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We are petitioning for free childcare for all from the age of two yearsWe believe in free childcare as a step toward a poverty-free Britain. The government must do all they can to get adults living in deprivation back into education and into work. Free childcare is therefore a MUST. Currently free childcare is available for all regardless of income for children over the age of three. As a teacher in the further education sector (not university based) I have had women either not show up to classes due to lack of childcare, quit a course or not show up all together for the same reason. Often, these women have been in need of support in the array of ways only a classroom can provide. As I am a lecturer in teaching English to speakers of other languages, I specialise in catering for the needs of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Often facing social isolation, the classroom is not only a place for learning but a place to feel like a human being again. It isn't fair that I have had to turn women away from classes because they need to come in with their young, screaming children. Other further education teachers will know what I am talking about! I have done what I can in the past, but it is the other students in the class that often have to put their foot down and say they can't concentrate when there are children in the room. It affects the material of discussion and in the past I have even had to provide under 5's with things to do to keep them occupied. The mothers often have to leave the room, dragging their children to the bathroom, disrupting class discussions or the kids play on their mum's mobile - music blaring, guns firing. Us adult ed. teachers do our best but we shouldn't have to play nursery nurse too. There is a proven link between poverty and inaccessible childcare especially for single parents. A child raised in a single parent household is twice as likely to live in deprivation as a child raised by a couple. Current early years provision is just too expensive for those on lower wages. Furthermore, lack of funding for established nurseries means that there are extremely limited places available, often on a first come, first serve basis. So if a parent doesn't get their child into the creche on time, the parent doesn't get to attend class. For equality between rich and poor, parents and non parents, single parents and coupled parents, free childcare for all, regardless of income, must be made available. Without it, these groups of people are not getting equal rights to education and employment. Educate to Liberate is calling on the government to make it pay to work. We ask them to make it pay for people to go back to study. Anyone would think they wanted to keep people in the poverty cycle not help them out....100 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Tina Onur
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People Powered Headlines - Reform the BBC NewsThe BBC has always professed to a 'non-bias' standing, yet without public involvement in the News selection process ANY form of auditioning can be seen as agenda bias. We are in the age of technology and as such the majority of the general public have at their availability a wealth of news items from across the internet. I would argue that the daily high profile news topics broadcast to the country via the BBC's television and radio programmes should be determined by THE PEOPLE. A rolling billboard of News stories voted up in importance by the general public would broaden the spectrum of what is determined News from that of one organisation to the entire country - should they choose to participate. Not only would this reinvigorate people's interests in current affairs, reinstall some faith in the BBC and be a truly revolutionary concept - it would allow the PEOPLE to influence the pervading tone of society.74 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Luke De-Sciscio
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The fight against funding cuts in adult educationAdult education is a source of removing dependency on government resources and hand outs. Adults living in deprivation can go back to college to retrain or gain basic skills so that they can have more confidence to secure better jobs. WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? The department for business, innovation and skills found that further education courses improved the lives of people who had completed them in countless ways. From becoming more employable to being more involved in the local community to better health and well-being. BUT... - The UK government has slashed funding for non-academic (not university based) adult education by a staggering 40% since 2010. - If government cuts continue, adult education will not exist by 2020. Colleges and training agencies have been advised to find other forms of funding. - It is a human right to have access to education at any age. Why should it be limited to our childhood? There are countless reasons why a person may not be able to read and write/speak English/hold qualifications/find a job as an adult. For instance: War Culture that does not encourage the schooling of girls Domestic responsibilities Poverty We believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to access services that may improve the quality of their lives, regardless of age. It is never too late!147 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Tina Onur
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Make the Tax Credits Helpline fit for purposeAs a hardworking parent I know how important this is. A recent change to my wages led to me trying to get through to the Tax Credits helpline to report my change in circumstances. After 3 weeks of trying, giving information to the automated system and being told they were too busy, or getting through to a queue and kept on hold for over a hour then unceremoniously cut off I was frustrated, anxious and left with a large phone bill. I resorted to writing to HMRC and did eventually also get through on the phone, however the information I had given them was applied incorrectly and again I was left trying to contact the helpline with no success. I have since given up, however I know of many people in vulnerable situations who are finding the extra pressure of this unbearable, it's time this system was made fit for purpose.32 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Rachel Frater
