In 2011, residents voted against a merge of the councils in a referendum. If the conservatives want to now merge, they must seek a mandate to do so. To go ahead without properly consulting would be a betrayal to local residents. Whether you think it's a terrible idea or a good one, residents must have a say.

We the undersigned wish to express our profound disquiet at the roll-out of digital Universal Credit (UC). The Government’s plans will continue to replace all means-tested social security benefits and tax credits for those of working age, across Greater Manchester and beyond. We believe that we should not stand for such wilful ignorance of the impacts of the new system. We urge individuals, groups, organisations, MPs, councillors, landlords and housing associations to stand in solidarity against the Universal Credit roll-out. Signed and shared by: Greater Manchester Law Centre, GM Poverty Action, Big Issue North, Salford Mayor Paul Dennett, Salford Council Welfare Rights and Debt Advice Team, Salford Star, People's Plan GM, Coffee 4 Craig, St Mungo's Unite, Kill the Housing Bill, Cllr Gary Bridges, Cllr Bev Craig, Cllr Basat Sheik, Cllr Richard Leese, Council Labour Group, Manchester Shield, Withington Lib Dems. As this catastrophe unfolds the shortcomings and blind spots of UC have increasingly become clear. The following are the six issues, faced by individuals and families, which concern us most: 1. People are experiencing waits of six to twelve weeks (sometimes longer) for their first payment of Universal Credit. Consequently, people are spiraling into debt and rent arrears which they may find it impossible to recover from. 2. Universal Credit claims can only be processed online through a system called verify which cannot be completed without requisite ID or computer access. Some of the most vulnerable people, such as those who are disabled, precariously housed, homeless or non-UK citizens, find it extremely difficult to claim. This both lengthens the waiting period for first payments and makes it difficult for individuals to maintain their claims, putting them at risk of sanctions. 3. Sanctions are being applied erratically and arbitrarily in relation to UC. There is mounting evidence highlighting unfair use of sanctions, for example individuals have received them for being at work and missing their work focused interview. Full service roll-out will also bring housing benefit into the realm of sanctions, directly increasing the risk of evictions and homelessness. 4. Under UC many will see a reduction in their financial entitlement and will be living off substantially less money. In some cases individuals will be around £100-£300 less well off per month than on previous legacy benefits like Employment and Support Allowance and Severe Disability Premium . Disabled people and those with debilitating heath conditions will be pushed further into poverty as a result. 5. Young People aged 18-25 will be disproportionately affected by UC, . For example, those aged between 18-21 will not be entitled to housing benefit under UC unless in an exempt category. The exemptions will not cover thousands of at risk young people, resulting in mounting debt and homelessness. 6. Evidence suggests that UC is pushing more children and families into poverty. Unjust elements of UC like the two child limit do not support working or non-working families. Direct links to welfare reform, specifically UC are causing professionals to highlight the risk of more children going into care and families becoming homeless. We call on the Government to halt the roll-out while all of the problems are reviewed, to avoid creating unnecessary suffering. Universal Credit, if rolled out in its current form, is a Universal Catastrophe that will place an unsustainable burden on the finances of local authorities, charitable organisations and support services who will ultimately be left to pick up the pieces.

My mum was only 46 years when she got diagnosed with a brain tumour and told she had three months to live. I was stunned when the funeral director said it would cost £5,000 for a cremation. I felt shame having to owe people money. Because I was unable to repay the debt and deal with my own emotions, I wasn’t able to grieve in peace. The government funeral fund used to cover the cost of a basic funeral for families who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford one. Now it covers less than 40% - that's just £700 for direct funeral expenses. According to Money Advice Service, the average cost of a funeral can range from £1600-£4257.but it can be much more in places like London which is double the national average. Many families like mine are being forced into debt and poverty because they can't afford a funeral when someone they love dies. Now the Fair Funerals campaign is calling on the government to raise the funeral fund and help families grieve in dignity. One in six grieving families get into serious financial problems trying to pay for a funeral. Tell the government to save grieving people like me from funeral debt. Please sign this petition now.

