This year, the average FTSE100 CEO took less than three days to earn what the typical UK worker will in all of 2026. In the case of Melrose, where the CEO earned 1509 times the median UK salary, it will take him just under 3 hours to do so. These disparities come in a context of long-term wage stagnation, falling living standards and a significant decline in worker trust in their employers.   It is clear that increased transparency has failed to keep extreme executive pay in check, with pay at the top of the corporate ladder having reached a record level for the third year in a row. To prevent such rampant inequalities developing further, companies should face a greater tax burden if they wish to pay their executives such exorbitant fees.   The ‘Fat Cat Tax’  This is why we are proposing a new ‘Fat Cat Tax’, whereby firms would pay a corporation tax surcharge on their yearly profits if single-figure remuneration for an executive director exceeds a specified multiple of the median UK worker’s salary. This would be a progressive system, starting with a small tax on those pay packages that exceed 10:1, before increasing in size at thresholds of 50:1, 100:1, 200:1 and 500:1.   Not only would this incentivise firms to scale back the levels of corporate wealth flowing to a small handful of individuals, but also raise funds to be invested in education and early years provision, helping to tackle inequality at source. While companies would not be prevented from continuing to pay sizeable fees to their leaders, increased tax receipts would help ensure that there is a shared societal benefit to such a model if it persists.  Why is this important?  The UK has some of the worst levels of income inequality in Europe. Not only do vast pay gaps have detrimental effects on the economy, but also societally through damaging health consequences, reduced workplace satisfaction and increased support for populist politics. Polling by the High Pay Centre and Survation demonstrates that 63% of people believe CEOs should not earn more than 10 times their low- and mid-level employees, reflecting the widespread support for an approach that seeks to reduce such gaps.  The tax could incentivise wage growth at the bottom, rein in excessive compensation at the top and help rebuild a model of fairness in how corporate wealth is distributed.  Next Steps  This petition will show strong public demand for reform. We will share it with government officials, MPs, business leaders, and campaign allies to help build pressure for meaningful change. The petition aims to keep pay inequality high on the political agenda and help generate momentum for stronger action. 

Rowans, a beloved North London institution, is under threat. Haringey Council is reviewing new plans that could see the iconic bowling alley bulldozed and replaced with up to 190 flats. The Council doesn’t own the land, but they’ve marked it as a possible housing site. The owner makes the final call - but if this goes ahead, Rowan’s could close for good. Rowans has been part of London’s nightlife since 1988. Before that, it was a dancehall where even The Beatles played! Losing it would be losing an incredibly special piece of our city’s history. We have no time to spare. We must strike while this story is in the news. Add your name today to show Haringey Council that Londoners want Rowan’s to stay.

We are a group of refugees and people seeking asylum. We have fled crisis and disaster and came to the UK for safety, with some leaving their beloved children and families in a third country, waiting to reunite as a family in the UK. When we heard about plans to force us to wait at least 20 years to know if we can stay safely in the UK, many of us could not sleep. We faced nightmares about what is going to happen to us and our families.  Now we face the mental health impact of potentially decades in limbo, not knowing whether we are going to be granted leave to remain.  These proposals don’t just delay paperwork; they delay lives, hopes, and dreams. For some of us, our children have been born and/or raised in this country and know no other home. For others, our children are trapped abroad, and these plans could make it impossible to reunite with them. We want to work and be productive, but we cannot do this if we are refused support and constantly threatened with having to leave. Applying these policies retrospectively, to people who’ve already spent years on what they thought was a path to settlement, is particularly cruel. But this is not only about us: it is also about future generations and everyone affected. Our lives are already challenging; why make them even harder? It’s time to stop scapegoating refugees and other migrants, and start helping people rebuild their lives and reunite with their families.  Please sign to show the Government that the public chooses compassion, and does not want refugees’ lives to be left in limbo.

CaterEd is an award winning not for profit cooperative between local schools and Plymouth council which has provided high quality meals to our schools and pensioners for over a decade. They supported vulnerable children and adults through covid and Plymouth City Council should be celebrating their achievements, not shutting them down. For many of the poorest children in our city, those meals are a vital service and in many cases the only hot meal they will get each day. The Labour Government say they want to reduce child poverty and that starts with good quality, regular food.

For more than two decades, East Kent has lived with the consequences of downgrading Kent & Canterbury Hospital. The result has been dangerous delays, overcrowded emergency departments, and the return of corridor care — something we were promised would never happen again. Patients in Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay, Faversham Folkestone, Dover and the surrounding villages now face long journeys to overstretched hospitals in Ashford or Margate. Lives are being put at risk. Staff are exhausted. Families are frightened. And our communities have been left without the local emergency and acute services they urgently need. Kent & Canterbury Hospital once provided excellent, life‑saving care for the whole region. It can — and must — do so again. Restoring full acute and A&E services is essential to ending corridor care, reducing dangerous delays, and giving East Kent the safe, dignified healthcare it deserves. We call on NHS Kent & Medway and the government to act now

People rely on Royal Mail for important items as well as mail order items, many of which are time sensitive. We are in Greater London and yet we have had no deliveries from Royal Mail for almost two weeks. This is by no means the first time this has happened.  The complaints platform, by telephone or email produces, at best, a lame apology, but no action. This is just wrong, and should not be tolerated, either by Royal Mail customers or our political representatives.  I can't think of any other business that would get away with charging for a service that they consistently fail to deliver, and facing no consequences. It is a form of fraud. We are being taken for fools and something needs to be done.

