The Living Wage is a concept which has been developed independently and it should not be hi-jacked by the Chancellor because he wants to pass the Minimum Wage off as something it is not. Only The Living Wage Foundation can set the Living Wage, by its own independent processes and no one, not even the Chancellor, can think of any other amount and pass it off as the real thing!

Imagine if manufacturers had to say how long they expect their products to last and backed it with a guarantee. For the first time people will be able to make a real choice when they buy something. e.g. "Do I get the £15 kettle that lasts 1 year? or the £30 kettle that lasts 5-6 years?" This makes things simple. We deserve to know what we are buying! "Planned Obsolescence" (where manufacturers purposefully design their products to break or be unfixable) is on the rise. It might bring profits in for shortsighted companies, but it is a growing disaster for the environment and it means that we are stuck buying the same shoddy things again and again. Having your kettle/hoover/dishwasher break is not just annoying, it traps people in a cycle of poverty. But there's something we can do! If people know how long something is expected to last, we can see if the "cheap prices" are really worth it. It's likely that companies will realise that have to do better, and up the durability of their products or risk having to publish some dismal figures. Us consumers have been trapped by these companies strategies for too long and it's time for us to get some power back. The power of choice. Please sign the petition. The planet will thank us all. We can do it! Tara PS. Follow and share the campaign with the hashtag #built2break

The Red Lion Public House dates back to the 17th Century, and is an important historic Grade II Listed building, and an irreplaceable feature of the village of Gedney Hill in rural Lincolnshire. In the past it has been a thriving business at the centre of the community, but in recent years neglect, mismanagement and underinvestment on the part of the owner has led to it's decline and closure. The building has now been sold to an individual who intends to convert the site into a house, and demolish part of the porch structure on the front of the oldest part of the listed building. This is now the only public house remaining in this area, and many local people believe that under the right ownership it could again be a popular venue and a successful and sustainable business. Please help to ensure the future of this vital hub of local village life by signing the petition.

The recent change to planning legislation means that permission is no longer required for businesses to change use, even in conservation areas. Rye Lane is be likely to be targeted by large chains looking to take advantage of this change. The problem is that this will put huge pressure on rents, pressure which many local, cherished independents are not likely to survive. The Direction will give time to planning officers to consider proposals in accordance with the development plan. We want Rye Lane to continue serving all its diverse Londoners, and supporting local creative economies, not letting them be priced out of Peckham.

In 2012 Theresa May announced that from April 2016 non-EU migrant workers will be required to earn £35,000 to stay in the UK, even if they have lived and worked here for more than 5 years. This devastating new immigration rule must be stopped, as immigrants who have lived and worked in the UK for longer than 5 years should have the right to stay regardless of their income. We cannot allow this policy to happen, as it will split up families, jeopardise the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people and severely damage the economy. The Royal college of Nursing recently announced that this policy will cost the NHS MILLIONS because so many of it's nurses are non-EU migrants who earn under £35,000 and who will be deported under this policy. Recruiting new nurses will be time consuming and expensive, and will drain more of the money needed to save the NHS. Also, the average income for a UK born citizen is £26,600, so it is entirely unfair to deport immigrants who may earn more than the average UK born citizen, but less than £35,000. Please sign the petition to hopefully prevent this devastating policy from becoming reality.

Many ex service people are proud of their time but are reluctant to seek help. A piece of tin (medal) does not pay the bills but making pensions tax free would help many. Ask how many ex service people when they last had a holiday, unless they have additional incomes or supportive families they are struggling to exist on service and government pensions. £1200 a month does not go far when paying mortgage and bills.

Will you help to spread the word? We're filing a massive class-action lawsuit against the British Conservative government over its hugely unpopular, unfair and destructive Austerity plan. We see it as embezzlement of public funds. We need the best lawyer's support, and we believe we CAN WIN THIS. Please, SHARE THIS MESSAGE WITH ALL YOUR FRIENDS via any and every means at your disposal, including but not limited to facebook, twitter, email and word-of-mouth. My email address is: [email protected] People can contact Michael Mansfield QCs Chambers directly, to tell him how much they value his support and how popular this cause is already and how it's quickly going to go viral. We want half a million petitioners, all the people who attended the June 20th march and rally to Parliament. http://www.mansfieldchambers.co.uk/contact-us/

Carers save the nation billions of pounds every year by looking after friends and relatives. They give up jobs, money and their personal lives to do this for no pay. The disabled cannot always work. No-one wants to employ people who may have to take a lot of time off sick or for hospital appointments. The poorest people in our country are getting poorer. Why? Because this Government wants to cut their supply line, along with the disabled and carers. We need to stand up for ourselves and each other. We need to stay alive. As an unemployable disabled carer, this latest round of cuts announced impacts on me in all three directions. Where will I be this time next year? Who knows?

Before the 2015 General Election, the National Audit Office (NAO), asked the DWP to release the costs of introducing Universal Credit. The DWP, needless to say, refused. The NAO then asked a judge to ask the DWP to release the figures. Again, they refused saying that they had to stay under lock and key until after the General Election.. The people of this country need to know the cost of implementing this benefit.

It's official: George Osborne has just announced Britain's biggest ever privatisation. He's going ahead and selling off RBS at a loss of £13bn -- a huge loss to the taxpayer. It's part of the rush to privatise Britain -- an ideological move to hand over power and profit to corporations. Just as he's pushing through £12bn of welfare cuts that will hit the poorest and most vulnerable in society, Osborne is prepared to sell RBS off at a £13bn loss. £13bn is enough to plug the gap, protecting our public services and preventing austerity. We’re already paying for the banking crisis that we didn’t cause, and now Osborne wants to return RBS on the cheap to the people who caused the crisis in the first place. Just a few months ago, George Osborne was insisting we’d get our money -- the £45.2bn spent to save RBS from collapse -- back from any sale of the bank. Now, after the election, he thinks he can get away with selling it at a massive loss by rushing through the sale before we have time to stop him. Let’s prove Osborne wrong.

We're all in this together ? They work for us

York has few benefits for residents. The new art gallery should be free and this will stimulate greater attendance, so revenue will still be gathered.