• Cancel the Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor project
    Hinkley Point C is a vastly expensive project which has a good chance of failing, at great cost to UK electricity consumers. The model of reactor chosen for Hinkley Point C, the EPR (European Pressurised Reactor), is proving to be a technical disaster. Four are under construction in Finland, France and China and all overdue and over cost - the one in Finland is 9 years behind schedule. The cost of the Hinkley programme has escalated to £18billion and is likely to rise further. At present, the UK demand for electricity is falling and the cost of energy on world markets is also falling. Renewable technologies such as solar and wind are also rapidly becoming cheaper and represent far better value for money if we wish to invest in low-carbon electricity production. The Hinkley reactors will be funded by EDF, a company largely owned by the French government. Its finance director has resigned as he believes the company cannot afford the project. In order to attract investment in the project from France and China, the UK government has guaranteed a unit price for the power produced which is roughly three times the current price. This will inflate the electricity bills of all consumers for decades to come. Since it is a Government decision, it is effectively a tax which we can in no way avoid. A government which professes to believe in the free market has rigged the market by promising the French and Chinese investors a large return on their investment. Any profits will leave the country. Hinkley Point C is an infrastructure project that will end up as a white elephant. The next generation will not understand why we allowed such a grandiose project to be built. They will be left to pay the price through inflated electricity bills and to deal with the nuclear waste which the reactors will produce.
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    Created by David Sang
  • Save The Kings Arms, Kingsbridge
    The Kings Arms has been on its current site in the centre of Kingsbridge since 1775 and has offered hospitality to locals and visitors since that time. It is currently closed and is in a dilapidated state - spoiling our main street which otherwise enjoys virtually fully occupancy with independent traders and giving a terrible impression to visitors new to the town. We want to open a dialogue with the owners to see about reinvigorating the building and to let it, once again, be the heart of our community.
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    Created by Philip Cole
  • PROTECT THE NORTHEAST COASTLINE
    With Five Quarters nolonger in operation there is only Cluff Natural Resources with licences who want use the North East as a testbed for undersea coal gasification (UCG), an experimental method of squeezing out the remaining drops of coal. They have received licences to test down the NE coast from Seaham to Hartlepool In Australia linc energy UCG wells were found to leak the same substances to groundwater as can be released by fracking resulting in a 320km zone be made around the plant. There are dangers of blowbacks and explosions. Many test have failed. It has never been used on a commercial basis. The gas produced is syngas or coal gas. It is a mixture of methane (natural gas), carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. They plan to pump it back into the hole they have made using Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). This is another process that has not been fully tested. Surely it would be better to use renewables and not produce the CO2 in the first place? There is of course the carrot of job creation. Any jobs created by UCG/fracking will be highly specialised. However, if the same amounts of money were to be invested in renewable energies and/or home and public building insulation, which the public have been shown to prefer as the majority of surveys have shown. There would be far more new jobs and far fewer environmental concern's. For more information see Frackfreehartlepool.co.uk
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    Created by David Spence
  • SAVE OUR NATURE RESERVE-BABBS MILL
    This is a nature reserve and contains an array of wildlife that will be affected as a consequence of building on the green land.
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    Created by Akan Asante
  • Difficult pill packets that cause excess waste and increase the cost of medication
    A change back to plastic child proof bottles which could be recycled would lead to lowering the cost of medicines to the NHS and also reduce the impact of the waste generated from the current packaging methods on the environment. Plastic recyclable packaging is also more easily opened by elderly people or those with arthritis and other debilitating health problems.
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    Created by Diane Hopkins
  • Genetically Modified Food
    We can make a choice whether we wish to eat this food or not. We currently have no idea of the long term effects of this type of process
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    Created by Paulette Walker
  • Save Hilperton Gap
    Hilperton Marsh [aka the Gap] is a flood plain and building over 200 houses risks increasing the risk of flooding for homes and businesses in the area and overloading the current water courses and drains. What's more it's a beautiful open area of green fields, historically dividing the village of Hilperton from the town. It is an easily accessible area used by both local residents and people from other areas for recreation and to enhance the quality of life for both young and old. Trees and hedges that support wildlife including bats, owls and kingfishers will be felled. The Hilperton relief road which has been built across the centre of the Gap is now being used as an excuse to build on the land - not the purpose that it was constructed for. Both Councillors for this area are opposed to these plans. One Councillor, Cllr Steve Oldrieve said: " The whole of the Hilperton Gap is vital to the well-being of our community and we cannot allow unwanted piece-meal speculative housing developments to destroy it." It's time to stand up to Save the Hilperton Gap. If enough of us support this petition it will put pressure on Wiltshire Council to refuse planning permission and consider alternatives to protect this land for future generations.