Madeleine McCann’s parents, the families of Hillsborough victims, and Caroline Flack’s mum all know what it is like to be targeted by an intrusive press. That’s why over 30 high-profile victims wrote to the Prime Minister demanding that the second phase of the Leveson Inquiry - the investigation launched after a media phone-hacking scandal wrecked lives - be reinstated to expose the secret deals between police and journalists. Yet, while Sir Keir Starmer has found time to meet with media billionaire Lachlan Murdoch, he has failed to meet these victims. Press billionaires are being given access to the highest levels of government while ordinary people whose lives were upended by the press are ignored. We cannot let the Government dodge this issue while media giants continue escaping scrutiny and ruining lives. Please sign to demand the Prime Minister puts victims before moguls and restarts the inquiry now.

Brooks Road and the surrounding roads are very busy at school times. Cars drive too quickly and lots of parked cars make visibility difficult to cross. Many local people have witnessed near-misses with young children. A pedestrian crossing would encourage more children and parents to walk and cycle into school.

The Government’s plans for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) would strip power from local communities, weaken democracy, and almost certainly push up council tax for Dartford residents. Dartford is a well-run, financially stable council. Under these proposals it could be forced into a huge new authority or even split in two alongside areas with serious financial and service challenges. That would means higher bills for us, with worse value for money. These plans would also take planning decisions out of local hands, giving us less control over where homes are built and how our neighbourhoods develop. It is the exact opposite of devolving power. We recognise there are real issues at Kent County Council (KCC) and some nearby councils. But instead of a damaging, top-down restructuring, these problems can be addressed through local service hubs, shared services, and cooperative partnerships. Solutions that improve services without destroying local identity or accountability. Meanwhile, the reorganisation does nothing to tackle the true national crises: adult social care and SEND transport. We call on the Government to: - Stop the current reorganisation and protect Dartford from harmful mergers or division. - Keep planning decisions truly local and accountable to residents. - Support collaborative hubs and shared services, not forced restructuring. - Focus on the real issues, not expensive distractions. - Work with communities, not override them! Sign and share now to protect Dartford’s voice, our services, and our local control over decision-making. Written by Laura Edie, Green Party councillor for Newtown, Dartford 

Dear Mr Tice, Your recent remarks calling the use of ear defenders in classrooms “insane,” along with your claim of a “crisis of overdiagnosis,” reveal a serious misunderstanding of the challenges faced by children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families. Sensory tools like ear defenders are not indulgences, they are essential, low-cost supports that help children manage overwhelming environments and access their education with dignity. Your suggestion of widespread overdiagnosis is equally inaccurate. In reality, receiving a diagnosis is extremely difficult. In terms of ADHD alone, around 549,000 people are currently waiting for an NHS ADHD assessment, with waits of more than four years for children in some areas and up to eight years for adults. Families face huge delays, repeated assessments, and constant battles to have their child’s needs recognised. The crisis is not in diagnosis, it is in support. Comments like yours deepen stigma, spread misinformation, and make life harder for neurodivergent children who already struggle to be understood. Sensory sensitivities are real and can be debilitating. Without tools like ear defenders, many children simply cannot cope in busy, noisy classrooms. Educators see every day how crucial these supports are, and how harmful public ridicule can be. Parents across the country have made clear the damage caused by your words. Parents of children with SEND often express the extreme difficulty of getting EHCPs, finding SEND school places, or even accessing basic support - often forcing children to travel long distances because local provision doesn’t exist, which in turn means families rely on transport for their children to access education. Tribunal outcomes overwhelmingly back families, showing it is children who are being failed, not the system being exploited. Neurodivergent children need understanding, not judgement. Their families need support, not suspicion. Leadership should be grounded in compassion and accuracy. We therefore call on you to: • Issue a public apology for your cruel and unenlightened comments. • Spend meaningful time with SEND children, families, and educators to understand their reality. • Work with all parties to improve funding and support for the SEND community so every child can access the education and care they need. Please sign and share this open letter to show your support! Written by Laura Edie, Green Party councillor for Newtown, Dartford.

Preserving the play scheme is an investment in our children's future. We need to prioritise funding that fosters community strength and youth development. It is not just an expenditure but a vital service that enriches our society. Please sign this petition to call on our local authorities to save our beloved play scheme, ensuring it can thrive for generations to come. Together, we can make a difference and secure a vibrant future for our children and our community.

Household energy bills will rise to help fund a £28bn investment in the UK's energy network. Energy regulator Ofgem has approved the funding in a five-year plan to improve electricity and gas grids. The money will go towards maintaining gas networks and strengthening the electricity transmission network. The work is estimated to add £108 to energy bills by 2031. THE COST OF THIS WORK SHOULD BE FUNDED FROM GENERAL TAXATION Households just cannot afford further increases in energy cost. Poorer families and pensioners are having to choose between food and heating.