• STOP PUNISHING VICTIMS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE!
    The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) currently compensate 'blameless victims of crimes'. However, they also state 'We may refuse or reduce a payment if you have a criminal record, even though you may have been blameless in the incident which resulted in your injury'. As somebody who works in the legal profession representing victims of abuse, I have witnessed victims of abuse (whose abuser has been convicted) refused compensation on the basis that they have unspent criminal convictions. Some victims were drugged, laced with alcohol and forced to commit crimes by their abusers - they too have been refused compensation because they have 'unspent convictions'. These people were CHILDREN who were abused and put in that situation and CICA are punishing them for their abuse. Common symptoms of those who were or are being abused are anger, use of drugs and alcohol, committing crimes and lashing out because they want to be heard and helped. Their experiences will be with them for the rest of their lives and they will never be able to regain their childhood or live a normal live. These issues were submitted to the government last Autumn but to date they have failed to acknowledge the correspondence sent to them. Is this being swept under the carpet too? These victims need help to rebuild their lives, not to feel they are being punished by CICA: A government run organisation!
    6,108 of 7,000 Signatures
    Created by Odette Tovey
  • A referendum on the refurbishment of the palace of Westminster
    As someone who worked in the building industry for over twenty years and watched the BBC 2 documentary entitled Inside the commons. In my personal opinion The palace of Westminster would need to be closed in the near future to be refurbished as a grade 1 listed building that was built in the 1840s. This type of refurbishment would come under heritage restrictions and cost the tax payer up to 3 Billion pounds. With services like the NHS and local government in this county coming under Budgetary pressures it's called austerity. Can we really justify this immense expense of a future refurbishment of the palace of Westminster with out first giving the people of Great Britain a referendum if they agree the massive cost to the tax payer . Democracy may judge that the general public say they want MPs to do there business in another way in there constituency locality. With out the filibustering of Prime ministers question times.
    91 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Mark Cherry
  • Council tax revaluation pledged by all parties
    Most of those who have the option will always be tempted to avoid paying their fair contribution to support the old, the sick, the disabled and those trapped in poverty. This way those who enjoy the benefits of better housing have to pay more than those who don't.
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    Created by David Lewitt Picture
  • Stop the penalisation of long-term, legal migrants.
    Without warning, the 2014 Immigration Act imposed upon long-term, legal UK migrants the requirement of a No Time Limit Document, to present as legal proof of their Indefinite Leave to Remain, when seeking employment, (in some cases, housing) or access to benefits, for which some have been paying for decades. The postal application for an NTL Document costs £104.00 and takes and unacceptable SIX MONTHS to process. (There is a Premium One-Day Service which costs a casual £504.00 for the privilege of jumping the queue.) Without the NTL Document, long-term, legal, migrants (In my case - as a Canadian national, I have lived in the UK 34 years, payed taxes and NIC, and I am on the electoral-roll.) are held in a limbo where we can not take up new employment, nor access benefits such as job-seekers' allowance (despite funding NIC for decades) In a bid to see that we law-abiding, non-threatening people can be allowed to carry-on taking part and contributing to UK society, (as we were doing, unmolested, before May 14, 2014), I have contacted all parties at Westminster regarding this issue, and I have even spoken with the Deputy Prime-Minister about this. After months of having this life-affecting issue treated with indifference, or trivialised, it is apparent to me that to put right this collateral damage, caused by the 2014 Immigration Act, the government would have to 'spend money', a notion anathema to it's ethos. (particularly where 'people on the pavement' are concerned.) Additionally, this is an IMMIGRATION issue which is the Coalition Government's Achilles-heel. Those of us thrust into poverty or financial-hardship by this sloppy-legislation are battling with an ideologically-obdurate government, committed to BURYING this embarrassing issue. Through this legislation, Theresa May's headline-grabbing "hostile environment" is penalising innocent people! There are thousands of us affected by this (Some ILR holders won't be aware of this issue until they apply for their next job) I invite anyone, adversely affected by the 2014 Immigration Act, to join me in plying pressure on this government, and the government elected in May, to do the decent thing, and treat legal, law-abiding immigrants fairly.