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    Created by Mel Godber
  • Make Bristol safer for cycling
    Bristol is now the second most congested city in the UK and pollution kills nearly 200 people a year. Yet in the last 3 years just 1 km of truly protected cycleway has been built. Bike Life survey shows that in Bristol – 80% of people support increasing the safety of cycling 70% of people want to see more spent on safer cycling infrastructure The next Council needs to make a comprehensive network of safe, connected cycle routes.a priority.
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    Created by Space4Cycling Bristol BristolCycleCampaign
  • "In Season" In Supermarkets
    When asked 86% people believe in the importance of seasonality, and 78% claimed to shop seasonally, however only between 5-10% of people knew when various fruit and vegetables are actually in season. Supermarkets are increasingly providing customers with products that are out of season; using artificial growing techniques and transportation across hundreds of miles. Although these can be seen as advancements in technology or production yield, supermarkets should help people make more informed choices when it comes to sustainability and health. If Supermarkets set up a clear section of their shops with products that are "In Season" locally with tasty recipe information to go with it, we can be happier in the knowledge our food retains more of its nutrients, is aiding local businesses, may be grown organically to help biodiversity and tastes better too! This is not necessarily about eliminating food that is out of season, because everything is in season somewhere in the world! It is about a designated area for all the goodies that are "In Season" locally - it's not a big change to re-jiggle stock so that the seasonal stuff is in one place. From broccoli, apples and peppers in March to apricots, cabbage and new potatoes in May, give us the opportunity to make informed decisions. Buying in season also supports local businesses by being more economical. Harvesting "In Season" means less reliance upon artificially creating climates and long term storage systems which could result in cheaper produce for the consumer. Why the big 5 should listen: Tesco aims to reduce its CO2 emissions and help children learn about food - seasonality is a big part of natural food production. ASDA and Morrison's are starting to sell wonky veg, showing a clear move towards consumer demand for healthy, local, seasonal, chemical free products. Sainsbury's aim to be the "greenest grocer" with "20 by 20" goals for health, the environment and sustainability and an "In Season" section would be a great step towards this. The Cooperative Food has an ethical food policy to support British farmers, help producers with Fairtrade and play an active role within our communities. If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to message me or leave a comment :)
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    Created by Ernestine Young
  • Frack Free Cheshire East
    George, real people are struggling to deal with the effects of fracking in communities all over the world. From contaminated water that is unsafe to drink, wash and bathe in, through to the effects of poor air quality on health, damage to local economies through to the loss of tourism and agriculture and the decimation of areas of outstanding beauty and scientific interest. Here is a video link you might care to watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3K0kV7UcME. Fracking requires large numbers of wells (usually 8 per square mile), huge quantities of water that will be forever poisoned, and industrial development of the English countryside on an unprecedented scale whilst causing and not preventing a rise in greenhouse gases (shale gas and oil are fossil fuels and so emit greenhouse gases - did you know?). George you have scrapped the Green Charter at a time when many of our European cousins are investing heavily in green technologies, making huge innovative strides in solar and other renewable technology and banning fracking because of its inherent risks and dangers. Still more countries have extended temporary bans due to their concerns, to allow more time to thoroughly assess the dangers. Others that have already suffered the negative consequences of fracking are now taking measures to prevent further fracking. Oh and by the way - I can see no evidence that fracking will drive prices down at home here in the UK. There is no guarantee that gas fracked in this country would be used here. We, as you well know, are part of a free market economy so gas will be sold wherever it will generate the largest profits. Those profits will go back to the corporates and their shareholders, not our economy unless, of course, we manage to close all those pesky off shore loop holes by the time those profits are made (Starbucks anyone?). Meanwhile with oil prices scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel and the price of solar electricity falling fast, the likes of Citibank say big power stations could be redundant in 10 - 20 years’ time! What then will happen to the wells George? Who will be responsible for their upkeep and/or decommissioning and at what cost environmentally and economically?. Where will the contaminated water go? Perhaps you are hoping it will just seep neatly away into the cracks caused by fracking (along with the other 60% of water that 'goes missing' during the fracking process), that is assuming that the wells are even up and running by this deadline. Me? I like my water fresh from the tap, preferably uncontaminated. Fracking has the very real potential to adversely affect the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and the ground we walk on (remember the earthquakes George, that Cuadrilla admitted to causing?). Therefore we, the undersigned, request an immediate cessation to this Government's pro-fracking policies and any pro-fracking activity currently taking place until a thorough INDEPENDENT, cross party, scientific analysis and review has taken place with any research and conclusions reached made transparent and fully available to the public. We thank you for your earliest attention in this matter.
