 1995 Act does not contain any requirement to travel a minimum distance or to follow any specific cruising pattern beyond the 14-day limit. The new policy means that boat dwellers are being forced to travel distances that put them out of reach of their jobs or their children's schools, and make it impossible for them to access health care or to stay near elderly relatives. If they choose to keep their homes they will be faced with the need to give up working, take their children out of school, miss out on vital health care and abandon elderly family members. If a boat licence is terminated, or renewal refused, the boat is then unlicensed. CART has the power under Section 8 (2) of the British Waterways Act 1983 to seize, remove and sell unlicensed boats from its waterways. Section 13 (3) (a) of the British Waterways Act 1971 gives CART the power to demolish a houseboat that it has seized. In cases where a boat is lived on, CART obtains a Court Order and also obtains an Injunction banning the boat dweller from ever returning to its waterways. Breach of an Injunction carries the penalty of arrest and imprisonment. Therefore, the boat dweller not only becomes homeless but loses the only asset that they own. Information provided in response to a Freedom of information request showed that in 2010-2011 the enforcement team had a target to seize 100 "non compliant" boats each year. When boats are seized, CART contracts with a firm of Bailiffs to tow the boat away and the Police are present. Permanent residential moorings that boat dwellers can legally live on are in very short supply. Where they exist, they are very expensive (up to £25,000 per year in London). The majority of marinas will turn you away if you live on your boat. Over 90% of permanent moorings are non-residential (“leisure moorings”). CART knows that if boat dwellers live on leisure moorings they risk having planning enforcement action taken against them for unauthorised residential use. In London and the south there is a severe shortage of moorings and mooring fees are vastly inflated. CART's own directly managed moorings are priced using an auction system where the highest bidder wins. Some private moorings have waiting lists of 9 years and more. There is no security of tenure for boat moorings so even if you do take a mooring, you could be evicted at the whim of the marina owner. CART is the largest inland navigation authority in the UK. It owns or manages some 80% of the waterways. The Environment Agency and other smaller bodies own and/or manage the remaining 20%. If CART refuses to renew the licence of a boat dweller, there are few, if any, other places that a boat dweller can take their boat. CART's latest move is yet another attack on the right to use and live on a boat without a permanent mooring; a right that Parliament enshrined in law in 1995 when it passed Section 17 (3)(c)(ii) of the British Waterways Act 1995. Before 1995 British Waterways (which became CART in 2012) sought powers to force all boats to have a mooring and criminal penalties against anyone caught living on their boat without a permanent residential mooring and a houseboat certificate. Parliament refused British Waterways these powers and acted to protect the 10,000 or so boat dwellers that would have become homeless in 1995 by wording Section 17 (3)(c)(ii) of the British Waterways Act 1995 in such a way that it included a wide variety of patterns of boat use including those boat dwellers who needed to remain close to a place of work, children's education, health care or elderly relatives. The reasoning behind the wording of this section can be found in the Minutes of Evidence of the Select Committees that drafted the 1995 Act.
    34,123 of 35,000 Signatures
    Created by Account Deleted Picture
  • Ask Edinburgh Council to keep Engine Shed open
    The Engine Shed is a renowned training scheme which has transformed the lives of young people with learning disabilities for the past 25 years. They have helped many young people with learning disabilities gain skills in a real work environment and supported them to move into mainstream, paid employment. Trainees work alongside staff in the vegetarian café, organic bakery, organic tofu production unit and conference centre while developing skills for life. The Engine Shed is due to close down on the 19th February, 2015, due to Edinburgh Council stopping its funding. The.council says it will replace this with a new supported employment system, but critics point out that over 75% of Remploy employees are still unemployed after its closure. Let's ask Edinburgh Council to think again!
    6,687 of 7,000 Signatures
    Created by Jane Gaye Bell
  • Stop the demolition of Beach Road School
    Beach Road school was built in the 1800's and is a beautiful example of historical architecture. It has served as both an infant and junior school for thousands of pupils and also found usage in both the First and Second World War as an army hospital. It was closed in 2008 when the school was merged with William Gladstone. If properly looked after this building could stand for another 100 years, but, of course, the solution is simply to demolish it. Please, let's have our say and not let Sefton Council take the easy way out and demolish what could be a useful building. These decisions to demolish are usually met with regret in years to come as they will never be rebuilt and the history is forever lost. Stand up now while we can. Thanks for your support.
    460 of 500 Signatures
    Created by Paul Hutchinson
  • Keep the Ban on selling Alcohol at Scottish Football matches
    It has been proven that alcohol consumption at Scottish football matches leads to increases in violence and domestic violence. The ban has the backing of leading anti-abuse charities and has made football family friendly and reduced cases of violence, it should not be reversed.
