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

Yes Clackmannanshire and other local groups have been campaigning to highlight the injustices of UC and the increase in poverty created by this policy. To date our local MP will not meet with his constituents, we want to be able to have an open and public dialogue with him about why he should be challenging this Policy and sticking up for his constituents needs in London. We have been excluded from meetings, had no response to our emails and been dismissed by him in the local press. We need to make our case more robust and seek the support of the general public to pressurise him into coming out the shadows and facing the people of Clackmannanshire in a neutral public forum. IE A local public meeting with a neutral Chair.

It is important for our City that we no longer allow buildings to either crumble or be burned down, as the last two listed buildings have found their fate. In my view we have lost too many of our buildings that have represented the skyline of our City.

My son has just lost a school friend in a tragic road accident this week whilst he was cycling to school Tuesday morning. A car and Tyler collided and he sadly sustained fatal injuries, sadly a helmet was not worn. This MUST stop. On spot fines or confiscate cycles if a helmet is not wore by the cyclist. Helmets should be the norm, to make it less trendy for these teenagers to go without one. Everyone will be in the same boat so it becomes less of a stigma.

Our public services are underfunded, if the wealthy and multinational corporations were forced to pay their fair share of tax, many issues that our public services are facing due to a lack of funds can be resolved.

CEO pay is too high and has grown so much quicker that their employees. FTSE 100 CEOs are now paid: • 165 times more than a nurse. • 140 times more than a teacher. • 132 times more than a police officer. I want CEO total pay capped to a 60 times ratio of the lowest paid in the company. If they want a pay rise everyone in their company should get one.

If it is wrong to wreck the climate, then it is wrong to profit from that wreckage. We believe that governments that serve the public good should cut their ties to the fossil fuel industry. MPs must show leadership on climate change by responsible investment and transition to a clean economy. Find out more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5T-YhjpNnE#action=share

There is currently a campaign asking MPs to pledge to support the divestment of Parliament from fossil fuels.This has already happened in the Irish Parliament and has had a massive effect in changing public opinion and making them aware of the devastating effect that the fossil fuel industry has on the environment. If only 20% of the proven fossil fuel reserves are burned, we will not be able to keep within the UN's target of 1.5 degree temperature rise, and any more than this will cause catastrophic and irreversible climate change. This makes the drive towards fracking utterly non-sensical, as fracking is part of the problem and not part of the solution. Divestment from fossil fuels is an essential component of limiting climate change, because we cannot afford to be investing in such a damaging industry. Just 100 companies, many of which are fossil fuel companies, contribute 71% of carbon emissions worldwide. I am asking you please to sign the parliamentary pledge at the earliest opportunity. It will send an important message to other MPs if you do so. If you are not prepared to sign it, I would like to know the reasons why you do not share the view that this is an essential step in the process towards limiting climate change.