Dear Angela, We are all aware of the need for warm, affordable housing across the country. However, recent announcements from yourself and the government have sadly sought to pitch communities against local decision making processes and nature against people. The new Planning Reforms seek to take power away from those who have been elected to represent residents, overriding democracy and playing into the hands and ultimately pockets of developers. Developers already hold too much power and people will continue to be locked out of buying and even renting in this, their home town 💔 As one of the most nature depleted countries on earth, we can't afford to keep building without a thought for nature. Not only are green spaces essential to relax in, flooding is an increasing risk in over built locations, such as this. We rely on biodiversity, eg pollinators such as 🐝 bees and 🦋 butterflies to pollinate our food, however if all of their habitats continue to be concreted over, long-term this will effect every species, including our own. In order to reassure local people, who are understandably dismayed at these new proposals, please can you offer comfort with the following 🏘👇 - To bring empty properties back into use as a priority. - Setting an expectation for all developers to build a minimum 50% Affordable housing. - Abolish the disastrous Right to Buy scheme - Commit to respecting Local Plans - The expectation for developers to build warm, affordable homes. - Environmental measures such as solar panels, flooding protections, swift & bee bricks & hedgehog holes to be delivered as standard for all builds. - Ensuring environmental protections such as Sites of Scientific Special Interest (SSSIs] are adhered to - thereby keeping important nature havens such as Swanscombe Peninsula safe. Thank you, Written by 💚 Cllr Laura Edie On behalf of Dartford Borough residents

Charles' Coronation cost at least £72 million. Elizabeth’s funeral cost £162 million. The Royal Finances Report shows we lose £510 million to the monarchy every year and now we, the taxpayers, are expected to pay £46 million for a memorial to Elizabeth.  Enough is enough. This money is desperately needed for better causes - hospitals, schools, housing and more. If the monarchy is as popular as certain media outlets make out, then let monarchists pay for the memorial. As loyal and devoted subjects, why wouldn't they be able to raise that much?  Crowd fund the memorial and spare us overburdened citizens!

Opportunities! To meet new people, learn a new language, learn new skills, grow your confidence, make connections and build friendships with people from Spain to Azerbaijan to Jordan! Open your mind, open your heart and open your world! And it's such an amazing opportunity to become more employable!  EU mobility schemes have so much to offer, why should the youth of the UK continue to be deprived of opportunities?  Lets get the ball rolling, and start to rebuild our relationship with the EU whilst opening up the doors to a world of opportunities! 

• Many people were disenfranchised by the sudden calling of the 2024 General Election.  • The 4th of July did not allow enough time for many postal votes to be processed correctly. This was unfair.  • Scottish voters had arranged holidays and were away on election day. •  I live in France and I was told by my local election services that there was no way they would be able to send me the voting papers in enough time for me to return my vote in time to be counted! •  Although fixed term parliaments have ceased, there must be a legally enforceable time for all voters to participate.

THERE is no doubt that football is broken. With the announcement of the General Election, the Football Governance Bill, which would have introduced a new Independent Regulator for Football, fell. But this now represents an opportunity to address the serious flaws that were in it.  We need a Bill that will tackle the growing financial inequality in the game, that ensures the regulator is truly independent, protects the heritage of clubs, champions equality and the environment, and properly consults fans and clubs. It is now up to the next Government to pick up the mantle and deliver a fairer future for football.  For the sake of fans and clubs up and down the country we need all parties to make a firm commitment that a new Bill is brought forward in the first session of the next government - a Bill that is fit for purpose.

I, like many of you, have seen the disconnect between our politicians and the reality of life in our state. The very individuals who are meant to serve us seem to be exploiting their positions for personal gain. This is why I am calling for a change in how we compensate our MPs, PMs and Ministers. No state can exist without its population; it's the people that make a state thrive. Yet, it seems that those elected to represent us have lost touch with this fundamental truth. They use their positions as a means to an end rather than serving the interests of those they represent. By introducing these policies in our state, we will ensure that those who govern us do so with first-hand knowledge of what life is like on an average income. There must be no divide and no disconnection between the state and its citizens. It is time we held our politicians accountable not only through votes but also through policies that reflect reality rather than privilege. Please sign this petition if you believe in creating a more equitable system where one cannot rule over another without understanding what their life is like.

Don’t make our young people suffer for the past mistakes made by the government and let’s implement this so they can still have the opportunity to travel and work in the EU without visas. This is a generous offer from the EU, which has been rejected out of hand for petty or unexplained reasons to appease older voters needs rather than those of youth and our future. Anand Menon, a professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King’s College London and director of UK in a Changing Europe, said: “Clearly there is a debate to be had about the costs and the benefits of a youth mobility scheme, but I find it utterly depressing that both of the major political parties, one of which will form a government after the next election, do not know the difference between free movement and a limited youth mobility scheme which involves visas.”

Imagine watching Coronation Street and being interrupted by Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer on your screen. Well, it could happen soon as Labour and the Conservatives gear up to spend millions more than ever before on ads, and ITV bosses are considering using a loophole to rake in the cash. For the first time in British TV history we could see American-style political ads all over the telly, because our laws that ban party ads haven’t been updated since streaming services like ITVX were invented. Sky, Channel 4, Amazon Prime and Netflix don’t accept these ads despite the loophole. ITV bosses are just considering this right now. If we don’t act quickly, they could start a race to the bottom. If we accept political ads on one channel, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes standard and our democracy will be in the hands of parties backed by wealthy donors who can buy up advertising space on our favourite shows.

New rules mean you now need specific photo ID to vote in person in UK elections. The Government’s changes to voting rules - which will be enforced at May’s local elections for the first time - means that millions of us are at risk of being locked out of having our say. And worst of all, most don’t even know it! We can’t stop the Government’s new rules from going ahead but, together, we CAN make sure as many of us as possible know about the changes, so we can still make our vote count. If each of us reading this told three friends or family about the change, word would spread across the country in no time.

The Post Office scandal is one the greatest ever miscarriages of justice. Yet reports suggest Fujitsu - whose software is behind the Post Office scandal - have just been handed a new Government contract. They promised they wouldn’t bid for contracts until the Post Office Inquiry was finished - but according to reports of leaked documents, they’ve been training staff on how to bid despite the ban. We have to act quickly to stop those responsible from being given any more of our money while the victims are still waiting for compensation. It was our people power that got Paula Vennells to hand back her CBE - now it’s time to hold those to blame accountable again.

Sexual assault allegations against Prince Andrew led to him being pushed out of royal duties in 2019 and prevented from using his royal titles in 2022. But at a vulnerable time for the Royal Family, Prince Andrew has begun stepping in to undertake royal duties. This is despite the fact that the allegations against him remain active; Prince Andrew may have settled the sexual assault civil lawsuit against him out of court, but US court documents still allege connections between him and the case against the convicted child sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. In view of this, it is vital that Prince Andrew is not permitted to undertake royal duties or use his royal titles.

A major government watchdog says thousands of women were “failed” by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) over the rise in state pension age and must be compensated for the “significant injustice” caused. Yet the DWP refuses to apologise, leading the Ombudsman to take the rare move of calling on the Government to intervene. An entire generation of women have endured decades of financial struggle because of this scandal. The Government must act swiftly by bringing in emergency legislation to compensate all the women affected with the watchdog’s suggestion of £2950, and apologise for the immense suffering caused. It’s time to finally give thousands of women the justice they deserve.