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!

Adverts for cigarettes were banned on British television in 1965, because it was deemed that smoking was not only bad for the individual, but also other non-smokers who inhaled their smoke passively. It strikes me that cars are no different. A report in 2013 by the UK government indicated that 21% of UK greenhouse emissions were caused by petrol and diesel cars. However, we are constantly bombarded with adverts on television for new cars, a very small fraction of which are hybrid or electric. If Ofcom were to only allow hybrid and electric car adverts on television, it would send a signal to car manufacturers that if they want airtime on British TV, they need to invest in more sustainable technology. It would increase sales of hybrid and electric cars in the UK, which would drive demand for more public electric car chargers. It would would help to change the zeitgeist of the nation towards more sustainable ways of commuting.

Too often, passengers have to wait in all sorts of weather because a bus is late or cancelled. Then, two or more appear together, why?. There is a scheme by City Council, if the bus is more than 15 minutes late the bus company will pay you. This does not work because the bus company decide. If you have a concessionary card it says 'funded by HM Government with your Local authority' and there are no two trips which means more profit for the bus company. That means our tax money. Finally, Castle Meadow, which is supposed to be a pedestrian zone, has so many buses that often even the buses cannot move.

I find it shameful that when people look at our country, they see people making money by squeezing the education system, lowering the amount of money spent on each child. These academies have caused job losses for many teachers and the quality of schools has declined, speaking from personal experience. This new industry needs to see tight restrictions and needs to be open and transparent for us to inspect and scrutinise. Without this, we run the risk of seeing many people missing out in the highest quality of their education and cause a large decrease in the number of good, trained and experience staff that can keep standards high. Despite what David Cameron has said about schools improving under academies, this does not make them better places, reform to a state controlled system, with changes to ofsted, can easily improve standards.

Sailing is so widely participated in and offers such a physical, technical and tactical challenge. Team GBR won the first ever Paralympic Sailing Gold Medal in 1996 - it has been a lifeline to some people and it really should be in the Paralympic Games!

Builders are lobbying the government to keep planning policy as it is. They say that their industry depends upon Greenfield sites being available to build on, without the need to use up Brownfield sites first. This is causing misery across the country. We find that builders are cherry-picking the green fields on the edges of towns, because these are the easiest and most profitable sites to develop. Meanwhile, Brownfield sites are left to rot, or remain for years as piles of rubble in the heart of towns. There are alternatives to the present policies which would keep builders in work, provide apprenticeships, supply just as many homes, avoid conflict with communities and would halt the relentless encroachment upon our precious countryside. Please lobby the candidates for the coming general election to support the following proposals: • To bring back the sequential testing of land, so that applications to develop Greenfield sites can be turned down if alternative Brownfield sites exist. • To award grants for the decontamination of industrial land. • To give incentives to councils and builders to renovate empty homes. • To encourage the building of higher density homes on Brownfield sites, where this would not impact on the light and space of neighbours. • To increase the tax threshold for renting out rooms to lodgers, so that there is less single occupancy of homes. • To provide funding for the merging of houses, when this is appropriate, e.g. in large areas of high density housing, where a better mix is needed. • To follow one of the main objectives of the National Planning Policy Framework: of ‘allowing people and communities back into planning’. There is rigour in complying with the rest of the framework – why not with this? Merely inviting people to comment on proposals is not good enough - communities should be genuinely involved in the planning process.

