The British Museum, The National Portrait Gallery, The Royal Opera House and The Royal Shakespeare Company are sponsored by the climate-wrecking oil giant BP. The arts are supposed to help us understand and explore important issues like climate change. Instead, these institutions are promoting a company that is making the problem worse. BP is one of the companies most responsible for the climate crisis. It is the 11th biggest corporate source of greenhouse emissions in history. 97% of BP’s business is still in oil and gas extraction, with just 3% of its investments going into renewables. The company spends tens of millions every year lobbying to stop new climate laws and slow down the growth of cleaner energy, and plans to invest £41 billion into new oil projects over the next 10 years. While BP rakes in huge profits, people around the world – especially those least responsible for the crisis in the Global South – are being hit by devastating droughts, floods and storms. BP also has close relationships with repressive governments around the world, who crack down hard on opposition to the company’s operations. By signing a sponsorship deal with BP, these four big arts institutions are helping the oil company get away with this behaviour, giving it a mask of respectability to hide its true actions. It’s time for the arts to stop promoting Big Oil. Learn more and get involved in the campaign: Behindthelogos.org bp-or-not-bp.org artnotoil.org.uk More information Under the current deal, the British Museum puts on a major BP-branded exhibition every year; the National Portrait Gallery holds the globally-famous BP Portrait Awards; the Royal Opera House holds “BP Big Screens” in public squares around the country; and the Royal Shakespeare Company has put BP branding on its discount tickets for 16-25 year olds. These institutions only receive between 0.5% and 1.3% of their annual income from BP. In return, the oil company gets to cover up its real activities and present itself as a normal and respectable part of society, rather than a company that is actively worsening the climate crisis. BP also gets to host swanky events at the venues it sponsors, giving it networking opportunities and helping it to make new business deals. Communities in Argentina, West Papua, Mexico, and Azerbaijan – to name but a few – have faced violence and imprisonment for standing up against BP’s extraction, pollution and corruption. BP continues to work closely with human rights-abusing regimes to gain access to their oil and gas, including jointly sponsoring exhibitions with the Egyptian and Russian governments at the British Museum.

Chelmsford Council have had to close the public toilets in Lionmede park. They need to repair the underground waste pipes that have become damaged by the roots of nearby trees. BUT they've told us they won't do this EVER unless they see public support. Please show the Council that we want the toilet facilities re-opened for good. It is the only park nearby with toilets. It also has a kids play area, tennis courts, benches, picnic tables, goal posts and dog waste bins. Access to clean, hygienic toilets fulfils an important requirement for health and well-being, social inclusion and public decency. So many people locally benefit from those toilets being open including parents and children in the neighbourhood, older people living nearby, local people with a disability or health conditions such as IBS and prostate issues, pregnant ladies, dogwalkers, local childminders and local holiday clubs. A lack of access to public toilets can put people off visiting the park. For some this can lead to social isolation, and spending too much time indoors can lead to a lack of vitamin D that can cause skeletal deformities and poor development in children. The Lionmede park toilets are also used by people on their way into town from further afield if they're on foot or cycling. Knowing there are facilities on the way into town can make people feel more confident about using sustainable travel rather than getting in the car. Public urination has already become a problem in the park since the toilets have been closed, with children regularly observed relieving themselves in the bushes. It's a sad sight for people that want to build a better community for the next generation. The toilets at Lionmede Park even have a parking space, which is useful for local taxi drivers, ice cream van drivers and delivery drivers who spend a lot of time in their vehicles and struggle to park in the city centre for a quick break. 6 of the 13 public toilets across Chelmsford have been closed by the Council in the since 2012. There is no shop next to the park that could form part of a community toilet access scheme. Having those toilets open is important to ensure the park and the community continues to thrive. You can stop this from happening here. Please show your support!

Because the Sudanese regime killing the protesters & not let them express their right to peaceful demonstration .

Children who find academic work challenging now have fewer option choices for vocational subjects which is discriminatory. For children looking to take vocational subjects in year 9, their options are now dance or home cooking. Any children hoping to pursue a career in any technical subject after secondary school, these option are of very little help. Forcing children in to subjects they show little vocation for will be an unwarranted distraction to schooling if the other children on these courses.

In 2016, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimated that by weight, there could be more plastic in our oceans than fish, as soon as 2050. Plastics are durable, strong and long-lasting – all positive elements until you realise that they will stay in our environment for up to an estimated 600 years. (Columbia University) Over 300 million tons of new plastic are made every year – half of which is for single use plastic, such as packaging and convenience foods. In many cases, such as plastic straws, takeaway food containers and coffee cups, there are practical alternatives available that are either reusable or sustainable. It is estimated that there are over 5.5 trillion pieces of plastic currently in our global ocean and over 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into our seas each year. This equates to one refuse truck FULL of plastic every minute. Marine plastic leads to coastal / offshore dead zones, entanglement, death through ingestion, toxic transfer and, once degraded into microplastics, contamination of the food chain – including our own. We are quite literally eating the plastic that has ended up in our seas. Sign this petition so we can persuade the council to act on the issue of single-use plastic waste. *Image credit Ed Fordham taken at Chesterfield Borough Council, June 2019

If this application is approved, it will seriously threaten the future of The Stables, one of the UK's most popular and successful music venues. Founded by the world-renowned jazz musicians Sir John Dankworth and Dame Cleo Laine almost 50 years ago, The Stables (registered charity 261645) has welcomed many of the world's leading artists and performers to its stages. In addition to more than 400 concerts each year, it offers a wide-ranging programme of educational workshops and courses to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to develop their musical skills. Its dedicated team of more than 250 volunteers was recently honored with the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. The Stables also produces IF: Milton Keynes International Festival, one of the UK's fastest-growing arts festivals. If the proposed housing development is approved by Milton Keynes Council, previous protections which had been hard fought for will disappear, leading to the possibilty of noise complaints from residents of the new homes and ultimately to the closure of this much-loved cultural asset. We need to make the Council fully aware of the local, regional and national support for The Stables and also of the strong opposition to any housing development that threatens its future. Please sign this petition today and ensure your voice is heard loud and clear!