    196 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Steven McIntyre
  • List Isleworth's Red Lion as a Community Asset
    We love the Red Lion because it is a real hub of our close-knit community. We love the neighbourly feel, the great beer and even greater music nights, and we want to preserve it as it is.
    813 of 1,000 Signatures
    Created by Julian Joyce
  • stop the closure of Wem care home in shropshire
    The community have been shocked by the announcement of the closure on 27 th January 2015 ,winter,time of greatest demand for places, and the speed of progressing closure by moving on residents before any consultation has happened. A full and proper consultation needs to take place Answers are needed about the agenda the council has for the site.Why offers to take on the care home from the business company pulling out have been rejected without due consideration. These residents are having to move out of their local area,their needs for stability of good care are not being considered.They are being "evicted" out of their last home and are distressed,fearful and anxious.Their concerns and needs need to be represented as do the staff faced with immanent job loss. What is the agenda here?
    361 of 400 Signatures
    Created by Bernadette Kent
  • Save the Post-Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) course at UWE
    If you value the quality of further education in Bristol and the South West then we need to save this fantastic course that routinely develops and delivers excellent new teachers. These Level Seven graduates find employment within our local colleges, some of which include: 
Bridgwater College City of Bath College City of Bristol College- All campuses SGS Filton/Wise Swindon New College Weston College Wiltshire College The proposed closure of this course at the University of the West of England means that not only will local graduates have to travel further afield to Cardiff or Plymouth to take this course, but that our local colleges will have less and less highly qualified new teachers to employ within the area. Unfortunately it is not a government requirement to hold a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) to teach in FE colleges, but more and more colleges are seeking this in new staff so that their students get the BEST teachers. Please sign this to show your support for QUALITY education from QUALIFIED teachers. Thank you very much, your support is heartily appreciated.
    381 of 400 Signatures
    Created by Liberty Tavener
  • Save The Green Dragon, Winchmore Hill
    There has been a Green Dragon pub on or near this site since 1726 and we feel very strongly that this traditional part of Winchmore Hill life should be maintained. When properly managed the pub was a vibrant centre of the community filled with laughter and conversation and we believe that with proper ownership and management it can be again. The building is an important historical landmark which identifies Winchmore Hill to those passing through, and as such prevents the area from being just another faceless section of Green Lanes. The pub has survived wars and countless other times of great difficulty and poverty over nearly 300 years, yet we are in danger of allowing it to be destroyed now just because of a few years of poor turnover and somebody's desire to make a quick profit. Please help us to save The Green Dragon and ensure its future at the heart of our community where Winchmore Hill residents can gather together to laugh, talk, eat, drink and celebrate as so many generations have before.
    4,623 of 5,000 Signatures
    Created by Mike McClean
  • A referendum on the refurbishment of the palace of Westminster
    As someone who worked in the building industry for over twenty years and watched the BBC 2 documentary entitled Inside the commons. In my personal opinion The palace of Westminster would need to be closed in the near future to be refurbished as a grade 1 listed building that was built in the 1840s. This type of refurbishment would come under heritage restrictions and cost the tax payer up to 3 Billion pounds. With services like the NHS and local government in this county coming under Budgetary pressures it's called austerity. Can we really justify this immense expense of a future refurbishment of the palace of Westminster with out first giving the people of Great Britain a referendum if they agree the massive cost to the tax payer . Democracy may judge that the general public say they want MPs to do there business in another way in there constituency locality. With out the filibustering of Prime ministers question times.
    91 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Mark Cherry
  • Support Paralympic Sailing
    The decision to withdraw sailing from the Paralympics comes at a time when the opportunities for disabled sailing are expanding. The reason given for the withdrawal is that not enough nations provide sailing for disabled people. Any sport takes time to develop, especially something that was considered impossible until very recently. But as the awareness of disabled sailing has increased so have the numbers participating and so have the number of nations taking it up. Clearly the International Paralympic Committee has decided it will not wait for the necessary increase, and in doing so, will deprive disabled people in less developed countries of the opportunity to take up a sport where they can use their minds to race as well as any able bodied person. It is a disgraceful decision and although the IPC says it is Final, nothing is ever final. If enough people get behind the campaign the IPC will either have to face the opprobrium of many or change their decision: The words of Shel Silverstein’s Poem “The Musn’ts” comes to mind. Listen to the mustn’ts child, Listen to the Don’ts. Listen to the Shouldn’t’s, The Impossibles, the Won’ts. Listen to the don’t have’s, Then listen close to me. Anything is possible Everything can be. If enough people get behind the campaign the Committee will either have to face the opprobrium of many or change their decision.
    20 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Charles Morland