A new owner is in the process of taking over the Brighton Hippodrome site. Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) gave planning approval to convert the Hippodrome into an eight-screen cinema, restaurants and retail units. We are told that the scheme is not going ahead. Vue Entertainment, the company that was to have operated the cinema, is no longer involved. This means that the magnificent Grade II* listed theatre, designed by Frank Matcham—the finest unused theatre in the country—will be left with no plan to save it other than the one being developed by Our Brighton Hippodrome (OBH). The BHCC City Plan names the Hippodrome as one of the key venues in the city’s cultural infrastructure that should be protected and enhanced ‘for their existing use or potential for such use’. It is long past the time when BHCC should issue an urgent repairs notice to protect one of the most important buildings in the city from further deterioration. Meanwhile, the city council should give its full support to enable OBH to complete its plans for restoration of the Hippodrome for live performance and as a major community asset. With BHCC's backing, OBH will be more able to raise the funding for restoration and will be in a stronger position to negotiate with the site’s owner. A restored Hippodrome would add considerably to the local economy, serving the residents of the city and the county and attracting valuable tourist spending with shows that cannot currently be presented in Sussex. A petition on 38 Degrees in favour of theatre restoration has achieved over 11,500 signatures. BHCC should acknowledge the massive public support for revival of the iconic Hippodrome for live performance—and the preference of most of the council’s own elected members for theatre restoration, if possible. It IS possible. The community can make it happen and the council should help achieve this aspiration. Read about the project at ourhippodrome.org.uk Contact the campaign at [email protected] Become a member of the campaign at ourhippodrome.org.uk/join Donate to the campaign fighting fund at ourhippodrome.org.uk/donate

The Prime Minister made a personal promise to cancer patients at the last election that they would be able to access the treatments their doctors recommended. In response, the Cancer Drugs Fund was introduced in 2010 to ensure cancer patients in England were able to access new, innovative treatments that weren't currently available on the NHS. This was an enormous step forward for thousands of patients with advanced or rare cancers, giving them access to treatments that enhanced their quality of life and gave them precious extra time with their families. Yet, from March 13 2015 8,000 cancer patients will have this access to vital treatments cut off. NHS England has recently announced that it will remove 25 treatments from the Cancer Drugs Fund, with effect from March 2015, meaning nearly 8,000 cancer patients a year will be denied life-extending drugs condemning them to an early death and denying the opportunity to improve their quality of life. These changes are a backward step in treatment for advanced cancer and rarer cancers. Doctors will be forced to tell their patients there are treatments that can prolong their lives but they will no longer be available. The Government and drug companies must sit down and find a way to guarantee access to cancer treatments at a cost which is affordable to the NHS. The NHS should be there when you need it the most and the Prime Minister should stand up for cancer patients.

The 'Friends of the River Nene' (FOTRN) has been formed as a group dedicated to improving everyone's experience when using or visiting the river Nene. As such we have volunteers willing to work to help the E.A., local councils and local landowners to improve all aspects of the enjoyment of this lovely river. Please sign our petition, which we hope will help us improve things.

By allowing the painting of the subway ceilings, people of all ages can come together to discuss the project and eventually work with professional Street Artists who can share their time and talents to help transform Hertford's excellent system of town centre subways. With permission, a crowd-funding project can get under way to pay for the Artists and materials. Once completed, a beautiful project like this will be unique in the county, possibly the rest of the country. Approx. 5 pedestrian subways serve the people of Hertford, providing easy access to and from the town centre. These subways are clean and well lit and in constant use. Schoolchildren, in fact all ages, make use of the pedestrian accesses. I use them every day. I often see elderly people and women with babies, likewise people with disabilities and travellers to and from work in the centre of Hertford. I have overheard young people say to their friends that they find using the subways a frightening or unpleasant experience. Why? I believe that subways can be a scary place. I would like the Council to agree to a project to allow the local youth groups and schools to work with professional Artists, to bring the ceilings of the subways to life, in an ambitious project that could put Hertford in the national spotlight. We want to make the walk to or from town a pleasurable experience, with Art inspired and created by Hertford - the place, the people - itself.

We can't stop violence in films, TV shows and video games but we can stop the glorification of that violence using guns and knives in adverts in media streams and posters. Knife and gun crime is on the increase and the message from these adverts is that it is OK to use them. If you choose to watch a film, TV show or play a video game then fine, but advertising is usually seen by all ages indiscriminately. Please help ban the use of guns and knives in all forms of adverting.

A New Town was built housing over 30,000 people right beside Aycliffe Village called Newton Aycliffe . The decision to close the East Coast mainline station in 1947 just as Newton Aycliffe was being built was a mistake. There is now plenty of demand for mainline services. People are forced to use private cars instead to access college opportunities and the jobs market in Durham, Chester le Street and Newcastle upon Tyne. The current Newton Aycliffe station is only on the Bishop Auckland branch line and goes to Darlington.