Thousands of residents across the borough are routinely run roughshod over, treated as problems that make council officers' lives harder. But we are why they are here, why they have jobs in the first place. These are our homes, and it is not right to come to someone's home and start destroying it without even having a conversation first.

Plastic is extremely damaging for the environment. This is from the production of the bag to its lifespan. Tesco's sold over 1 billion bags for life with many consumers using these as 'single use' bags. Therefore I would like Tesco's to replace their bags with biodegradable potato starch bags. This would have a massive effect on the environment.

The Barbican, described by Queen Elizabeth as "one of the modern wonders of the world" is an internationally famous icon of the Brutalist architectural style and a utopian ideal for city living. The City of London School for Girls has expanded piecemeal over the last 50 years, each time encroaching on the grounds and architectural features of the Estate, compromising the vision of the architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon. These latest proposals, if approved, would inflict major harm on this global cultural asset, by obscuring the double-height piloti, adding large new structures which will be visible across the Estate and removing a stunning Grade II* listed vista in the Estate’s 50th year.

I have suffered with fibromyalgia for the last 10 years or so and the pain just gets worse on a daily basis. All I'm told is I have to live with the pain as there's nothing they can do for me.

Tv is often the main if not only source of company and entertainment for people over 75. This is the 'resilient generation' HM Queen Elizabeth spoke of at the D-day remembrance ceremony recently who made so many sacrifices in World War Two on our behalf. They often don't claim pension credit even if they are entitled to it, such is their pride. To make them pay the TV Licence is iniquitous especially in view of the enormous salaries paid to BBC executives and presenters. The BBC needs to rethink it's priorities budget-wise and the govt. needs to fund this important social service to elderly citizens.

The recent BBC investigation into sexual harassment has put Essex has highlighted a system that is seriously failing students. It is totally unacceptable that complaints of sexual harassment can take several months to be investigated, leaving students that have been directly affected to suffer enormously. The toll this has taken on the students affected cannot be overestimated and cannot be undone. We owe it to every student that has ever been affected by sexual harassment to take this moment seriously. So on behalf of our 16,000 Students’ Union members, today we’re demanding that the University of Essex introduces the following urgent and fundamental changes: 1. INTRODUCE PROPER SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE 'REPORT AND SUPPORT' PROCESS Students must no longer be left unsupported or uninformed at any part of the process 2. URGENTLY UNDERTAKE A DETAILED REVIEW OF THE EXPERIENCE OF STUDENTS AFFECTED BY SEXUAL HARASSMENT As a Students’ Union we called for this action to be taken in May this year – now demand that this must be acted upon urgently 3. ALL INVESTIGATIONS INTO SEXUAL HARASSMENT MUST BE COMPLETED WITHIN 60 DAYS Currently only 80% of complaints are resolved within the timescale recommended by the Independent Adjudicator – this needs to be 100% 4. INTRODUCE TRANSPARENT REPORTING OF ACTION TAKEN IN RESPONSE TO REPORTS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT The University must report regularly to students on the number of cases, the length of time these have taken and summaries of actions taken 5. INTRODUCE COMPULSORY CONSENT AND BYSTANDER TRAINING FOR ALL UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX STUDENTS Online training modules are not enough. These sessions have to be in person and must happen in the first week of the new academic year 6. INTRODUCE COMPULSORY SEXUAL HARASSMENT RESPONSE TRAINING FOR ALL FRONTLINE STAFF AND PERSONAL TUTORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX Before the start of the new academic year, all members of staff in student-facing positions must be properly trained on how to respond to reports of sexual harassment and provide support to students in these circumstances 7. ALL OF THE SERVICES THAT OFFER REPORTING OR SUPPORT RELATING TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT MUST BE PROPERLY COMMUNICATED TO STUDENTS From the start of the new academic year, support services such as Student Support or SU Advice can no longer be hidden away or not clearly visible to students that need to access them 8. ESTABLISH A SINGLE PROCESS BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY AND THE STUDENTS' UNION FOR MANAGING INCIDENTS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT Immediate changes are needed as the current two-tier system is disjointed and confused and leaves students lost and unsupported 9. PRIORITISE CASES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT OVER MINOR CONDUCT OR ACADEMIC ISSUES The University owes it to those affected to prioritise cases of sexual harassment over minor conduct or academic issues 10. RECOGNISE THAT THE UNI IS GROWING QUICKLY AND SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS NEEDS TO GROW WITH IT Additional support cannot afford to be a short-term fix: it must continue to grow in order to keep pace with Essex’s growing student population It is critical that all of the above actions must be applied equally to all three University of Essex campuses in Colchester, Southend and Loughton – this is an issue that affects all students equally and no campus should be unfairly prioritised. HOW YOU CAN HELP: We believe strongly that we have to act now to address the issue of sexual harassment at Essex and we’re committed to working on all of the above actions. You can show your support and help us demonstrate how many of our members care about this issue by signing our petition calling for urgent action to be taken.