• Save Didcot's Amenities and Green Spaces on Ladygrove!
    After signing this petition please formally object via http://didcot.space (will redirect you to the Garden Town plan page) or send an email to [email protected] Comments can be as short or long as you like - just make it clear you object to building on Ladygrove Park. Consultation on these proposals has been extended to 28th February, so please do it now. Thank you! There are plans for 15,000 new houses to be built in Didcot as part of the "Didcot Garden Town" project. This is more than those planned for Bicester Garden Town, recently described as a "dog's breakfast" with ecologically important flower rich meadows being lost to housing. Proposals for Didcot have been announced that are WORSE than first feared. They include building technical office space and accommodation over roughly half of the Ladygrove recreation ground and play park. The remnants would be developed such that there would be no substantial level open green space for casual sports or recreation. A new road cutting across the play park and flats on the play park, opposite the Willowbrook and behind the football club with no additional parking serve to top of this awful proposal. The current morning congestion around the primary school would be intolerable. Our facilities, green spaces and paths integral to our local parkrun are threatened. You can see the briefings here : https://didcotgardentown.commonplace.is/news/2017/01/20/stakeholder-representative-group-presentation-19-january-2017 Campaigners in Bicester have been to court twice to try to protect their environment. If we are to protect our green spaces and amenities the time to act is now, by obtaining a simple undertaking from the project team before their plans are fully formed. If you want to save them please sign this petition and share it with your friends. Thank you! (You can see the Ladygrove areas initially marked out for development on the final pages of these two official downloads published by the Didcot Garden Town planners http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/node/18434 and this http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/node/18447 )
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    Created by Simon Hewerdine
  • No child and family should be excluded from the opportunity to survive
    We as family of Wali Dar are presenting this petition in an attempt to support our son who is diagnosis of Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning ability. Wali is suffering from frequent flashbacks to the violence, terror, kidnapping and shooting which happened to him and his family especially his father back in his home country Pakistan. Wali is currently living in United Kingdom and receiving continues help and support of his family who he has full trust. Also, he is receiving high quality supports from NHS mental health services, Barnardo’s disability and inclusion support service, Gateshead Council and his school to deal with stress, anxiety and unforgettable traumatic events that has happened to him. Specialists clearly stated that Wali is a vulnerable young man who finds social interactions very difficult and unable to cope well with changes. Wali is unable to eradicate the shocking experiences of violence and life threatening danger back in Pakistan. Wali is currently receiving EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) treatments but he is yet full of fear to re-experience those traumas. Wali’s family are very worry and concern what will happen to Wali if he will not have opportunity to stay in the UK. His supporters and medical team agree that, if he finds out that he has to go back to Pakistan; this change will raise the severity of his autism. This will happen due to the negative opinion he already has from such environment, what he already experienced and lack of support and professionalism in Pakistan. Wali as a young man has a long way ahead in his life. Witnessing such horrific incidents in childhood is very hard to deal with which requires safe environment, special support and family emotional care and support. Wali should be given the opportunity that other disable children have, to obtain confidence and move towards a better future. If he stays away from Pakistan, where he originally experiences the life threatening dangers, and if he keeps receiving the current professional supports he already has in UK, he will be able to cope with his disabilities, fears and anxiety and build his future life. As his parents and family members, it is very hard and heart breaking to see Wali in this situation every day. We do believe Wali’s life is as important as every other individual lives, which are important to every parent, and he should not be returned to Pakistan. The Children like Wali cannot be blamed for witnessing such incidents; instead, they should be supported and kept safe. We will be grateful if you sign in to our petition and support our appeal to Secretary of State requesting, “Please consider appropriate and fair human rights for Wali and his family and grant this family the right to remain in the UK to be safe”. Thanks for your time and considerations.
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    Created by Jawad Ashraf Dar
  • Save our children centre's, staff and services.
    This is important because this impacts our most vulnerable families and will reduce and take away the services avaliable which have had a massive positive impact on our families. The services provided by staff are currently around early intervention. Our Children's Centre's provide a one stop shop of early help services.
