Hundreds of thousands of people - who have lost their jobs or had their hours reduced due to Coronavirus - are now being forced to claim Universal Credit in order to feed their families and keep a roof over their head. But instead of being able to get the help they need immediately, they are forced to wait for 5 weeks before they can get any money, or take out a loan called an “advanced payment” to tide them over. It means families will have to choose between going into debt and having smaller benefits payments in the coming months, or waiting over a month for money they need to pay for food, bills and rent. It doesn’t have to be like this. In this time of national crisis, the government could choose to end the 5 week wait by making the “advance payment” for Universal Credit a grant not a loan. This would mean families get the money they need straight away, and their full universal credit payment in the following months. MPs and experts are calling on them to do exactly this. Huge public pressure could be enough to push them to do the right thing. Will you sign the petition so that people get the money they need, when they need it, without being pushed into debt?

Dominic Raab In these troubled times we need to be at home for the sake of our families and their peace of mind .

In this worrying time with everyone in financial turmoil due to social distancing and isolation the exemption of having to pay council tax across the UK should be enforced to help everyone

Millions of us are currently self-isolating at home. But homeless people can’t do that. And with shelters closing up because they’re simply not safe - and other support like food banks stretched to breaking point - there’s simply nowhere for them to go. But there’s a simple solution. Right now, as so many travelers have cancelled their holiday plans, hotels across the country are sitting empty. They’re a perfect place for homeless people to stay during this unprecedented crisis. If the government paid some hotels to provide shelter to homeless people it would also help these businesses weather the storm - meaning they can continue paying their hard-working staff. Less than 3% of the UK’s hotel rooms would be needed - but it could save countless lives.

Poor families and those losing jobs and sliding into debt need to eat! The government can provide a safety net for them from their reserves being called upon for this emergency.

* 2.73 million people are completely offline due to low income * 14.2 million people are limited users because they cannot afford access on a regular basis (source: Digital Nation 2019 - Good Things Foundation) We are hearing stories of the implications for low income families not being able to get online. Stories include people struggling with access to welfare claims and registrations, school learning and being able to connect with family, friends and relatives. See: www.operationwifi.co.uk

The effects of the new economic breakdown are already being felt throughout the country, and students are not exempt from it. As businesses and workplaces are getting shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, several students will no longer be able to pay the rents for their stay at the University. Likewise, on behalf of several of my University colleagues, I am asking you to pass a law for Universities to stop charging students living on their campuses for rent until the pandemic crisis ends. There is another petition that demands landlords off campus to stop charging for rent, so this petition is directed at Universities' on-campus accommodation policies. I firmly believe that all categories of society members need help in these difficult times, and that the United Kingdom should follow the example of other countries; particularly the one of France, where all accommodation rents are to be suspended during the crisis. As a Biomedical Science student in his final undergraduate year, I am significantly concerned about the future number of cases throughout the country, and several people will very likely require not just treatment, but also a great amount of psychological and emotional support, as people of all ages have already been exposed to the pathogen. Hence, I kindly ask you for the appropriate support so that students will not be exposed to financial hardships and suffer even more, besides their profound anxiety and uncertainty, not just about the lives of their loved ones, but about their lives as well. Moreover, I'm asking you to pressurize all UK Universities with accommodation campuses to permit students with existing health conditions to break their contracts, as there are many of them who are currently sharing flats with as many as 15 other colleagues. They need to be isolated during the crisis, so that their lives will not be put at risk.

We have to help support people through these challenging times and help them cope with the economic effects of not bringing home an income. What’s needed is some form of Universal Basic Uncome (UBI). Universal Income is a modest basic payment to all citizens - there’s more information here https://www.wired.co.uk/article/universal-basic-income-explained Some places are starting to get wise to this. Japan is now preparing to give parents $80/day to stay home with their children, and Hong Kong is setting up a one-time $1,200 stimulus for its adult citizens to help weather the difficulty and keep the economy running. Australia, too, is planning to start putting cash in its citizens’ hands. In the USA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, too, is now championing UBI as part of the solution. This need not be just a temporary fix. When this virus passes into history, a continued UBI would continue to help us deal with our many other daily disasters, both individual and communal, from hurricanes to layoffs to heartbreaks. Shit happens, and it never stops happening, and we can always face it better when we have guaranteed security in the form of a steady income. The coronavirus just might test our society beyond anything we’ve seen in decades. Will we pass this test? It will certainly be painful, but can we use the opportunity of this shared catastrophe to come together, beat back the worst of its potential consequences, and emerge stronger? Maybe it takes a pandemic to realize just how important it is for people to never have to wait for the government to rescue them before they can start taking action for themselves, before they can feel protected. Maybe it takes a national crisis to see how important it is to strengthen every link in the great chain that is our nation. If there can be a silver lining to this particular disaster, I really hope that’s it.

Right now people claiming disability benefits are having payments cut or withheld because of unfair and strict rules, called sanctions. It means money Disabled people need to pay for food or bills is taken away, for something as small as being late to an appointment. Imagine living in constant worry about having enough money to put food on the table, or being left in the dark about when you will receive payments again. And right now, week by week more news is breaking about the scale of this crisis. The government is under growing pressure to scrap the policy to make sure no-one claiming disability benefits ever has this vital support cut off. But right now their are dragging their feet. If thousands of us add our name to this petition today, together we could force them to listen and end disability benefits sanctions for good.

From 1st April 2020, Wilko are set to scrap sick pay for 21,000 workers across the country. This means that Wilko will not issue sick pay for all workers after their first absence. The rules effectively mean if you're ill more than once in a year - you will not be paid for it beyond statutory minimum. The maximum statutory sick pay is only £94.25 a week The new policy will increase the likelihood of people going to work when they are unwell and contagious because they could not afford to miss out on much needed wages. Wilko should scrap the policy and make sure their employees are looked after correctly with acceptable sick pay.

Responsible dance teachers and parents have become concerned by various social media posts whereby children are being exposed to dangerous practices including (but not limited to) children stretching box splits with one foot on a chair and the other on the floor with comment from the teacher about 'pain and tears, children as young as two years old being celebrated for taking part in acro/'strength' classes wearing ankle weights, teachers boasting about children training for hours on end and more. We know that the dance training industry is not regulated, and we know that teachers who are guilty of dangerous practices may or may not be qualified or registered. We also know that some of the schools who partake in this sort of activity are also highly successful at large, financially rewarding competitions including international ones such as representing the UK at the Dance World Cup, and have a lot of media exposure including being scouted for tv shows such as Britains Got Talent, The Greatest Dancer etc. It appears that parents are willing to put their children in harmful situations for this level of ‘success’ and reward and while ultimately parents are responsible for their children, we as responsible dance teachers believe that more should be done to help educate and inform parents of the dangers involved with heavy training loads, extreme overstretching and other pressures. If all teachers were reminded yearly of the need to consider the safety, health and happiness of their students this would go a long way to helping.

The government promised during the election to raise the minimum wage to £10.50 by 2024. Now they’re backtracking, and saying it will only be raised if “economic conditions allow.” That’s not good enough for the thousands of people in work who are struggling to make ends meet on the current £8.21 minimum wage. It’s not enough to cover rent, bills, or feeding their kids. We need to make sure that the Government fulfills their promise and raises the minimum wage.