Frome is one of the largest towns in Somerset. Barclays, HSBC and Natwest have all closed their branches in our town. Whilst many people now use internet banking, a lot of elderly do not. Frome has many elderly residents, therefore potential customers if previously with Barclays, HSBC or Natwest. Frome has many small businesses, charities and the like who would really appreciate face to face banking facilities. So come on Fromeites and people of Frome. Let your voice be heard. Sign the petition to keep a bank in Frome!

Under government law, it is compulsory for all children including those with special educational needs to study maths and English to the age of 19 alongside any other course until they reach grade 4 and above. Many SEN teens find this a huge trigger for overwhelm and anxiety. Many are bright creatives, musicians and artists who are finally able to focus on a course that suits them after years of school environments that have failed them. They are forced into retaking maths or English over and over despite trying the best they can and constant failure can seriously impact on self esteem and mental health. If the lack of one or the other of these qualifications are a barrier in life then the opportunity to come back to them without the added pressure of the clock ticking would be far more valuable than the way things currently stand. Metaphorically speaking, it’s time for this government to stop judging fish by their ability to climb trees. They are damaging our bright creative neurodiverse kids as a result. We want our bright, neurodiverse kids to have the best chance at an education that works for them. Currently it does not!

We need Aberdeen City Council to help it's many denominational communities including Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and other faith based communities who send their kids to Catholic Schools. It affects a lot of locals who historically sent their kids to these schools, as well as ethnic minorities of Aberdeen.  We need a secondary school to continue helping the kids who studies in RC primaries to continue friendships and their school values.

Two years of training is insufficient for Physician Associates (PAs) to diagnose or treat patients effectively. The promotion of PAs in medical settings has several drawbacks, both for the PAs who are being parachuted into jobs they aren't prepared for and set up to fail, and for doctors who must supervise them and are held accountable for their mistakes. PAs lack the medical expertise that comes with specialised training, unlike nurses or paramedics, and their role does not complement but, rather, attempts to mimic that of doctors. Their courses are unaccredited, and they miss crucial training in ethics, communication, and basic medical knowledge. Consequently, PAs often fail to diagnose or treat conditions correctly, burdening already overstretched doctors with the responsibility for these errors. PAs also dilute the educational opportunities available to student doctors and, unlike other health professionals, PAs lack a regulatory body to ensure safety and accountability. Employing PAs over doctors in GP practices, where they often work unsupervised, is financially incentivised. However, it can lead to increased net costs due to the need for supervision. In GP practices and across NHS Trusts, patients are frequently seen by PAs without realising they are not doctors, undermining the extensive training that doctors undergo. This practice devalues doctors, creates friction within the NHS, and contributes to the unemployment of qualified GPs. The introduction of underqualified PAs, who often receive better pay and conditions than more medically competent doctors or nurses, is seen by many as a move to undermine the NHS and erode public trust and the morale of healthcare professionals.

We object to the plans to remove the bench and the trees and request that the planning application is brought to the planning committee.

Have you ever been charged a fee for not having something? Canal & River Trust announced on 19th September 2023 that from 1st April 2024 it will impose an escalating 5% to 25% surcharge over 4 years on the licence fees of boats without a permanent mooring, and increased surcharges for wide-beam boats. This is on top of above-inflation increases to all boat licence fees over the next 4 years, starting with a 6% increase in April 2024. Section 17 of the British Waterways Act 1995 makes it clear that the licence to use the waterways can be held either with or without a permanent mooring. MORE INFORMATION Canal & River Trust has already raised boat licence fees by 8% in 2022 and 9% in 2023. The 6% increase and surcharges are on top of that already vastly inflated sum. Taking the escalating surcharges together with annual above-inflation increases, we estimate that by 2028, the licence for a narrowboat will cost 64% more, and for a wide-beam 130% more, if they don’t have a permanent mooring. We think this surcharge is unfair. It penalises a minority in favour of the majority. We are only 20% of the boats, yet Canal & River Trust want us to pay a surcharge to keep fees down for the majority of licence payers. The surcharge is a direct attack on our nomadic way of life, designed to pressurise us to move off the water. It will generate 0.6% of Canal & River Trust’s total income. Canal & River Trust says it aims to “balance pricing and affordability” in a way which is “fair” to all boaters. It would be much fairer to add another 1% to all 35,000 licences, instead of picking on a minority of 7,000 boats. The surcharge is not about raising finance, it’s about marginalising our community.  Most of us live on our boats, and many will be at risk of losing our homes if we can’t afford the licence fee. Socio-economic change has made living on the waterways without a permanent mooring the only route to affordable housing for many people. We are on the lowest incomes of all boaters. If a boat dweller cannot afford to license their boat, their home can be seized, removed and sold by Canal & River Trust under Section 8 of the British Waterways Act 1983. Please sign our petition and help us to make sure the surcharge is defeated now!

Less congested roads, no stupid risks, and the council wouldn't have to plough so much money on road works and traffic lights because of these monsters huge impact on us who have to sit behind these Disrespectfull Lorry drivers, our stone walls, beautiful bridges and pollution is a HUGE ISSUE. Our poor country roads and bridges cannot sustain these road jamming monster trucks.

We the residents of Brooklands Road would like the safety of our families, elderly and the everyday members of the public to no longer be ignored. Brooklands Road is an important roadway and connection to Queensway, which sees an increasing number of motor traffic and pedestrians. We believe that speed bumps can no longer be ignored for the safety of residents and it should not take an incident to spur our Councillors to take action.

Because legal aid cuts have an enormous economic and social cost on welfare and fabric society. Inequalities erode trust in the UK Justice system, without which there is no order.

Supermarkets need to stop misleading us so that they can undermine British farmers who have higher standards. They’re accused of stamping Union Jacks and “Made in Britain” on food grown abroad so you think you’re buying local but it undercuts us with cheap imports.  No one should be misled about where their food comes from. With a new government in place, we need them to know exactly what the public thinks about such labelling. It’s time ministers crack down on rogue supermarket tactics - and protect farmers, customers and standards. If hundreds of thousands of us add our name to the petition calling on the Government to make sure food labels aren’t meaningless, it’ll force this issue up the agenda and ensure they protect our food standards!

I'm starving

I, like many of you, have seen the disconnect between our politicians and the reality of life in our state. The very individuals who are meant to serve us seem to be exploiting their positions for personal gain. This is why I am calling for a change in how we compensate our MPs, PMs and Ministers. No state can exist without its population; it's the people that make a state thrive. Yet, it seems that those elected to represent us have lost touch with this fundamental truth. They use their positions as a means to an end rather than serving the interests of those they represent. By introducing these policies in our state, we will ensure that those who govern us do so with first-hand knowledge of what life is like on an average income. There must be no divide and no disconnection between the state and its citizens. It is time we held our politicians accountable not only through votes but also through policies that reflect reality rather than privilege. Please sign this petition if you believe in creating a more equitable system where one cannot rule over another without understanding what their life is like.