• Government funding for electric vehicle charging points in Northumberland
    The small number of charging points are being monopolised by taxi firms stopping the general public from charging their vehicles. Northumberland council blames lack of government funding. If the government wants to encourage the public to drive electric, the charging infrastructure must be improved.
    7 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Nicholas Hall
  • Save Our Highland Bus Services
    Many people rely on buses for a variety of reasons. We would like to see an expansion of bus services, in consultation with the public as to where these are most needed, and a campaign for greater use, rather than admitting defeat and contributing to the decline by cutting vital services which people need. This would have benefits in terms of cutting congestion and reducing climate change as well as reducing the social isolation which will only get worse if your new timetable is enacted.
    174 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Anne Thomas
  • Remove additional business rates for solar panels.
    A likely response by government is that the country could not afford it. The reality is the country and the world in general cannot afford to ignore this issue. Calculations based on a range of scientific studies over past decades (for summary see Ward, 2007) suggest a dangerous tipping point around 2040. This is the point where atmospheric CO2 will reach a concentration of 450 ppm if the world continues on its current trajectory. This danger point is where the IEA450 guideline gets its name. It is where an ocean conveyor (main ocean current) shutdown is predicted to happen due to the preferential warming of the Polar Regions. The consequences of this scenario cannot be treated lightly – this is serious. If this event takes place then the oceans become stagnant and everything dies. Anaerobic (requiring no oxygen) microorganisms grow by feeding off the rotting marine carcasses. In the process this generates huge quantities of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) which ultimately poisons the atmosphere and kills everything on land as well. This was the mechanism for four out of the five great mass extinctions in the geological past. I make no apologies for this statement. The world’s leaders really must look up and take note, and we in the UK must play our part. Reference: Ward PD, (2007), “Under a Green Sky”, Harper-Collins.
    65 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Jim Austin
  • Blue Badge Parking for People with Dementia
    I’m calling for a change in the rules so that people with dementia are specifically eligible to apply for a Blue Badge, which means easier trips to the shop, the doctor’s or the hospital for dementia patients if they choose to apply. “I hope the Government will consider this change.” The final decision on who is eligible is up to local councils. But Government provides guidance can prove crucial in earmarking badges - and dementia is not on the list of criteria. Charities say some local authorities give blue badges to people with dementia while others enforce much tighter rules. Although the person with dementia may be able to walk the required distance that exempts them from being issued a Blue Badge the person has to be helped in and out of their vehicle, and guided, they can be unsteady on their feet and suffer dizziness/confusion as to where they are because of their dementia. This means that, e.g. they cannot be dropped off while a driver goes to park, because they are in danger from wandering off or walking into the road. Campaigners say the disease can be as mentally and often physically debilitating as other illnesses. The number of people with dementia is set to rise from 850,000 this year to over two million by 2051. Alzheimer’s Society national campaigns manager Sam Gould said: “Many people with dementia gradually lose their ability to walk and perform simple tasks as their condition progresses. “This means activities that many of us take for granted, like visiting the shops or attending GP appointments, can become physically challenging and make some journeys daunting. “We support the call for people with dementia to be able to access the Blue Badge scheme, as this could mean that more people with dementia are able to continue doing the things they enjoy and maintain their independence for longer.”
    153 of 200 Signatures
    Created by suzanne duckworth
  • 30mph Speed Limit In Hare Green, Great Bromley
    Speeding along the Harwich Road has become more and more a problem with a number of motorists exceeding the existing 40mph limit, as proven by our Community Speedwatch Team. Vehicles pulling out of side roads and pedestrians attempting to cross the road are all at risk.
    132 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Great Bromley Parish Council
  • Urgent. Save an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - Leith Hill, Surrey.
    As an AONB, drilling for oil here would destroy this woodland and it's natural history habitat. But not only would the area of woodland be lost the access to the area is by minor roads, so the surrounding area may also be lost and destroyed as no doubt access roads and other infrastructure would be built to enable the recovery of oil. At the moment there is a peaceful protest group ( Leith Hill Protection Camp) on site to prevent the drilling, but they have a High Court Judgement for eviction against them pending. When this is acted on there is no other form of prevention for drilling. Please act now!