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    Created by Nicola Howarth
  • Child protection legislation for all businesses and organisations dealing with children
    Most people don't realise that in this country anyone can set up a business working with children with no qualifications or DBS checks. Given that victims of child abuse often don't come forward until well into adulthood safeguards should be put into place to protect all children. The FA refuse to take responsibility for children working as referees, within football. So all aspects of the children involved need to be considered. Only paid child minders are registered and checked by ofsted I think a similar system needs to be rolled out to all organisations that deal with children.
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    Created by Fiona Green
  • Save Rodrigo from deportation
    Our system is broken, no love no compassion. When a system forces a marriage apart, takes a law abiding, non benefit claiming guy away from his job and family. How can this be right? Rodrigo and Jess are lovely kind, gentle people who are a huge asset to this country, please help save them. But more importantly fix the system that allows bad people to stay and good people to suffer.
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    Created by David Hardy
  • Save our Assembly Hall
    This is important as there are no venues available at reasonable cost to encourage the continuance of an alternative social life within the town centre other than that provided by drinking and gambling establishments or mass market coffee houses. Without there being a reason to frequent the Town centre it will soon be no more. The building is in itself a rather splendid example of a public assembly building of the early twentieth century and would be missed from the streetscape
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    Created by Dave Wolfskehl
  • Save Pelsall Library
    Pelsall Library is less than five years old - it is in a state of the art multi purpose building £5.2m. Closing the facility now would be retrograde and a complete and utter waste of taxpayer money. Pelsall Library is enjoyed by all young and old - a lifeline to many and a hub of the Pelsall community
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    Created by Garry Perry
  • Visa for british boy's mummy
    A family has been torn apart for the past 11 months because of the UKVI / Home Office's refusal to abide by a judge's decision that his mum should be granted a visa. A 3 year-old British boy has been shared between his mum in China and his dad in the UK. This is having a detrimental effect on him, he is confused and upset and needs a stable family unit, which was supported by the tribunal judge, who was also fully satisfied that this applicant meets all of the UK Visas and Immigrations requirements for a spouse's visa with a right to a family life in the UK. The Home Office claims that the appeal was abandoned when Mary returned to China whilst the appeal was pending, however, the tribunal permitted the hearing to proceed after Mary submitted a request to them for her husband to represent her. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-38012751?SThisFB http://www.heraldseries.co.uk/news/hswallingfordnews/14922259.Wallingford_family_missing_mum_who_is_stuck_in_China/ http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2016-11/28/content_27508080.htm
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    Created by Steve Bearns
  • Nick Gibb MP, West Sussex Pupils should not be worth less
    Put frankly, finances in our West Sussex Schools are at breaking point. If nothing is done there will be severe consequences for our children. Currently headmasters across our county are having to consider and actively plan to take any of the following measures to make ends meet: • Modified opening hours/days • Increasing class sizes even further • Reductions in cleaning • Non-replacement of staff when they leave/retire • A halt in all investment in books and IT ________________________ Did you know: • West Sussex is one of the lowest funded council in the country • West Sussex currently gets between £40m - £200m less than other regions for Education • In nearby Brighton & Hove each school receives £300 per pupil premium if they don't speak english as a first language. West Sussex schools get no extra funding for this. ________________________ Nick Gibb MP (for Bognor Regis & Littlehampton, West Sussex) The response from Nick Gibb has been very disappointing to both the headmasters and his constituents so far. In a letter to a local Head Teacher, dated 2 November 2016, West Sussex MP Nick Gibb (Minister for Schools) wrote: “In 2015- 16 we made a step towards fairer funding by adding £390m to the schools budget, targeted at the least fairly funded authorities, including West Sussex. The additional funding for West Sussex was included in their baseline in 2016-17 and is protected for 2017-18.” In this reply Mr Gibb MP doesn’t appear to be acknowledging the funding crisis in this reply. Especially since the £390m mentioned, West Sussex schools received less than £1m (£930k). This represents an increase of less than £10 per child across West Sussex. ________________________ The Worthless? West Sussex Campaign Head Teachers in West Sussex are currently running to campaign to gain additional interim funding of £20million beginning in the financial year, April 2017 with the Worthless? West Sussex Campaign for fairer funding. They need to do this because of long years of under funding by West Sussex County Council, which has now been compounded by the low level being carried over to the funding now allocated directly from Westminster. In their latest letter they said that despite the assistance of some West Sussex MPs and an debate in parliament (Nick Gibb was not in attendance). You can watch here: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/9b387b6d-28f4-4e0b-9d87-ffd64d3ed678?utm_source=petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=167761&utm_content=Parliament%20TV You can find out more about the WorthLess? West Sussex Campaign on facebook: www.facebook.com/WorthLessWestSussex
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    Created by Kelly Morris Picture
  • Pay tax credits owed to families of disabled children
    28000 low income families have been underpaid in tax credits from 2011-2014. HMRC are refusing to pay monies owed. Caring for a disabled child is a full time job and often compels parents to give up work. Money and time are tight and checking the Government is paying what you are owed is one task too many. The denial of these tax credits has already caused great hardship. To receive it now would make an incredible difference to challenged lives.
