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Tell Sainsbury's Not To Abandon FairtradeSainsbury's have started a trial of its own 'Fairly Traded' label to replace their support of the Fairtrade certification scheme. The Fairtrade Foundation is an internationally renowned and respected certification scheme, which empowers and supports farmers around the globe by ensuring they are paid a minimum price for their produce, as well as a financial bonus which is reinvested in their local communities in the form of education, pensions, and sick pay. Fairtrade ensures that the entire supply chain of companies is independently audited, and their work directly helps those living below the global poverty line. Whilst not perfect, they are the gold standard in ethical trading. Sainsbury's is the latest in a line of companies who are choosing to abandon their support of Fairtrade in favour of their own schemes. Where Sainsbury's differs from some other companies though, is that they had been such a large champion of Fairtrade, that their potential withdrawal from it could start a ripple effect which could lead to the beginning of the end of the scheme. Whilst Sainsbury's' own scheme will guarantee a minimum price for producers, the financial bonus will no longer go straight to the farmers that deserve it, but instead will have to be approved by a Sainsbury's foundation. This directly disempowers farmers who work hard to produce the items we take for granted in our weekly shops, such as tea, coffee, sugar, and bananas. Farmers will no longer be guaranteed this bonus, which can run into thousands of pounds and make a critical difference in poorer parts of the world. Michael Gidney, CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation says that the Sainsbury's scheme does not meet Fairtrade’s core principles, particularly in the area of “producer empowerment”. Many people believe that Sainsbury's are introducing this scheme as a cost-cutting measure to improve their own bottom line. Urge them to rethink their policy and not to abandon their support of Fairtrade. For more info, read here: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jun/24/fairtrade-crashing-down-sainsburys-tesco-tea-growers-nairobi http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/Media-Centre/News/May-2017/Open-letter-to-Sainsburys-from-Fairtrade-producers https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/buying-and-supplying/sourcing/ngos-attack-sainsburys-over-fairtrade-row/553567.article5,168 of 6,000 SignaturesCreated by Taheerah Atchia
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Keep Barclays Bank on County Road LiverpoolThe bank sits in a ward already suffering from high deprivation and local people rely on their services to access their money. Barclays offer basic bank accounts ideal for people on low incomes and facing challenging times. Liverpool has had 58% of its funding budget cut from services since 2010, and the closure of this bank would be another blow to local people already bearing the brunt of government cuts.190 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Kay Davies
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Boris Johnson MP is not a fit or proper British Foreign Secretary. He lacks the required skills.To allow the government to effectively undertake Brexit negotiations and other important internationally focussed negotiations with friends and allies about Britain's place in a changing world.856 of 1,000 SignaturesCreated by Dave Traxson
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Bring an Aldi Store to Barry, South WalesBarry is the 5th largest town in Wales (after Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Wrexham and Merthyr) and could easily support an Aldi store. This would give local people access to the two budget supermarkets and widen the choices available to the people in Barry. Using Facebook as my measure, I believe that there is a significant majority of people in Barry that would welcome the addition of an Aldi store and that the Vale's planning department should respect the wishes of the people in Barry32 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Will Hills
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Help prevent conversion of The Bengal Bear restaurant into flatsWe are a local village restaurant striving to attract customers to experience our freshly prepared food. As we provide soft drinks, customers use local shops for beverages. As a result this has increased village trade! Our vegetables and poultry are sourced by local suppliers to benefit local businesses. Our objective is to support our community, as we contribute towards our village events. We also enjoy accommodating our friends from the local care homes on their days out.799 of 800 SignaturesCreated by Afzal Uddin
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Please let the People Parking Bay in Hackney remainWe would like to see a people parking bay or parklet in every street in Hackney. The provision of official parklets by Hackney Council in three locations in Hackney in three years is welcome and we recognise Hackney is ahead of the curve in London. However, it will take a millennium to have a significant impact on the parking environment in Hackney. Therefore, we would like to work with the Council to develop a community and business led 'parklet' programme that will allow people and businesses to invest in the public realm. This experimental community parklet allows the gauging of public support for such an idea. Please do let the experiment run its course. The bay is very popular with residents and passers by. The visitor book has hundreds of positive comments: https://goo.gl/photos/gUA8bbtaMamuCcUC8 Walking is the most common way for people to get around in Hackney but while car parking dominates kerbside space there is little provision for pedestrians to rest. Many people, including older and disabled people, and people with kids need regular rest stops while walking, and pavements are too narrow for walking let alone placing benches on them. The popularity of this people parking bay is demonstrating that resting spots for pedestrians are likely to very popular. The people parking bay was a lead article in Local Transport Today. https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/parking-review/news/53699/hackney-resident-wants-to-convert-parking-bays-into-people-places www.peopleparkingbay.com947 of 1,000 SignaturesCreated by Brenda Puech
