• STOP AVOIDANCE OF CHILD MAINTENANCE:CHANGE THEIR TAX CODES! AND UPDATE HMRC interface with CMS.
    Having my own experiences for the last fourteen years of the father of my two children who, became a notorious non-compliant 'paying parent', and manipulated the CSA system, and now the CMS system to his advantage, in order to avoid paying any child maintenance, it is time to STOP this happening. The current system is incapable of collecting any maintenance for 14 years! I know of a significant number of other families who have the same experience and will continue to do so, if this financial abuse of children, is not stopped NOW. There are many, many problems with the way the UK collect child maintenance and this petition address one of them that will resolve instantly the problems, including poverty, experienced by those receiving parents who do not receive any child maintenance at all, or at best, sporadic payments. My children's father is a full time senior school teacher and earning further undisclosed income. He, personally, chose to job hop when he realised he could change employers frequently and knew the system would not catch up with him until someone, i.e. me, found him and provided the details - then he is off again having been provided with notice of when an attachment of earnings order is to become effective. Too many families are experiencing this. The current system does not work. All this can STOP by CHANGING THE PAYING PARENTS' TAX CODE i.e. using existing CODING OUT adjustments with HMRC. It is that simple. The child maintenance is collected before. the 'paying parent' is paid into their or, indeed, 'another person's' account - as so often can be the case (not illegal, albeit continuing deviance). Improvements to the HMRC interface with the CMS ought to be able to show up-to-date earnings and apply the relative percentage child maintenance that applies to any paying parent. If anyone of us owes any government department any money there is legislation in place to change tax codes - relative to amount of debt and earnings - so the same method should be enforced for child maintenance! This method of collection of CM saves a significant and often, ultimately worthless amount of time, on behalf of government staff, resources and, thereby, tax payers money; but, also, a significant deal of stress to the receiving parent and the children who are suffering from the financial abuse on behalf of a significant proportion of so-called 'paying parents', who deliberately avoid detection by job-hopping and income diversion. It is a no-brainer not to collect at the level of taxation. The lives of the 'paying parent's' biological children improves on a financial level and, therefore, an emotional level by, not having to 'go without' constantly because their 'paying parent' avoids maintenance, or misses payments. Children's self-esteem is thereby improved exponentially. This, in turn, reduces mental health problems for both them and their 'receiving parent' and, thus, future social problems and mental health services they may access as a result. This action is needed NOW as those dishonest 'paying parents' have already demonstrated they will not pay by any means. We have over £35,000 in arrears by the CMS figure (closer to £100,000 but needing further validation), which can also be collected via tax code without breaching the 40% protected earnings threshold. Often any enforcement action available is, at best, ineffective especially if they ensure they have no collateral to enforce debts against - as is our case. This is nothing to do with contact issues that exist with many families. It is to to STOP non-compliant 'paying parents' from avoiding paying child maintenance and leaving their children often in poverty! Any families reading this who are experiencing these problems need to sign the petition now; and anyone at all who supports this action. You might be without children, a grandparent or an honest paying parent. PLEASE, PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION. And, finally, in order to provide further support for the above, please CONTACT YOUR OWN MP, to bring this coding out issue to the attention of the Houses of Parliament. AND SHARE this link on your social media accounts! The original draft bill on behalf of Heidi Allen has been postponed until October 2018. In the meantime, she has confirmed to me she in touch with the relevant Minister discussing her draft bill, and has raised the coding out concerns I have brought to her attention to collect child maintenance. The October 2018 date is listed in case it is still needed to get her proposals accepted. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
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    Created by BJ GRAY
  • Ban shark fin soup and the sale of shark fins in the UK
    Shark populations around the world are in rapid decline. Sharks grow relatively slowly, take many years to mature and produce relatively few young. These characteristics make sharks, like this porbeagle, particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation. This vulnerability is exacerbated by the large and growing demand for shark fins and the general lack of management of shark fishing. Populations simply cannot replenish at the same rate as they are caught and finned to meet market demand. Banning the sale of shark fins and shark fin soup in the UK will be one step in the right direction to protecting all species of shark around the globe. It is cruel to leave sharks to die in the ocean with all of their fins removed from their bodies. Help put an end to the endangerment and cruelty to sharks and make the UK a better place.
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    Created by Daniel Bethell
  • You Gov Poll Suggests Benefit Claimants Should Not Be Allowed To Vote
    Benefit claimants are the largest section in society to be living in, or at risk of, poverty. This group of people are more likely to vote Labour. Calling into question their right to vote undermines democracy and normalises the view held by many that they are separate underclass who simply do not count. This is an outrageous affront to free speech and would set a worryingly dangerous precedent, as other societal groups could then be denied a voice as a result. ---- Further clarity : Same Difference (samedifference1.com) shared a poll from You Gov market research stating the following .. "Please say whether you think each of the following groups should or should not be allowed to vote in General Elections in the UK (Should be allowed to vote / Should NOT be allowed to vote / Don't know) Non-British citizens living in the UK ; British citizens currently serving jail sentences; British citizens aged 16 and 17; British citizens who receive more money from welfare benefits than they pay in taxes". https://files.38degrees.org.uk/items/files/000/001/366/display/benefit-vote.png
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    Created by Maria Tracey
  • Cancel your plans to close our rural public toilets!