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    Created by Nick Hodge
  • Change school admissions criteria for disabled parents
    I am a disabled stepmother to a beautiful and bright 4 year old who started school this September. As September drew closer, I became excited by the idea of being able to have an active part in his school life, meeting other parents, and even helping out in school. But as I am also a disabled person, this dream has not been so straightforward. Whilst my appeal was upheld by the independent schools' admission appeals panel, this is not the case for all disabled parents who are allocated inaccessible school placement for their child(ren) under Birmingham City Council’s schools admissions policy. Many disabled parents are being given school places at schools that are both inaccessible to travel to and to get around. Had I not been successful with my appeal my stepson would have either had to have been home-schooled (which is not a decision I feel is right for him) or we would have had to pay out for before and after school care that we wouldn't actually need, purely because of being given a school place at a school that wasn't accessible for me to get to. Our case is not isolated. Across the country there are 2.1 million disabled parents, many of whom are either having to fit the bill of expensive childcare that they wouldn't need if they were non-disabled, or travel costs, which are frequently not covered by the local authority. Some disabled parents have even chosen to home school simply because the childcare costs are not sustainable. I believe that Birmingham City Council schools admission policy is both discriminatory and illegal as the city council does not often make reasonable adjustments for disabled parents and carers as is required under the equality act (2010). If Birmingham City Council changed their admissions policy it would be a step towards making disabled parents far more included in their children's education. It would be helpful for the Department for Education’s Schools Admissions Code to include guidance on how councils’ schools admissions policies should comply with their Equality Act 2010 duties around disabled parents request for an accessible school for themselves. This has been recommended on a national level by various charities - including the Alliance for inclusive Education
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    Created by Luisa Gibson
  • Save our "Around Poplar Children's Centre"
    Why we need to save "Around Poplar Children's Centre" - The centre is the hub, bringing together hundreds of parents and providing invaluable services to people of diverse social and economic backgrounds. - The centre has created a friendly, supportive, welcoming environment for parents who can share their concerns, worries and seek guidance from experienced staff - The centre provides not only children play sessions, but vital services such as health assessments, midwifery and psychotherapy, advice on domestic abuse, getting back to work, as well as important workshops on introducing healthy eating and sleeping habits to the youngest members of Tower Hamlet’s community - It is an indispensable resource, helping new mothers beat post-natal depression, loneliness and isolation. - Keeping this centre open will save money by reducing many GP visits. - At this time of unprecedented development and population growth on the isle of dogs, there has never been a greater demand for this facility for new parents in the area. - In fact it is so busy that several times I have been unable to get in because it was so busy. - The staff in the centre, their knowledge and dedication to childcare, supporting parents in bringing up healthy, confident children is second to none As a new mum, with a premature baby girl, the first six weeks were stressful. Then I discovered the Poplar Children Centre, and the caring, knowledgeable and supportive staff who are always on hand with crucial advice and who have made such a difference for me. My baby is now coming up for 14 months old and we visit the centre 3 times a week. We both love the social activities with other babies and mums. The centre has been key in our physical and emotional well being. Meeting other mums at the centre has been an enormous support too, and I have a great sense of belonging to this community of friends. The centre provides facilities that money can’t buy and it is hard to imagine a better alternative.
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    Created by Petra Meinlova