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Stop the cuts to the policeThe British state will no longer be able adequately to protect the public from criminals and the growing threat of homegrown terrorists if the Conservatives push through their plans to cut further into police numbers. The coalition has already slashed the police budget by around 26% over the last five years, at a cost of 35,000 officers, and has signaled its intention to maintain that rate of cuts. New figures from the House of Commons library show that if Tory spending cuts announced in last year’s autumn statement – which would lead to public spending falling to just 35% of GDP – were applied equally across un-ringfenced departments, they would lead to the loss of 29,900 police officers and 6,700 community support officers by 2019/20, bringing the ratio of officers to population to its LOWEST level since records began. David Cameron says "But crime has fallen". I think you will find "Recorded Crime" has fallen. This is because of a loss of faith in the police by the public to report crime, officers managing to tactically write a job off as their workload is already piled sky high and with response times dropping massively the incident is normally done and dusted before an officer is ever on scene. The police rely on metal "Operation in progress" signs instead of physically patrolling an area as they don't have the resources. Villages at left in harms way with a response of 20 minutes at times due to shutting local police stations and removing the community's sense of being "safe". Unpaid special constables are being relied on to back up the front line, they are merely paving over the cracks as they are under-trained. The police is at breaking point, stop the cuts, before its too late.139 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Thomas Wing
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bus stops outside lewisham police stationthey want to move the bus stops 150 metres from where they are. many people use these bus stops, including a lot of pensioners. i believe there can be a better solution than moving the stops.7 of 100 SignaturesCreated by peter willson
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Restructure Financial Ombudsman ServiceFor quick and easy resolution of complaints about banks etc in a fair manner.14 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Santanu Pal
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Our Kirklees NHS is precious.The government have decided to take NHS money out of hospitals, call it the 'Better Care Fund' and give it to Health and Wellbeing Boards. In Kirklees, this body has sitting on it, the Chair and Chief Officer of Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Group and the Chair and Chief Officer of North Kirklees Clinical Commissioning Group. It also has a number of councillors and a representative of a company contracted to do work for the CCGs, the representative of the council responsible for Public Health and sometimes representatives of Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust, Calderdale Hospital Foundation Trust and Healthwatch. The NHS has always been run with a public service ethos. Increasingly multinational companies without that ethos, are being awarded contracts to deliver services and they fail to honour their promises. Any private company is vulnerable to takeover bids from larger firms. We consider it worth reminding the bodies responsible for allocating around £2.5m of public money, that money channelled away from the hospitals has a potential to weaken them and that there is no clear evidence that 'Care Closer to Home' will either keep people out of hospital or save money for the NHS. eg. A very recent Kings Fund report - 'The Reconfiguration of Clinical Services - what is the evidence?' (Nov 2014) has stated that there are consistent findings that moving care out of hospital does not cut costs or reduce admissions to hospital. In fact in one study (Roland et al 2012) it increased admissions. The report states that in fact, this kind of reconfiguration of clinical services can act as a distraction from core tasks and can increase risks. North Kirklees NHS Support Group and Dewsbury Keep Our NHS Public (KONP) have been out in Dewsbury, Cleckheaton, Birstall and Batley with paper petitions, but the area of the CCGs stretches to Heckmondwike, Mirfield, Hopton, Kirkburton, Meltham and Huddersfield and district. It is with the idea of giving people a chance to sign in all the relevant areas, that we are running it for a short time online. Please sign and share, if you have a Kirklees postcode. Thank you.39 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Christine Hyde
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Good NewsPeople have the right to know exactly what is going on in the world, and not to be shrouded by one large main event. News today is negative and depressing.8 of 100 SignaturesCreated by miles hamilton
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Free Hospital ParkingUp and down the country patients and their loved ones are having to fork out 20 pounds a month upwards on car parking for extended visits in hospital or regular appointments. The cost of getting to and from hospitals is another thing to worry about for families who are already experiencing bleak times. With hospital waiting times currently out of control, the cost of parking is unjustly becoming higher and higher108 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Harry Altoft
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Save Tamworth central fire stationTo save lives124 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Linda Orton
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Asperger Syndrome - Improve Healthcare Services in Derbyshire for Adults!We need to stop post coded lottery nhs support for those with High- Functioning autism and Asperger Syndrome. Derbyshire needs to take asperger syndrome as a real disorder, and start treating and managing the condition on the NHS. Because many of patients with mild autism/ asperger syndrome do not have a learning disability associated with aspergers diagnosis, then the adult cannot get specialized support from their nhs learning disability team. So where do adults with asperger syndrome go. Many adults with the condition then end up with mental health problems, like depression, on top of their aspergers diagnosis. This is not fair! Some asperger syndrome adult patients then end up thrown in the mental health service in Derbyshire, but asperger syndrome adults are not mentally ill, not can we treat the condition like mental illness - asperger syndrome cannot be cured and it is a long-term neurological developmental disorder. So adults with the condition needs specialist medical services, like specialist OT and speech therapy, specialized trained behavioral therapists and psychiatrists. Adults with mild autism and asperger syndrome are not being given a fair and personalized medical support in Derbyshire on the NHS, and this is scandalous.54 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Sarah Child
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