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.

Why is this important? Not unlike other areas of government, democracy has not been aparant in the local area for some time, however, the recent acts of the council with the public purse from the £8.3 million wasted on Voreda House, £3.8 million on credit cards, Pushing up again the council tax by 4.99% and then approving alloownace increases for councillors incoluding substantial increases for Cabinet Members. This petition is here to demonstrate to the council how we the people they are supposed to represent feel about them and their actions. It is not political but we do desire the current councillors to stand down and allow us to elect people that will democratically represent us.

The recent decisions by Bridgwater Labour Town Councillors not only burden residents with a 164% council tax increase, costing each of us at least an extra £120 annually but also see them awarding themselves a comfortable £1,200 pay annual pay. This self-serving move creates a stark contrast – while they insulate themselves from the financial impact, hardworking residents bear the brunt. Joining this campaign for change is vital because it's about fairness, accountability, and ensuring that our elected representatives prioritise the community's well-being. No one should be shielded from the consequences of their own decisions, especially when it directly affects the wallets of those they're meant to represent.

No taxation without representation! Do you believe the forecasts from Somerset Council of a £100m budget shortfall when their numbers have not been independently audited and verified? Valued public services with modest budgets like toilets, CCTV and recycling centres are to be cut, when internal efficiency savings have yet to be made, whilst financial management and budget forecasting in this new Somerset super council does not command public confidence. It is time that these budget forecasts and tax rise proposals are put to the public in a referendum. In good conscience, how could anyone vote for the current cuts, whilst so many questions as to how this new super council got into this parlous state “out of the blue”, remain unanswered?

We should not confirm such agreements when they have a 'rat's tail' of disadvantages in the medium and long term. We already trade successfully with these countries without the apparent problems that this agreement will throw up. Is it just a piece of window dressing from a bunch of brexit-tears?

This would be a tax on people and businesses, threatening jobs and livelihoods, and impacting vulnerable people most of all. New research shows the British public are against the Taxi Tax, with 7 out of 10 opposed to 20% VAT being imposed on private hire and minicab journeys. This opposition was highest among low-income households (71%), women (71%), over 65s (75%) and those suffering from mobility impairments (74%) (Source: YouGov, 2 November 2023). Low-income households and vulnerable groups are those who say they can least afford the new tax. Almost 8 in 10 low-income households who use private hire minicab services (78%) say they will find it hard to pay higher prices, alongside 68% of those users with mobility impairments. Government data shows that in 2021/22 VAT amounted to 12.4% of income for the lowest earners but only 4.7% of income for the top earners. As people struggle with the daily cost of living, putting VAT on minicab trips stands to negatively impact those on lower incomes disproportionately.

Drugging women or men is an awful crime, leaving victims abused and traumatized. We look to our politicians to represent and protect us. James Cleverly’s appalling behaviour does not represent or protect us. It could easily embolden perpetrators to commit drugging and abuse crimes against women and men and the LGBTQ+ community. He should face the consequences of his terrible decision to think that it is a joking matter.

Paula Vennells said she had “listened” after over 1.2million people signed the 38 Degrees petition to strip her of her CBE due to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of postal workers. Now Alan Bates, the ex-postmaster who led the decades-long fight to expose the Horizon system scandal, should be recognised with the same honour himself. He had previously turned down an OBE as he believed it would be a “slap in the face” to the victims to accept an honour while Ms Vennells still held her CBE. Usually honours are announced to mark the New Year and the Monarch's birthday, but in special circumstances they can also be awarded at other times. Carol Vorderman, the presenter of the Pride of Britain Awards that recognised Alan Bates last year, is leading calls for him to receive a CBE at least. She said: "When I think of heroes I think of brave people who fight a Goliath for the good of all, and not themselves. Who are tenacious, who never give in. Alan Bates is all of those things. He shouldn't just get a CBE. He should be in the House of Lords getting his teeth into other matters. In Alan Bates we trust." Tory former Cabinet minister David Jones said: “Alan Bates has obviously done a huge amount to expose what was going on at the Post Office. Personally speaking, I think that if Ms Vennells had the CBE, I think that he would easily be worth that.” Labour MP Kevan Jones, a member of the Horizon compensation advisory board, said: “Alan Bates should definitely take up his OBE, but I think he deserves an honour much higher for all his efforts.” We understand the Government could award him with an honour immediately without waiting for the King’s Birthday Honours in June. The CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) is the highest honour (excluding a knighthood/damehood), followed by the OBE and then MBE. Alan has campaigned tirelessly for almost 20 years to expose the truth about the Post Office Scandal and get justice for subpostmasters whose lives it destroyed. He and his partner Suzanne Sercombe took over a shop in Llandudno that included a post office counter in 1998, investing £65,000 in the business. By the end of 2000, after the introduction of the Post Office’s new Horizon computer system, unexplained losses appeared in his accounts. In 2003, his contract was terminated. His careful record-keeping proved he was not at fault, but the Post Office said by then £1,200 was unaccounted for – a sum Alan said was never there in the first place and had simply appeared as a result of a glitch in the system. Alan’s determination to get to the truth began almost immediately. Setting up a website to highlight his concerns, he also reached out to journalists to highlight the case and made contact with other subpostmasters. He led a group of 555 postmasters in taking the Post Office to the High Court in a Group Litigation Order. In 2019, a judge ruled that the computer system contained “bugs, errors and defects”, and the Post Office agreed to settle with all the claimants who joined the GLO. Alan has become a national treasure after millions watched his long and painful fight for justice portrayed in the ITV drama, Mr Bates vs the Post Office.