    2,226 of 3,000 Signatures
    Created by Malcolm Padgham
  • Protect Cranleigh (and surrounding villages) from Asbestos Fibres in Our Drinking Water
    There is no safe level of asbestos exposure. We don't want to wait 30 years for a cancer cluster in Cranleigh to prove that we are at risk from our drinking water. We want independent testing to be carried out now to assess the risk to public health. Almost 30% of the drinking water supply pipes in Cranleigh (highlighted in pink on the above map) are made from asbestos cement (AC), compared to a reported average of 2% throughout the rest of the Thames Water Region. The pipes are between 50 and 70 years old and frequently burst, increasing the amount of free asbestos fibres entering the drinking water supply. Evidence shows that ageing AC drinking water pipes also degrade internally over time through water friction and low pH levels, releasing free asbestos fibres into the drinking water supply. Furthermore, an increase in water pressure within these deteriorating AC pipes to accommodate significant housing development in Cranleigh will lead to more bursts and the release of more asbestos fibres. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has been testing for asbestos fibres in drinking water since 1992 due to decaying AC water mains. No one is testing our drinking water for asbestos fibres, no one is calculating the risk to residents in Cranleigh.
    842 of 1,000 Signatures
    Created by Jane Price
  • Stop Tesco using Palm Oil in their own brands
    Palm Oil production is bad news in so many ways! It destroys wildlife by cutting down the Rainforest to plant palm oil plantations. Many iconic species such as the Orangutan are disappearing at an alarming rate. And that's not all.... it is contributing to increased poverty among local communities who work in the plantations for little return. Only making the big corporations bigger and more powerful at the expense of wildlife and the local population. But perhaps the biggest threat is deforestation - ''According to the World Wildlife Fund, an area the equivalent size of 300 football fields of rainforest is cleared each hour to make way for palm oil production''. This is all adding to the huge problem of Climate Change , due to the lack of trees to soak up the carbon and forest fires emitting huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. The world is getting warmer, the past four years we have had little or no snow in the winter. We all should be standing together globally to tackle this problem. Although it seems that we are powerless as a consumer , by signing this petition it will show big corporations like Tesco that consumers will not accept palm oil in its products. Tesco should step up its act and be an example to other big cooperation's in it's commitment to ending this madness of using pam oil in products. Please take a minute out of your life to sign my petition. Thank you so so much xxxx
    247 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Faye Tuffnell
  • Domestic fly tipping
    The area has a litter problem just like every other area in the uk. Let's bring back the pride communities once had and stop the social decay we have on our streets. The current state of the area makes it a very undesirable place to live. We have the Quays on our doorstep and need to make some serious changes in order to not remain as the 'poor relations'
    14 of 100 Signatures
    Created by David Dolan
  • Homes for people - Homes for wildlife.