    With the increasing popularity of the North Coast 500 (NC500), promoted in part by Highland Council, we are seeing ever-growing numbers of visitors to the NW Highlands and these people also require access to facilities in order to avoid more cases of human waste being left by the roadside. As part of its budget proposals for 2018/2019 Highland Council are closing public toilets at the following locations in the county of Sutherland: Achmelvich, Kinlochbervie, Rhiconich, Scourie, Smoo Cave, Lairg, Kylesku, Talmine, and Tarbet. The total estimated savings come to just £67,000 per year yet we consider these to be essential services, both for local people and tourists & others visiting the area. Additionally, these closures will discriminate against the elderly, infirm, disabled, and those with long-term illnesses whose ability to do without a regular rest break is impaired. Highland Council's suggested alternatives, such as making use of facilities in nearby businesses and village halls, are both impractical and presumptuous. Do the decent thing, Highland Council: Scrap your plans to close these public toilets.
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    Created by Gary Sutherland
  • Keep the A&E department at North Tees Hospital open
    This is an important asset to people in the local area and especially in the area north of the River Tees. Patients in the north of Hartlepool for example would be faced with a journey of at least 35 minutes. This is unacceptable in an emergency situation. People could be losing precious, life saving minutes if forced to travel further to recieve treatment.
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    Created by Tony Carroll
  • Save Priorswood Library
    This library and its staff provide vital services to one of Somerset's most deprived areas where community assets are already scarce. Not only is this an essential information and communication resource but it also contributes significantly to health, wellbeing and social life, in particular for the considerable number of residents with limited mobility, especially older, disabled, and low-income residents.
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    Created by Mark Wood
  • Stop funding cuts to the Citizens Advice Bureau
    The Citizens Advice Bureau provides vital benefits advice and support to ill, disabled and vulnerable people in and around Boston and Skegness. Lincolnshire County Council have decided to cut funding for this valuable service. There is no other organisation that provides the same service. Please sign and share.
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    Created by Gina Lewis Beever
  • Save Whitdale elderly day centre
    Over 300 people currently attend one of the day centres facing closure. Most of the users are frail and many suffer from dementia. Being able to meet up with friends means people are less isolated and are able to stay living in the community for much longer. If these services go people may not be able to live independently for as long as they would like to and may be forced into more costly residential care. These centres provide a vital service to the local community and the council should keep them open and fight against government cuts to the council’s budget.
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    Created by Gavin Beurskens
  • Stop the cuts to the camden homeless mental health team
    The borough of Camden has one of the highest homeless people in the country. Those living on the streets have difficulty accessing basic services. Those homeless with mental health issues are the most vulnerable and require more not less psychiatric care and follow up.
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    Created by David Goldberg
  • Save Alistair’s sleepover staff
    Because Alistair has profound learning disabilities, epilepsy, schizophrenia and severe autism. He has no awareness of danger and an unstable gait, meaning he is very likely to fall and cause serious injury when not supported. Alistair will also self harm and become aggressive when he feels nervous and doesn’t have someone there to help him and make him feel safe.
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    Created by Lyndsey Forrest McColl
  • Remove plastic from teabags
    The petition I started last year with 38 Degrees to remove all plastic from tea bags succeeded in persuading the UK's largest tea bag manufacturer, Unilever/PG Tips to remove plastics from their teabags. But the other leading UK teabag manufacturers are still using plastics in their teabags. The issue of having these plastics (polypropylene) in teabags is a concern. 20-25% plastic in each teabag is not a small or insignificant amount when multiplied up by the millions and millions of tea bags consumed daily. These plastics do not biodegrade in the environment. There have been many campaigns to keep plastics and microplastics out of our seas, highlighting the harm they do to marine life. But the same is true of plastics on land as they can cause harm to birds and small mammals. We need to keep ALL plastics OUT of our environment. We know that it is possible to use other materials that are biodegradable and I am told by a major European teabag paper manufacturer that there is a “Gold Standard” of cellulose-based bags that will readily compost in your garden compost bin, which, in fact, goes a stage better than the PLA-based bags about to be employed by PG Tips and Coop. With your support, we can make the other UK teabag manufacturers remove plastic from their tea bags.
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    Created by Mike Armitage Picture
  • Stop Osler House Doctors. Surgery from closing
    This would effect 3500 registered patients who will now have to find an alternative Surgrey. Potter Street has the largest elderly population in Harlow. It will not be easy for the elderly and disabled to catch buses to see a doctor. The closure of this surgery will cause more pressure on the surgery’s who will have to take on extra patients, which in tern will cause longer waiting times to see a doctor.
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    Created by Anna Stearn Picture