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Include commitment to membership of the single market in The Queen's speechIn light of the British electorate's response to The Government's request for a mandate to pursue what has been termed a 'hard Brexit' approach to leaving the EU I believe that the Government should now respect the will of the people for a 'softer Brexit'. In order to demonstrate that commitment I petition The Government to include a clause in The Queen's speech to guarantee to the British people that the UK will remain within the single market as part of the terms of withdrawal from the EU.5 of 100 SignaturesCreated by steven w
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Stop over packaging and use of non-recyclable products especially in the food industryImagine that pile of rubbish pictured creating a corresponding mountain of tax revenue from whomever is unnecessarily putting non-recyclable materials into the supply chain. In Germany, the supermarkets themselves have bins near the checkout area into which customers are tacitly invited to place their unwanted packaging items for the retailers to dispose of. We need to minimise the use of non-recyclable packaging in retail, especially our fresh food. I used to work at a labelling factory: there are other viable ways of packaging, tagging, labelling and barcoding products that do not entail use of non-recyclable products. Nor is there any need for food retailers to ask customers to use plastic bags to package products such as loose vegetables in for weighing at tills (they need to be transparent for the person on the till to identify what they're weighing). It used to be that loose items would be weighed by staff in the same way as at their delis, where barcoded labels would be produced for the till staff to scan at checkout. More recyclable products - not film, tetrapack, or anything else that is not widely recyclable - should be used. I also want to see a ban on the use of any non-recyclable disposable gloves used in food retailer outlets such as a well known sandwich retailer, whose staff seem to change gloves each time they touch meat and are then trained to put on new gloves when they make another sandwich: there must be a better way. Retailers could be taxed for the amount of packaging waste they put into the system , and for the amount of non-recyclable packaging they are bringing into the system from their plants and the products they bulk buy and sell on. This would reduce non-biodegradable waste in landfill, and encourage reduction of unnecessary packaging - I don't want film around a DVD or a cucumber - which are uniform in price anyway - so that the supermarket can put a barcode on that rather than the products directly. The UK should especially given the Brexit choice, prioritise innovation in packaging technology that could be sold to the world instead of perpetuating the inertia that seems to plague politicians on green issues (possibly for fear of upsetting sectors that lobby and contribute to the economy, and perhaps also donate to political parties). For example Amazon have reduced their non-recyclable packaging (although they do not apparently pay enough tax): we should take the principles and positive elements of what such global corporations do and apply them more widely, and look into other countries' green packaging solutions. Ministers should stop their myopia and short-termist electioneering campaigns over-focusing on natural greed and our desire to preserve individual wealth, and look at ways to boost our economy, further the manufacture and use of green technologies, reduce waste in landfill and increase tax revenue from the massive national and international corporations controlling our food industry and pricing. The reality is that all the larger supermarkets are trying to convince us that they are ethical and have a corporate social responsibility, and this would be a good way of demonstrating that they mean it. Not everyone I know on social media has awareness of green organisations trying to further this project as a common aim, but would support the idea of such a tax: even if they do not believe in recycling, the vast majority would like to have less recycling to do, and would agree with there being fewer non-recyclables in the supply chain and the notion that corporations should be paying more tax. Green issues and tax revenues affect us all - many excuse their failure to recycle because they say our species is hurtling toward its doom in any event. It is exactly that sort of attitude that is damaging our world: we should expend our energy on ways to save ourselves instead: if we can get to the moon why can't we stop over-relying on non-recyclable packaging?482 of 500 SignaturesCreated by Jennifer Blyth
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Condemn Donald Trump for pulling out of Paris climate agreementThis is an international problem, which met with an international solution - and Britain must join the international condemnation of America's terrible, selfish decision. We do not want to live in a world dominated by bullies. We do not want to live in a Britain too scared to do anything America doesn't want. We demand leadership that makes us proud to be British. If Theresa May cannot condemn America's decision to condemn our planet, will she ever stand up for anything? British people stand up for others, and we stand up for what we believe in. We do not want a Prime Minister who licks the boots of the American president. Theresa May must show strong leadership and sign the international letter condemning Donald Trump and his abandonment of the Paris agreement.9,444 of 10,000 SignaturesCreated by The Big Deal
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PETITION FOR A HELICOPTER SERVICE BETWEEN PENZANCE AND THE ISLES OF SCILLYWe need a stronger transport system that provides resilience, reliability and choice.11,780 of 15,000 SignaturesCreated by Samantha Mallon
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Parking ChargesThis is loaded towards Shopping Centre to the detriment of all other businesses. Customers & patrons of shops, bars, restaurants etc. are put off frequenting the areas affected. Or if not put off, then penalised for using these areas.15 of 100 SignaturesCreated by David Sutheran
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Solar panels for new built houses / properties, and any tax eliminated on Solar panelsWith such plans, long term energy payback will be reduced to businesses and home owners, excess energy, can be shared by all in the U.K with reduced energy bills for all..14 of 100 SignaturesCreated by carl penn
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