• The Opt Out Cop Out
    People who "contracted out" will receive less than the new full basic pension from April 2016. The Government claims they paid less into the system during their contracted out years and that money will give them a private pension. This is unfair in several ways. Annuities are so low that some people will receive less Private pension provision than the amount being deducted by the DWP. Many of those who contracted out were forced to do so by their employers, but the understanding at the time was that it would not affect their basic final pension. Many have paid more years of NI than is required - 18 years in my case. I paid 11 more years than the seven when I was contracted out. Yet my pension will be reduced because, according to the DWP "I paid in less so I will receive less." This is unfair and untrue. The DWP refuses to allow those who contracted out to make up the difference now in order to receive the new basic pension.
    4 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Neil Walker
  • Harvesting Justice for farmer victims of Acorn Finance
    Over 50 farmers have now lost their farms to Acorn Finance. It is described as Fraud in Parliament - see: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm141111/halltext/141111h0001.htm Please see what happened to Mr Atkinson of Birks Farm, Cumbria: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-32326704
    335 of 400 Signatures
    Created by Philip Mead
  • New State Pension
    It appears that the Government are attempting to make a two tier system that will benefit some more than others. They want existing pensioners to contribute a set amount to top up their pension if they wish to bring it in line with the new rate. This is a ridiculous scenario which has not been properly thought through and will create a situation where some will feel very let down.
    13 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Michael Ward
  • A real living wage for all social care staff in Scotland
    Having a job and earning a decent wage is a necessity if we as a society are going to address some of the biggest concerns facing our generation. Poverty has a devastating effect on families across Scotland and in-work poverty has no place in the 21st century. There is no excuse for low-pay, when time and time again it has been shown to be not only an ineffective means of employment, but also a hindrance on long-term sustainable economic growth. Low wages result in poorer services, higher staff turnover, increased absences from work and a lower quality of life for staff stuck in low pay. We have not only an opportunity, but a responsibility, to tackle poverty and eradicate the blight it puts on people’s lives once and for all. Addressing low pay will not put an end to hardship overnight, as it is only part of a much wider and more complex picture of social justice, but it is a start, and it should be our goal to achieve it.
    474 of 500 Signatures
    Created by Jayne Baxter
  • Save our steel industry.
    Other countries are using this fund to support their steel industries. Here’s a giant pot of money into which Whitehall should dip its fingers. Please do. Jobs, communities and a vital industry should be supported.
    28 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Mel Gibson
  • Lower fuel prices in rural areas to the same as towns
    Because in rural areas in Suffolk we pay about 3p more per litre. We are the ones that have to use our cars as we have no village shop or local garage no pub as they have all closed down.
    4 of 100 Signatures
    Created by John Marten
  • Retrospective Change in Student Loans Terms and Conditions
    As above it will mean higher payments for students and could put off future students attending uni. Is it not illegal to change the terms and conditions of a loan after it has been taken out?
    57 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Mary Lou Strong
  • Equal pensions for same-sex couples
    The Equality Act 2010 should not contain loopholes allowing opportunities for discrimination. Private occupational pension schemes should not be allowed to ignore years of contributions by gay employees; limiting survivor benefits for civil partners. The surviving partner is not entitled to receive the full value of their deceased partner’s pension. Employers are required by law to pay same-sex survivor’s pensions based only on contributions made since 2005. Just like heterosexual people, members of the LGBTIQ+ community contribute the the UK state and economy all of our working lives. In the darkest times of a couples live when their love ones passes, it is wrong that the Government discriminates against them. This is not fair or right.
    239 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Adam Taxiboi-Smith
  • Threat to rail services and jobs in the North of England
    Councils and Councillors now have significant control of railways in the North. Twenty nine Councils make up a new body called “Rail North.” Although Rail North cannot decide whether our railways should be publicly owned (which is what most passengers would prefer!) they will be deciding on many important issues that affect passengers. This includes train service levels and what station and train staff will be available to assist passengers and protect their safety. One of Rail North’s first big decisions will be to help determine with the government the rail franchise agreements for Northern Rail and Transpennine Express Trains (TPE) services. These agreements start on 1st April 2016, shortly before the local elections in May. Worryingly the current proposed franchise agreements mean there will be fewer rail staff to help passengers and protect their safety. There are no guarantees that ticket offices will be kept open. And no safeguards that as many stations as possible will have properly trained and directly employed station staff to help passengers. In fact there will be cuts to rail jobs.
    1,192 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by RMT Union Picture
  • Review Concentrix and HMRC Investigations of Tax Credit claimants
    We're going to see Iain Duncan Smith next month and we want to take this petition with us with as many names as possible. You may not get why we're so wound up about it. Let me share a few stories (all real, local people). Before I do, lets just remember what tax credits are for. They are contributions from the government towards the cost of ofsted registered childcare so that work is possible. Many users of tax credits are single parents but many are also in couples. They are for people for whom work would not be possible without assistance towards childcare (which by the way has to be paid one month in arrears and is subject to fines for late payment). One woman was told that her tax credits would stop because her daughter doesn't exist. The fact that said daughter was crying in the background whilst her stressed and bewildered mother was trying to sort it out whilst wondering how she was going to pay for childcare was irrelevant. Another woman was told that her tax credits would be cut to £85 a month (a contribution towards an £800 childcare bill for 2 children representing well over half of the whole family's take home pay.)This was because concentrix concluded that a previous childcare provider had not been ofsted registered and therefore this lady was in debt to them for falsely claiming help towards childcare that year. Of course the provider had been ofsted registered, we may never know what information concentrix used to reach their conclusion but our member had to shoulder the full responsibility of proving her case, all the while on reduced tax credits and even had to arrange a meeting with her employer to explain that work would not be feasible if she couldn't prove her case. The member is now vindicated but the stress she was wrongly put under was extremely serious and unnecessary. Another member was subject to a thorough investigation of her circumstances after which concentrix reached the bizarre conclusion that her total childcare costs for 2 children were £4 a week....totally validates any claim that the government and their agencies are out of touch with real life...if such a cheap provider exists I want their details! I could go on....case after case, story after story - already vulnerable people being made to feel desperate, hopeless and quite frankly criminalised. Please, if you agree with us, sign and share to say this is not OK. Perhaps there's a case to be made for people to be investigated as benefit fraud happens - but the way it is being done is unnecessarily negatively impacting people who could do without it!
    952 of 1,000 Signatures
    Created by Redbridge Gingerbread
  • Stop the theft of electricity
    Smart meters only record electricity used and not the excess electricity generated by small generators like personal homes with solar panels. The government pays a feed-in tariff but the excess electricity is still being placed on the national grid and sold by electricity companies when they have not paid for it. This is theft, pure and simple. Stop this theft by ordering all smart meters to record both incoming and outgoing electricity and make the electricity companies pay for the excess being generated or deduct the excess from the incoming electricity.
    6 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Tony Upton-Huang
  • All family review of child poverty
    It is essential that we get a proper definition of child poverty so that any government can make proper decisions about how the will address child poverty. The decision to exclude in-work households means that the review will remove those families whose parents are working on low incomes and struggling to pay their bill! This decision would mean a potentially huge chunk of potential vulnerable children will be excluded and probably not become entitled to any support that should be entitled to. The UK has a a lot of low income families. Is this the reason they are excluded? Support this campaign so that the commission can make a valued decision on how to properly address child poverty across the UK.
    18 of 100 Signatures
    Created by peter brown