In July 2012 a group of young Palestinian teenagers and their teachers from Shatila Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon, visited North Tyneside. During their time in the area, working in collaboration with two local artists Faye Oliver and Anthony Downie and supported by North Tyneside council, they created a large friendship mural (https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/shatila-children-finally-start-tour-1368800.amp). This friendship mural was put on display on a platform wall at Tynemouth Metro station - where it remained for over a decade without issue or incident. The friendship mural was a significant part of the local culture and heritage and it was seen as an example of the role art and culture play in bringing different cultures and communities together and part of a long-term project between the Shatila refugee camp and North Tyneside , which promoted various cultural exchanges. Refugees in their day-to-day lives endure conditions and hardships that many of us cannot imagine. Hence, this creative outlet was not just a piece of art, but also an emblem of solidarity, representing the plight and resilience of Palestinian refugees across the world. According to UNRWA, as of 2023 there are over 5.9 million registered Palestine refugees globally (source: https://www.unrwa.org/palestine-refugees). One of the main purposes of art is to provide an outlet and create a space for as many voices as possible. Encouraging children who endure horrific conditions and hardships as refugees to engage in creative works has a marked positive impact on their development and wellbeing. The mural was taken down by North Tyneside Council in October 2023, citing an undisclosed threat made to deface the art piece. Since then, there is no stated plan for returning it to public view, which seems counter to what it hopes to achieve. The mural is not overtly political, but by its very existence raises awareness about the Palestinian & refuges plight – not the culture of power, but the power of culture as the Palestinian academic Edward Said put it. As such, the act of removal is a direct attack on Palestinian & refugees arts and culture and fundamental principles of freedom in the arts. This has removed Palestinians from the view of the public in North Tyneside, an area proud of its cultural exchanges with people from many parts of the world. We urge North Tyneside council and all other authorities responsible for the removal of the friendship mural, at the earliest possible time, to reinstate this important piece of artwork at Tynemouth Metro Station or at the very least seek an alternative secure public place to put it back on display in the community.

Over summer 2022, several UK beaches were closed to swimmers due to the high levels of toxic waste in waters. In addition, according to Surfers Against Sewers, only fourteen percent of UK rivers warrant ‘good’ ecological status with no river in England free from chemical contamination and there may have been many more that went untested. This is threatening river and sea biodiversity, ecosystems and causing illness to people who enjoy using the river on a regular basis.

This cruel decision, that was implemented with no warning, will leave families in limbo with no other option of being reunited with their family in the UK. With Russia’s war on Ukraine about to reach its two year mark, Ukranians need a continued safe passage to join family members who have already taken sanctuary here in the UK. Family reunification is a human right. Families who were in the middle of gathering the necessary information to apply are now left in limbo with no other options to be reunited. But if hundreds and thousands of us show that we won’t stand for families being torn apart, we can force the Home Office to reverse the decision.

While we all recognise the convenience of smart phones, on balance they causes more harm than good during the school day. School should be a 6 hour respite, free from distraction, bullying, hate and violence The direction of travel globally and across the UK is for increased restriction of phones in schools. The Scottish Government, which prides itself on youth mental and physical wellbeing, should be at the vanguard of this safeguarding movement. We are failing our duty of care as parents by not doing all we can to have this harm removed from the school day in face of the mounting evidence.

The integrity of our legal system and the well-being of our society depends on holding individuals accountable for their actions, regardless of their status or wealth.

Contaminated blood products led to thousands of people being diagnosed with HIV/Aids and hepatitis after receiving contaminated blood products. Clarke has stated that he was not responsible for blood products during the early days of the infected blood scandal despite being a health minister at the time. About 3,000 people in the UK have died because negligence, while the number of people who had been infected with contaminated blood products ranges from 5,000 to 30,000. The exact number remains unknown.

The motorist is being taxed unfairly again

Because everyone should be entitled to one whatever the area they live in after paying in to the system all their working lives.

I hope you all join me in agreement that this is needed in our village. It’s just an accident waiting to happen and we all need to come together to take action on this.

Because our community should not be made to suffer due to the negligence of SBC

It is important because it's immoral/ unfair the way energy suppliers have applied the added cost.

Current UK regulations with regard to toxic waste disposal and the danger to human life, to our environment, and to the planet as a whole, from both historic landfill sites and currently approved landfill sites operating the ‘dry tomb’ principle, are dangerously inadequate. Especially so, in the face of climate breakdown, with rising sea levels, increased rainfall, and widespread flooding. In 2014, 7-year-old Zane Gbangbola died and his father was paralysed with a diagnosis of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) poisoning, during catastrophic flooding in the first UK floods acknowledged to be caused by climate change. Flood water passing through a historic landfill site carried HCN into Zane’s home, detected there at high levels by the Fire and Rescue Services on the night of the tragedy.  ‘Zane’s Law’ seeks to address the crisis of contaminated land in the UK, reinstating legislative provisions removed by successive governments from the 1990 Environment Protection Act, and recognising the Human Right to a Healthy Environment, endorsed by the UN General Assembly, in July 2022. ‘Zane’s Law’ proposes that the following measures be vigorously pursued, with no ambiguity in government guidance, to prioritise the protection and safety of people and planet, and the human right to a healthy environment, above all other considerations. 1. Every Local Authority must keep a full, regularly updated Register of Land that may be contaminated within their boundary. 2. The Environment Agency must keep a full, public 'National Register of Contaminated Land' to be regularly updated by information from Local Authorities. 3. All above mentioned Registers of Land must be accessible and available for inspection by the General Public. 4. Relevant Local Authorities must fully inspect any land registered that may be contaminated and must fully remediate or enforce remediation of any land which poses harm to public safety, or which pollutes controlled waters*. 5. Relevant Local Authorities must be responsible for inspecting previously closed landfill sites and fully remediating them, or enforcing their remediation when they pose a risk of significant harm to people or controlled waters. 6. The Government must take full responsibility for providing the necessary funds for Local Authorities to meet these new requirements, following the ‘polluter pays’ principle: to recover costs as appropriate where those responsible for the pollution can be identified. * Controlled waters are groundwater or surface water intended for human consumption.