• Oxfordshire School Building Expansions at Risk after New Funding Cuts
    With more than 5000 children already in temporary classrooms in Oxfordshire and an expected shortfall of around 1000 school places in the next two years, a funding gap of beyond £19m will have devastating effects on our children's schooling experience and the state of our schools We fear existing classrooms will be evermore cramped, increasing clutter, noise and stress levels. Where extensions have become un-fundable temporary classrooms might provide short term relief. But their cost can be up to a third of a new build, with an up to ten times shorter lifespan – not a good investment. And who is picking up the bill for exorbitant heating costs of temporary provisions? We fear some children will have to travel further where there is no space at their local or preferred school, breaking up friends groups, and generating costs where transport has to be provided, and traffic and pollution where it isn't. And it's not only classrooms that are affected - what will our expanding schools look like if halls - now deemed non-essential - are turned into classrooms, and new builds and conversions scrapped? School lunches in cramped classrooms, no room for PE in winter, no assemblies, no nativity play, no school community. With former play areas and sport fields sold off to generate funding or blocked by temporary classrooms, where are our future champions coming from, and where do our kids recharge their batteries to excel in their next lesson? Leaking roofs, crumbling walls and cramped conditions give a strong message to any school community: We don’t care about you. But as parents and voters we do care, and the state of our schools says a lot about the value we as a society place on our children's education - I would like my children to think that their school, and their learning, matters not only to me, but also to their government. Please convince us that it does. Below a list of schools at risk, with expansions scheduled between 20014-18 (source: Oxford Times, 21st of Jan): Bletchingdon Parochial CofE School Caldecott Primary School, Abingdon Charlton Primary School, Wantage Cutteslowe Primary School, Oxford Deddington CofE Primary School Faringdon Infant School and Junior School Fir Tree Junior School, Wallingford Frank Wise School, Banbury Grove CofE Primary School Hanwell Fields Community School, Banbury Harriers Banbury Academy Hill View Primary School, Banbury Hill View Primary School, Banbury Hook Norton Primary School John Hampden Primary School, Thame John Watson Special School, Wheatley Larkrise Primary School, Oxford Longfields Primary School and Nursery, Bicester Mabel Pritchard Special School, Oxford Marcham Primary School Matthew Arnold School, Cumnor Hill Queensway Primary School, Banbury St Christopher’s CofE Primary School, Oxford St Ebbe’s CofE Primary School St Francis CofE Primary School, Oxford St Gregory the Great Catholic School, Oxford St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Oxford St Michael’s CofE Primary School, Steventon St Swithun’s CofE Primary School, Kennington Watchfield Primary School William Fletcher Primary School, Yarnton Windmill Primary School, Oxford Wolvercote Primary School, Oxford Woodstock CofE Primary School
    101 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Sarah Hassenpflug
  • Let People Power determine Privatisation of Public Services
    Public sector organisations belong to the public and should not be sold off to private interests without consulting those who currently own them, and have funded them so far. Privatisation outcomes so far have rarely been to our profit or benefit.
    53 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Maxine Mathews
  • End ATOS from continuing their Work Capability Assessments
    Figures released by the government in July 2012 showed that 10600 people died within 6 weeks of stopping claiming ESA. Campaigners believe that the majority of the 10600 who ceased claiming and subsequently passed away were found fit to work by ATOS. It is unacceptable that the management of ATOS are pressuring assessors to fail so many claimants and deny them the benefits they are dependent on and entitled to rather than accurately asses the ability of claimants to work. Ultimately campaigners are calling for fairer treatment of all benefit claimants, especially the disabled and chronically and terminally ill.
    64 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Bill McIntosh
  • Stop Osbornes bid to end democracy by the back door!
    It looks like the gagging bill is a precursor to this Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership that the U S is trying to push through and are pressing Osborne and Co to sign up before the next General Election because once it has been signed it becomes irreversible whoever gets elected. A pure piece of Evil and the end of Democracy as we know it, multi-national corporations will rule and control us all if this succeeds.
    88 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Geoff Burtenshaw
  • Tell BT to desist from trying to wreak the inauguration of Proposed Scottish NHS Computer System
    Patient Care in any Health Service is paramount. Any action which adversely affects this service - calls for public awareness to address the issue.
    66 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Eric McArthur
  • STOP George Osborne Selling Britain
    It is important you do not sell these things because If you sell off our history & heritage, you are in effect destroying Britain and I think you will find that the honourable British people do not wish you (or anyone) to do it, neither did Britain fight in two World War's, to then just sell off pieces of our history, land & heritage sites. Our history, land & heritage is not for sale, at any price, to true Brits, it is 'PRICELESS'.
    103 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Nicholas Denby Picture
  • Fracking and the Water Bill
    Fracking is a potential environmental hazard. It is unjust that the public purse would be used for any environmental damage as a result of Fracking companies activities and not the companies themselves or an external Insurance organisation.