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    Created by Nicola Wilson
  • Ban the use of air fresheners in public places
    The use of air fresheners in public spaces has become increasingly widespread. The health of the general public has been overlooked and it has become almost impossible to avoid contact with air fresheners and indoor pollutants as we go about our daily lives. Air fresheners have a detrimental affect on health, particularly on those suffering from migraine, asthma, respiratory problems and allergy. Around 5.4 million people in the UK are currently receiving treatment for asthma including 1.1 million children. Please join this campaign to help improve public awareness and urge the UK government, local councils and businesses to take action to safeguard public health.
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    Created by Annali Lowdon
  • SAY NO TO FRACKING
    Unconventional gas exploitation - "fracking" - is a ridiculous idea. The Government's arguments used to justify fracking are as follows: That it will create jobs, that it’ll bring down energy bills, that it’s good for our energy security and it's a transition fuel to a green energy economy. 1. That it will create jobs. A Department for the Environment and Climate Change’s (DECC) report estimated a maximum of 24,300 of them. Yet 400,000 jobs could be created by 2020 by investment in the clean energy sector. 2. That it’ll bring down energy bills like it has in the US. But the UK’s geology is more complex than in the US, which means that the process here will be uneconomic. Even if that wasn’t the case, unlike the US, the UK exports gas as part of a European gas market, and as fracking companies will sell to the highest bidder of these European countries, there could never be a guarantee that UK energy users would be the beneficiaries. 3. That it’s good for our energy security A House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee recommendation was that shale gas should not be relied on to contribute to energy security. An energy security expert has said the best way to reduce energy security risks is to promote renewable power generation, improve energy efficiency and reduce overall energy demand. 4. A transition fuel to a green energy economy. Department for Energy and Climate Change-commissioned report on fracking’s greenhouse gas emissions has been shown to be based on poor data and exaggeration. When the actual figures are factored-in, the report shows that burning shale gas to produce electricity is about as bad as, or very possibly even worse than burning coal! The arguments against fracking are so numerous: The UK’s geology is too complex for fracking to be safe or economic. The UK’s geography means we don’t have America’s wide open spaces away from the population or agriculture. Water contamination. The UN has listed seven different ways this can occur. The huge quantities of water required. The carcinogenic properties of the chemicals used. Air pollution. Earthquakes. Industrialisation of countryside and loss of agricultural land to roads, well-pads, pipelines, compressor stations and so on. Traffic/chemical spills/noise and light pollution. Impact on tourism. Even if none of the above applied this doesn’t discount the big one – climate change. A growing number of climate change scientists are recognising that to have any chance of us staying below the two degree increase in global temperature that is required to avoid catastrophic climate change, we have to leave 80% of all already discovered fossil fuels in the ground. So why does this government want to find more of the stuff if we can’t burn it? Not all governments are hell bent on fracking - far from it. There are bans or moratoriums on fracking in France, Germany, many American states, and at least twelve other countries worldwide. And there are attractive alternatives, particularly for the UK as we have the best renewable energy resources in Europe. That’s where our energy security is - and the 400,000 jobs to get our economy back on track. A policy of support for fracking is a vote-loser. As elected representatives of Burnley we the community call on you to say no to fracking and yes to keeping Burnley frack free?
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    Created by Hilary Whitehead