    123 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Stuart Calvert
  • A national parliament for England
    Because solely the 85% of the UK's voters in England are denied the same degree of self-determination enjoyed by voters in Scotland. Consequently, there is no England voice. Nor do the people of England have their own separate Bill drafting facilities, nor Executive, nor Budget to administer devolved matters including NHS, Education, Social Care, Housing, Transport, Sport and local government as counterparts to those in Scotland. Equality and fairness dictate that England should be accorded a referendum. Wales was given a second referendum in 1997 despite having previously rejected a Welsh Assembly [80% voted 'No' on a turnout of 60%.], but England has never had her own referendum. Consequently, the British Parliamentary system is seriously flawed, indefensible, unrepresentative of England's interests and, ultimately, unsustainable.
    284 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Alan England
  • Deaths and the Sanctioning Policy
    Malcolm Burge set fire to himself in Cheddar Gorge, after being told he was subject to court action for £800 by Newham Borough Council, after his Housing Benefit was cut in half. Malcolm had written often to Newham Borough Council to tell them that he couldn't pay, he had never had that amount of money, and that he was suicidal. Also, David Clapson, who died after his benefits were stopped. He then had no money for food, had no money for electric to keep the fridge going that had his insulin in. The coroner stated that David had no food in his stomach and £3.44 in the bank. Esther McVey (The previous Employment Minister) stated to MPs that there is no link between the deaths and the sanctioning policy and that 'we ensured that all of our processes correctly'. If there is no link between the stopping of benefits and the deaths of 49 benefit recipients, why won't the DWP release the reviews? The sanctioning policy needs to reviewed when used in relation to vulnerable people, not used as a blanket policy.
    12,935 of 15,000 Signatures
    Created by Linda Theaker
  • Make Tax Fair
    Over 80% of people in Britain now believe the gap between rich and poor is too big. The UK’s current tax system exacerbates this inequality. These are two of the findings in a report about the tax system in the UK by The Equality Trust entitled ‘Unfair and Unclear’ http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/attachments/resources/Unfair%20and%20Unclear_0.pdf The report concludes ‘The gap between perceptions, preferences and reality when it comes to the UK’s current tax system should be of deep concern to politicians. Building a system that is fit for a fair society must now be a priority.’ Major tax reform to tackle inequality does not seem to be in any party manifestos for the election in May 2015. (Just minor window dressing!) Do you want a tax system in Britain which favours the rich or do you want a tax system which delivers fairness and opportunity for all? The poorest 10% in our society pay a much higher proportion of their income overall in tax (because of taxes like VAT and Council Tax). This is not generally realised because the tax system is so complicated. Is it not time to rebalance this? Austerity has been borne by the poor, while the rich have prospered. Is this not an outrage which should be redressed? We are told time and time again we cannot afford basic living standards for the poor, and yet we can afford massive remuneration for the rich. The ability for everyone to own a home, once a flagship Tory policy, has become an impossible dream as house prices have been forced up because of irresponsible lending, second homes, ‘buy-to-let’ and building luxury accommodation for the super rich to have as an investment, often lying empty. The system is broken and major action is necessary. I, as a concerned voter who does not see anyone to vote for, wish to see specific measures like these being adopted: 1 A ‘Making Tax Fair’ Bill to be drawn up to change the tax distribution in line with the Equality Trust’s broad recommendation: o From poorest 43%; mid 36%; richest 36% (of income) o To poorest 15%; mid 22%; richest 39% (of income) as a contribution to all taxes (inc VAT, Council Tax, Fuel Tax, etc as well as Income Tax – see report for list of all taxes) 2 A wealth tax on the richest 1%, to help redistribute the vast wealth amassed over the last few decades, gained while the rest of us were in austerity, and while the system has been designed to make the rich richer. 3 Action from government to force corporations and rich individuals to pay the tax they owe. It has been government policy since the 1980s to allow large tax breaks because of the ‘trickle down’ effect. We have known for a long time this is a myth and in fact the flow goes up not down. But the tax breaks are still in place! (War On Want are leading a campaign on Tax Dodging specifically to address this – click here if you haven’t supported it already http://www.waronwant.org/news/latest-news/18270-tdbcampaign) 4 A tax on luxury property left empty. It is a scandal that parts of London are left uninhabited, property having been bought by members of the super-rich elite as an investment and then left vacant. Often local people are evicted to make way for these. 5 A tax on second homes left vacant more than half-time. It is a scandal that local people cannot buy homes because of inflated prices. 6 A review of ‘buy-to-let’ to make it prohibitive, so that the conditions are reversed that led to the prediction that by 2032 more people will have to rent (at inflated prices), than own their own homes Please lend your support by signing the online petition. If enough of us do, we can put pressure on the next Government to act responsibly to ‘rebuild a tax system fit for a fair society’, and significantly alter the nature of the debate during this election. When you sign the online petition, we will present it to all political parties and ask for a response to be published pre-election. I believe in ‘wealth-for-all capitalism’, where people in all walks of life can work hard to achieve individual rewards while contributing to the ‘common-wealth’. Together we create one nation which works for everyone. I despise the ‘greed-is-good capitalism’ experiment, begun in the 1980s. It has ended where many predicted it would – many greedy and selfish people have worked the system to their own advantage, with government acquiescence, at the expense of everyone else, having amassed vast personal fortunes, and having looted the infrastructure of the country. Two nations have been created – the very rich and the very poor. This will continue after the election unless the 99% of us, who do not benefit, put pressure on to stop it happening!’ Please add your voice to this online petition so that we can reverse this process and again create Britain as a fair society. PLEASE SHARE WITH AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN!
