This is important because there has been less voter turnout in the last years. From surveying young people, we have gained information that eludes to younger people not voting for parties because they don't agree with what they are offering and have little education about the politcal standpoint of these parties. Many people who we interviewed would rather have a "None of the Above" box and tick that than not voting.

Lowering the voting age to 16 gives the British youth a chance to get politically involved in decision making. Evidence from the electoral reform society suggests that when given the opportunity, this age group vote in high numbers. It is important that we also have a say on issues that will affect us and our futures.

As I understand it, the Lords get paid £300 or thereabouts per day in the House of Lords and all they need to do for this money is to sign their name. They can then go home or go to the cheap bar in the House and have a drink, pop into the House and listen for 5 minutes or even pop in and go to sleep. I think if they come to work they should actually have to work.

The foundation of a cohesive and thriving community is people’s ability to live in decent, secure homes. There are over 900 households on ADC’s housing list who need to be able to access housing at well below market rents. Between April 2018 and December 2018, 50 households in Adur were placed into emergency accommodation. The Conservative Government’s definition of affordable rent at 80% market value does not tally with real wages of the local workforce. People who live in public housing should not be stigmatised. 42% of households are in work, 28% are retired, 7% unemployed, 93% are British nationals** Public land managed by councils should not be considered out of bounds for public housing because they are sited in desirable locations. Until 2019, Adur District Council has not built any public housing for 30 years. ADC has very little land to develop and is currently assessing council garage compounds as sites to develop therefore recognise that they need land. ** http://benefittosociety.co.uk/campaign-research/ Further reading https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/20/council-houses-were-once-a-glory-of-the-public-realm-lets-return-to-those-days https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-new-generation-of-council-housing https://www.socialhousing.co.uk/insight/insight/is-lifting-the-council-borrowing-cap-good-news-for-has-58524 http://www.arch-housing.org.uk/news/latest-news/lga-offers-financial-support-for-council-house-building.aspx

Aberdeen City Council are seeking to fill the hole created by their mis-spending by not only hiking up tax, but also slashing public spending from almost anything worthwhile in the city. Everything from Lollipop Men & Women, to Libraries, Road repairs, Sports Facilitates and even charities like Aberdeen Performing Arts and SHMU face the chop. All so that public money can be spent to prop up private spending on money-pits like Marischal Square. This budget should not be passed without a transparent open book investigation into public spending, to find out why Aberdeen's finances are in such a desperate state, and hold those responsible to account.

MP's expenses are a blatant abuse of the system, and corruption of the worst kind. Perhaps a review of MP's expenses could be carried out by the DWP fraud department, using the same criteria, and penalties, as benefit fraud. If we are going to accept the rule of law, as decided by our elected representatives, then it must be applied fairly to all.

Many UK constituents voted for their MPs because they represented the political party that they support. MPs who have left their party should respect their constituents by offering to stand in a by-election. This will prove that they are still driven entirely by the desire to fairly represent the wishes of the majority in their constituency, and not by their own agendas

University Students are finding themselves in relative poverty and facing evictions as a result of Universal Credit and Housing Benefit assessing Student Loans as income. University students accrue debts for student loans in order to pay for course tuition fees and maintenance costs. Interest rates, on a sliding scale from 3.1% on a sliding scale up to 6.1% are charged from the day students receive the first loan instalment, although this amount is set by the Government and revised annually. However, this alone is a Human Rights Violation. The United Nations committee that oversees the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) has stated: "Higher education shall be made equally accessible to all on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education". Despite this, students are realising the importance of a Higher Education for themselves and their children, to enable a better standard of living away from the reliance on minimum wage jobs, (often zero hour contracts)which is likely to result in reliance of welfare "top-ups". Yet they are being sanctioned from Universal Credit because of their eligibility of the student loan this results in a loss of housing benefits. We are now seeing students, many of which are parents of young children, living in poverty with a reliance on foodbanks, facing eviction and suffering mental health issues. Besides the ICESCR, the UK Human Rights Act 1998 gives effect to European Convention rights. One of those provides that: "No person shall be denied the right to education." European case law suggests that states are under an obligation to afford an effective right of access to institutions of higher education that exist. Yet we are hearing repeatedly that university students are being advised by governmental departments to give up their studies in order to claim full benefits! We, therefore, are asking you if you are insistent on expecting students to pay their own fees and maintenance with a repayable loan, then view it as a loan when assessing them!

Anyone who puts their own life at risk to protect their country has surely earned the right to be joined by their family.

Chris Grayling isn’t fit to do his job, he has awarded a £14m contract to Seaborne Freight, a company with no ferries and no cash, without due diligence. He has overstepped the mark and stopped Thanet District Councils democratic budget setting meeting. He needs to go!

Sir Christopher Chope has repeatedly blocked legislation intended to protect the lives and rights of young women. Today, he killed legislation intended to protect young women at risk of female genital mutilation. He does not represent British society and should not be entitled to influence British politics.

If Brexit has shown one thing, it is that we need truth and honesty in British political life and national media reporting. Allowing opaquely funded 'Think Tanks' similar time on air,and equivalence,to well respected politically independent analysts,is a travesty of honest public service broadcasting. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/30/labour-calls-for-inquiry-into-iea-thinktank-over-cash-for-access-claims The IEA is an opaquely funded free-market lobbyist organisation with a title that suggests otherwise. It sounds like an open and honest organisation, like the well respected and politically independent Institute for Fiscal Studies; but the IEA is one of the most opaquely funded organisations in Europe,and essentially campaigns for extreme forms of laissez faire economics with complete opposition to state intervention. The IEA has been caught taking US cash for access to British government ministers https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-45006969/iea-think-tank-responds-to-cash-for-access-claim The IEA also has links to climate change denial organisations : https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/02/nigel-lawson-climate-sceptic-organisation-funders This excellent article from July 2018 by George Monbiot really does summarise why this petition is necessary in the fight for truth and honesty in both politics and the media: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/18/dark-money-democracy-political-crisis-institute-economic-affairs