    32 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Andrew Gibbs
  • Stop the use of Old Tyres on Buses and Coaches
    In September 2012, my nephew Michael Molloy was one of three people killed on a coach travelling back from Bestival Music Festival on the Isle of Wight. Kerry Ogden and the coach driver Colin Daulby were also killed. They were coming home to Liverpool. The coach crashed into a tree because the front tyre blew. The tyre was 20 years old. Unbelievably this tyre was not illegal because there is no law to say how old a tyre should be. It cost Michael, Kerry and Colin their lives. In addition, the coach was a 52 seater but, illegally, there were 53 people travelling on it - all in their teens and twenties. Many suffered devastating injuries and Colin trusted his employers to provide him with a safe vehicle. Kerry was only 23 years old, my nephew, Michael, was just 18 years old. He was a young, talented musician and songwriter with his whole life ahead of him. He would still be here today if the use of old tyres had been illegal. The Transport Minister, Patrick McLoughlin, has refused to act on research undertaken in the USA which clearly highlights the dangers around using old tyres, He states that there is not enough evidence to legislate. It is hard not to conclude from his response that Mr. McLoughlin has bowed to pressure from businesses such as coach companies and second hand tyre retailers not to change the law as it could cost them money. Instead he feels it is enough to issue guidelines about the age of tyres. It is, of course, companies such as Merseypride Travel - the coach company who put profit before lives -who would simply ignore these guidelines. This is why the Traffic Commissioner, Beverley Bell has had to act and remove their licence indefinitely as they are not fit to run a coach company. How can we be sure that other unscrupulous coach and bus companies won't operate in such an irresponsible and despicable way? The answer is that - without legislation - we can't. It is predominantly children, young people, elderly people and people who can't afford a car who are the most frequent users of public transport. The use of old tyres has to stop for everyone's sake because every time somebody steps on a coach or bus or allows their children to travel on this type of transport, they could be putting their lives at risk.. Please give your support to this important campaign. Thank you.
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    Created by Carol Byrne
  • Hands off Brighton's Pavilion Gardens, please
    These proposals are a callous and cynical attempt to radically change the green heart of Brighton, an area dearly loved by all Firstly I don't think John Nash envisaged a cafe just off New Road so forget the 'return to the Regency' feeble attempt to win us over. Secondly the proposals seem to be concentrated in the area at the back of the Pavilion between the Corn Exchange, Museum and New Road which is the area most lucrative for both the Pavilion and the Museum. The Pavilion Cafe within the grounds is due to be demolished. The Cafe is privately owned and since the 1920's has provided tea and cakes for grateful walkers,strollers and families etc , My grandson had his first encounter with one of their fearsome rock cakes in 2001 almost bigger than he, a healthy option!.The Pavilion Cafe is up to be demolished and for what,?So that another cafe can be built there Thirdly Do the plans involve the area to the front of the Pavilion, which are underused and have no immediate or apparent fiscal value at the moment. Finally , but I'm sure there will be others if this petition is supported . It seems to me that this is a selfish and money making proposal, entered into without any regard for the people of Brighton. I did complete the survey created by BHCC,I was stopped by a council worker as I strolled through the gardens , he told me that this wasn't really his job, he just worked as a general handyman,but that he and his colleagues had been told by BHCC that this is what they would be doing that morning. I'm not sure that this survey was conducted with any real intentions of gathering information and whether the information gathered covers a broad enough spectrum of the population to have any value.
    5,654 of 6,000 Signatures
    Created by penny cooper
  • Stop the British Government joining the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
    Investor-state rules could be used to smash any attempt to save the NHS from corporate control, to re-regulate the banks and to curb the greed of the energy companies, to name just a few areas. See here for more details: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/04/us-trade-deal-full-frontal-assault-on-democracy The rules are not enforced by courts but by panels. The hearings are held in secret. The judges are corporate lawyers, many of whom work for companies of the kind whose cases they hear. Citizens and communities affected by their decisions have no legal standing. There is no right of appeal on the merits of the case. Yet they can overthrow the sovereignty of parliaments and the rulings of supreme courts.
    12,390 of 15,000 Signatures
    Created by Siegrun O'Sullivan
  • Fair pensions for Gurkhas
    To prevent the mass hunger strike planned for 7th November. After all haven't they served this country over the years when the British Government has needed to call on their services.
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    Created by Geoff Myring
  • Stop Govt selling our confidential medical records and ID
    Kevin Donovan of Defend the NHS says the following: You may have read in the press or online (or more likely may not have heard) about the major health data collection exercise which the government has initiated. Under changes to legislation, your GP can now be required to upload personal and identifiable information from the medical record of every patient in England to central computer servers at the Health and Social Care Information Centre. Once this information leaves your GP practice, your doctor will no longer be in control of what data is passed on or to whom. And private companies will be able to buy your information for just £1 (ONE pound!). This information will include diagnoses, investigations, treatments and referrals as well as other things you may have shared with your doctor including your weight, alcohol consumption, smoking and family history. Each piece of information will made identifiable by uploading it along with your NHS number, date of birth, post code, gender and ethnicity. Health data has always been collected* but this time it’s different. NHS England – the body now in charge of commissioning primary care services across England – will manage and use the information extracted by the Health and Social Care Information Centre for a range of purposes, none of which are to do with your direct medical care. These ‘secondary uses’ include patient-level tracking and monitoring, audit, business planning and contract management. Why should we worry? It seems clear that one hidden purpose of this exercise is to lubricate the galloping ‘marketisation’ of our health service, for example to allow health insurance companies to make huge profits from cherry-picking low risk patients for health cover. Over time, and as in the USA, if we can’t afford a health insurance premium (which is very likely if we are poorer and/or have any condition which may be expensive to treat) we won’t get free access at the point of need to medical care. It’s a nightmare! GPs’ hands are tied. They have been told it’s an offence not to provide the data. But patients can choose not to do so. How? Read these articles. In paragraph 4 you can download an opt-out letter for you to complete and use (template opt out letters for patients to use). http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/your-practice/practice-topics/it/eight-weeks-to-inform-patients-their-data-is-going-to-be-harvested-gps-warned/20004562.article#.UlF8er5wbmR http://medconfidential.org/how-to-opt-out/ http://opendemocracy.net/ournhs/phil-booth/your-medical-data-on-sale-for-pound http://medconfidential.org/2013/nhs-9-who-gets-to-see-your-information/ We doubt that many people know what’s happening – especially older patients and/or those without Internet access – so please distribute this information widely to your contacts and urge them to take action NOW. It’s OUR NHS not the government’s to sell off to their friends in the City. Thanks
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    Created by susi harris