    105 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Peter Scott
  • Exit Timeshare contracts - they shouldn't be for life!
    Many timeshare contracts are for 54 years without exit clauses. The contacts pass on to children and grandchildren irrespective of ability to pay or ability to use the holidays even in cases of ill health. An example of a 80 year old lady having to pay almost a £1,000, pa for holidays which she could not physically use nor afford. Timeshare providers are now offering vacations to the general public at rates which are less than members pay, and at all times of the year using exactly the same facilities. Initially timeshares were sold as exclusive deals. However, it is still not possible to exit timeshare contracts. Timeshare clubs use the excuse, 'by letting it to non members use the facilities it keeps the maintenance charges down'. Latest scams/deals request exiting timeshare holders to pay in excess of £10,000 to change their current contracts to 15 year contracts again unrealistic if elderly, ill or with no ability to pay crippling costs
    374 of 400 Signatures
    Created by Milton Pearson
  • Rights for People with Disabilities
    disabled are bearing the Brunt of the Cuts to Public Services and Benefits which is wholly Unaccepatable and Unfair in Society that shouldlcare for the less fortunate that are afflicted by serious health conditions ,not of their Choosing. Poverty caused by illness People using Foodbanks to feed themselves and families access to Medical Treatment limited by cuts to NHS front line services. a Disable treated Unfairly given Sanctions and left to Struggle .Equality and Parity of Esteem accorded to. Social Wage given instead of a cluster of Benefits Opportunities for Educational Advancement,Retrainingtion g and Rehabilitation,. Building Social Housing that is Adapted for Disabled Usage and equipping Public Amenities for Acess ie Day Centres ,. The application of Human Rights Laws efficacy when denied Support by Social Care and successful appeals to European Courts where there has been a breach of the statutory "Duty Of Councils and Health Departments..
    66 of 100 Signatures
    Created by jonathan bellini
  • Stop the Counter Terrorism and Security Bill
    Please sign the petition to stop this government rushing through legislation that has the power to impact on all our lives not just the Muslim community. This year is the 800 year anniversary of the Magna Carta, this bill seeks to undo the very principles signed 800 Years ago. In the guise of fear mongering and scaring the wider community about Islamist extremist and criminalising the whole of the Muslim community, this bill will erode the civil liberty of all people and all communities. For further details please see www.stopthebill.co.uk or sign this petition It is an erosion of civil liberty, fair trial, the freedom to travel and justice for all.
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    Created by shahida siddique
  • Apply the Benefit Cap to MP Pensions
    MP's should not earn more when they're not working than Hard Working Families who have to support them. MP Pensions are catagorised as Welfare in the HMRC's Tax Summary, being posted to every tax-payer, but are not subject to any Welfare regulation, while JobSeekers Allowance only accounts for 3% of the Welfare Catagory. The purpose of the Benefit Cap is to prevent people, regardless of circumstances, who are not working from earning more than Hard Working Families.
    154 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Dr. Stephen Lathwell
  • Civil servants must be impartial.
    He defends himself by stating that there were risks and saying he thought the people had the right know. But he completely ignored that rules are for everybody. They do not bend for any group no matter the opinion of those who work under them. By boasting about it in a speech to his rich cronies he has shown an arrogance beyond belief and total disregard for the Scottish people, by not allowing them to assess the risks (which he himself played a large part in manufacturing) for themselves to make up their own minds. Instead he wholeheartedly helped to build and promote possibly the most frightening and effective of the NO scare stories.
    66 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Tony Gilmour