    People are increasingly concerned about the pressures on wildlife. Especially in cities like London, many beloved species, such as hedgehogs, sparrows and bumble bees are all visibly declining.   The 2016 State of Nature report found that 7 per cent of urban wildlife species are nearing extinction. [link: http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/State%20of%20Nature%20UK%20report_%2020%20Sept_tcm9-424984.pdf], and the number of hedgehogs living in London has dropped by half since 2000. [link: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/at_home_with_nature_-_encouraging_biodiversity_in_new_housing_developments.pdf]   People want to help but can an individual make a difference?    We believe they most certainly can, if this scheme receives the backing of the Mayor of London.   Every month in London thousands of homes are bought and sold. The commissions are considerable, and every home letting involves fees paid to the agents too. But what if a tiny proportion of these commissions were set aside to enable the new householder to buy a bird box, a bat box, bee-friendly plants or something else to encourage wildlife in some way? Its a simple concept - Homes for People - Homes for Wildlife!   The home’s new owner could chose which sort of measure to encourage wildlife would work best for them and gradually a whole new range of safe and secure wildlife homes would spread across the city.   Such a project has national potential but needs someone with the Mayor of London’s credibility to help get the various bodies, like the National Association of Estate Agents on board. They have always been painted as bad guys but we can give them the chance to do some real good with this scheme, by making it simple for people to give homes to nature.   If done in an imaginative way, for example by making the voucher a unique token like a coin, redeemable with companies or organisations that sell wildlife-friendly products, the scheme could be expanded in use. Other companies wanting to help people support wildlife could also buy and give away ‘eco-crowns’ and people could pass them on if they can’t easily use them in their own homes.   We could even have a competition, engaging with schools, to help design and name the ‘eco-crowns’ and another for product designers, to decide on the material (re-cycled plastic?) and ensure that the coins could not be forged.   Before all this, the first step, is to get people like the London Assembly and the Mayor to see the benefits and back the concept, and then win the involvement of national bodies like estate agents as it gains wider support. Please sign the petition and help get my idea off the ground. This campaign was started by Maurice Melzak, a zoology graduate, naturalist and documentary film maker for more than 30 years. He first developed the idea in 2010, for Waterlow Park, where he gained the support of a local estate agent and a nesting box manufacturing company. It was featured on the BBC’s Springwatch. Maurice volunteers at Highgate Cemetery where he keeps honey bees and advises on wildlife issues. He obtained a Biffa landfill grant to purchase over 100 bird and bat boxes for the Cemetery which has made a significant difference to the bird life in the surrounding area. (see pic). With the need to save urban wildlife even more urgent, with a new Mayor and new support from politicians, he hopes this petition will get it off the ground and start to make a difference soon.
    195 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Maurice Melzak
  • Transform Recycling in Winchester & Hampshire
    In 2015 we managed to recycle a meagre 35%, while the best performer, South Oxfordshire, achieved 65%. We’re in the bottom 20% of councils in England. You may be wondering if it really matters that much. The truth is that it matters a great deal. Waste is one of the most significant contributors to climate change, contributing a similar amount of carbon as aviation. Many councils across the UK have been recycling more types of waste for years now. Hampshire never evolved, offering the same recycling service as it did 20 years ago. So, whilst many councils have been able to double or even triple recycling we have achieved minimal gains. Hampshire needs to shift emphasis from incineration and collect more types of waste for recycling. Research suggests that in Winchester if all plastics were collected it could increase our recycling rate to 40%, glass 45%, food waste a staggering 63%. Also, if the council did more to encourage residents to recycle correctly we could increase our rate to 66%, placing us in the top five performing authorities. Let’s play our part in reducing greenhouse gases from waste and at the same time give our city something else to be proud of.
    190 of 200 Signatures
    Created by James Miller, Dirty Money Campaign
  • Bantham 2017: stop the proposed development of Bantham village and beach.
    When Nicholas Johnston bought the Bantham estate, much against the wishes of most locals, he promised that he would leave it untouched. Now he is proposing to develop both the village and the beach, even going so far as to say that he will not be making the new housing affordable for local people (which, in a part of the country that has some of the most unaffordable housing available, should be a priority for any development, rather than lining the pockets of a man who has already proven he has no love for the people born and bred here). This is completely unacceptable to those of us who have enjoyed Bantham in its current form for so many decades, but more importantly to the people who live in the village. The infrastructure around Bantham village struggles as it is, this development would make a bad situation worse, in particular for the existing village residents, especially during the summer months. This Old Etonian, multi-millionaire friend of David Cameron, who has more than enough to survive on already, should not be allowed to profit from developing an unspoilt gem in our coastal countryside, especially when his proposals offer absolutely nothing for local people. You can read about his plans here... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4216762/Millionaire-bought-village-plans-transform-it.html Please note that I have no legal training, I have started this petition in the hope of showing the authorities that there is a depth of feeling against such inappropriate plans for a much loved local beauty spot. Please share this petition with as many people as possible, especially with people from the Bantham area and wider South Hams. Thank you for your support.
    12,380 of 15,000 Signatures
    Created by Chris Jones Picture