Policy will directly lead to hundreds of thousands of existing and prospective social tenant households made homeless It means the poorest cannot afford the lowest rents even those in work and creates poverty It means hundreds of thousands of children will be housed in temporary homeless accommodation which damages their life chances It will increase the Housing Benefit bill by £10 billion over the 5 year period- and will require further cuts elsewhere to pay for it

Dialysis is an essential treatment that keeps Renal patients alive, it is not a cure. We cannot decide whether to miss a session due to lack of funds but that is what we are being forced to do

Many people on part-time or zero-hours contracts have ongoing problems getting paid their full entitlement of housing benefit and end up in rent arrears. This is what happened to Clavia Chambers who was evicted by Lambeth Council last month with her two young children and is still fighting to have this decision overturned (http://housingactivists.co.uk/protest/clavias-case-shows-how-anyone-can-become-homeless ) All unemployed, disabled and low paid workers are currently being moved onto Universal Credit. The chronic delays, cuts, and mismanagement of claims in this new system is going to make this situation even worse. There has been an explosive rise in rent arrears among universal credit claimants. There is a real danger of spiralling numbers of evictions and more social cleansing in Lambeth because the council currently classifies people evicted for rent arrears as 'intentionally homeless' and refuses to rehouse them. Lambeth council should not be evicting people who fall foul of the brutal and complicated benefits system. They should be supporting tenants to appeal unjust benefit decisions and they should use their powers to make discretionary housing benefit payments to prevent people in private rented homes becoming homeless too.

This would enable new drivers to understand the benefits and vulnerabilities of being on a bicycle, improving road safety for everyone. It would also improve the skills and awareness of those adults most likely to cycle on urban roads at peak times. Thirdly, it would enable many more people to experience cycling as an adult and encourage them to see the opportunities it presents for clean, cheap and easy transport.

Reading Borough Council are threatening to knock down the Central Mural and sell the building to commercial developers. The Mural is an important both as a piece of Art and as a memorial to the lives of people significant in African, Afro-American, Caribbean and black British History. It reminds us (accurately) that some pharaohs were black. (If it is ever extended in size it could now usefully add a major Russian Novelist and an American President!). It would be a huge loss to us if we lose it and an insult to the many Reading Residents from Barbados, Jamaica, East and West Africa and elsewhere. Personally I am scots of Irish and English descent and I love that mural

Brighton & Hove is a coastal city, meaning it must be on the frontline when it comes to tackling plastic pollution in our oceans. As 80% of marine litter originates from land, Brighton & Hove must do everything possible to stop this pollution at source. In 2016, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimated that by weight, there could be more plastic in our oceans than fish, as soon as 2050. Plastics are durable, strong and long-lasting – all positive elements until you realise that they will stay in our environment for up to an estimated 600 years. (Columbia University) Over 300 million tons of new plastic are made every year – half of which is for single use plastic, such as packaging and convenience foods. In many cases, such as plastic straws, takeaway food containers and coffee cups, there are practical alternatives available that are either reusable or sustainable. It is estimated that there are over 5.5 trillion pieces of plastic currently in our global ocean and over 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into our seas each year. This equates to one refuse truck FULL of plastic every minute. Marine plastic leads to coastal / offshore dead zones, entanglement, death through ingestion, toxic transfer and, once degraded into microplastics, contamination of the food chain – including our own. We are quite literally eating the plastic that has ended up in our seas. Sign this petition so we can persuade the council to act on the issue of single-use plastic waste.

There has been many suicides and attempted suicides at these car parks over previous years. At Bruton way yesterday 16th Sept 2017 and a death 9th Sept 2017 two within 7 days. One resulting in a 32yrs old man falling to his death and a 21yr old man being talked down and taken to hospital 6 days later

Gina Miller has suffered abuse and threats of violence from hateful people who do not understand the situation, and do not care to learn. We want Ms Miller to know that we will not stand for this bullying. It is not representative of the best British tradition of tolerance and acceptance of the rule of law, free speech, and due process. We will continue to oppose all forms of hatred and it is a testament to Ms Miller's character that she persevered under such tremendous pressure. The lies and bias in tabloid newspapers, on social media and propagated by bots has convinced some individuals that Ms Miller has obstructed democracy - but we fully understand that the opposite is true, and are forever grateful to her for this. Thank you Gina! https://files.38degrees.org.uk/items/files/000/000/111/display/brexit.gif

The UK is one of less than 20 countries in the world to recruit 16 year olds, it is the only country in Europe and the only permanent member of the United Nations. This groups ourselves together with countries with little respect for human rights such as Iran, Zimbabwe and North Korea. The army recruits the very youngest solders with the intention of preparing them specifically for front line roles- where they are over represented. This has been questioned by international charities such as 'Child Soldiers International' and needs to stop! The battlefield is not a place for our young teanagers!