For too long pedestrians, cyclists and motorists have had to deal with traffic approaching and leaving Rugby at high speed along the A426. The number of pedestrians trying to cross the road has increased in recent years as more development of residential areas along side this busy road has taken place. More children are walking down the side of the road to get to school, and the number of cars and lorries using it has increased as more logistics depots have been built in Coton Park and Rochberie Heights. There are frequent minor accidents at roundabouts along the length of the road as road markings have worn away and drivers do not observe lane discipline.  Pleas from local councillors to Warwickshire County Council Highways for action to be taken have fallen on deaf ears. We are now calling on the County Council to take action to reduce traffic speed along the section of the road that is currently 60 mph to 40 mph and to review and repaint the lane markings at the roundabouts.

Pay-per-mile in the uk is something which may be on the cards very soon. The people of the UK already being battered by rising costs of everything, including gas, electric, Council tax, water to name but a few, cannot afford another hike such as this which will see some drivers paying over £1000 just to get to work each year. Getting all drivers to pay per mile will have a adverse affect on tourism, businesses, import and export as well as the average person in the street who owns a car. Could this not lend itself to some businesses laying off staff to try and combat the rising prices, some businesses closing down with the same affect and some people who will just not be able to afford to go to work. The consequence of the action of bringing in such a idiotic pay-per-mile scheme could be far reaching. STOP the pay-per-mile scheme... Please sign the petition and show your support to stop another stealth tax, please get this to go viral so we are listened to.

It is important because the youth that attend VPC wish to follow a career in Policing. Yet they are being turned away. The current state of the country with rising youth crime, gangs and stabbings we need to encourage our youth to undertake such activities so they are busy and kept from crime.  There is also lack of officers. We should be encouraging and supportive not dismissive. 

Almost 17yrs ago residents of Netherton, Meltham, and South Crosland were promised a Greenway, that connects Meltham to Netherton and South Crosland and beyond.   We, the undersigned, are calling for the extension of the Meltham Greenway woodland cycle path and walk way, following the historic Meltham Branch Line. This extension will provide numerous benefits to our community, including:   1. Enhanced Connectivity: Extending the Greenway will connect the three communities and improve the feeling of unity, making it easier for neighbourhoods and residents, including those who use wheelchair users or mobility scooters, to enjoy the natural beauty of our area. 2. Environmental Benefits: Promoting cycling and walking reduces the number of short car journeys and reduces our carbon footprint and reduces noise pollution, contributing to a healthier environment. 3. Health and Wellbeing: Providing a safe, accessible, scenic route for walking, horse riding, running and cycling encourages physical activity, improving the health and wellbeing, including mental health, of our community members. 4. Historical Preservation: Following the Meltham Branch Line preserves our local heritage, allowing residents and tourists to appreciate the historical significance of the area.   Kirklees Council has not begun construction despite receiving funding from several local construction projects. Kirklees Council have failed to respond to queries regarding funding and progress updates.

Standing charges are a rip off which add to the enormous profits these companies make before even charging you for what you use.

Wildlife throughout the United Kingdom is facing the destruction of much of their habit...we desperately need more Local Nature Reserves if we are ever going to reverse this shocking fact.

Convenience stores run by Tesco, Sainsburys and Morrisons, which tend to be in the centre of cities and towns as well as rural areas, have been found to charge more for the same product compared to their bigger stores.  Not everyone has access to transport or the time to head to the bigger cheaper store. So customers are being forced to shell out way more just for their basics each week. Consumer group, Which! found that the difference in the price of goods can run to hundreds of pounds over the course of a year. They justify the higher prices by citing higher rent and operating costs, but when these companies are making billions in profit, should they really be charging customers more?  You may live near a big supermarket and be lucky enough not to have to rely on a smaller convenience store like others do. But that choice in supermarkets also means you have the power to pressure these stores to do right by all their customers.

My poor grand daughter  Gutted beyond words 😢  So proud of how brave you have been sweetheart. Nanas girl. Love you so bloody much. My heart is broken 💔 😢  DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN USE LAZERS!!  Another child was bought a lazer light as a birthday gift and took it to school. And it was accidently shone into Lily's right eye.  This is the state of her right eye now. The macula has hemorrhaged and it also has a lazer burn which has left scarring.  This scarring, the burn and the bleed has left her permanently without any focal or centre vision in the right eye. She only has a small amount of peripheral vision left in her right eye. She may as well be blind in that eye as she cant see out of it!  We've spend the last 5 days in and out of hospitals. She has had multiple scans, drops, tests the lot. 5 different consultants all coming to the same conclusion. Her eyesight can not be saved.  The macula is a small, round area at the center of the retina in the back of the eye that controls central vision, color vision, and fine detail. It's made up of many photoreceptor cells that detect light and send signals to the brain, which interprets them as images.  This could have all been avoided if a child was not given a lazer light as a toy.  These are so dangerous and I'm only thankful that it's only one eye and not both or my beautiful girl would be completely blind!  Please, never let your child have or use/play with a lazer light. You could potentially be saving someone's eyesight.  It's too late for Lily's vision but it's not too late to save someone else's.  I'm so incredibly proud of how lily has handled everything thrown at her this past week. She is such an inspiring young lady.  Me and Ryan Harrison are so proud of you Lily-May ! (Mum and dad)

I am a freelance writer in the tabletop gaming industry, and I am very concerned about the new proposed changes to AI copyright law. Generative artificial intelligence has already cost my industry, and many other creative industries, a great deal due to the unprecedented need for new laws governing these models and the ability of tech companies to bypass them due to ambiguities in legislative wording.  I have personally lost hundreds of pounds in monthly income as a direct result of generative ai models over the last 2 years, and these models are trained on creative works which they have no ethical right to use.     I am asking you to stand up and speak out against relaxing laws on tech companies being able to train their models on copyrighted works (as is being suggested), as this would be disastrous for every creative industry, and only work to cement the dominance of these tech conglomerates in global society at the expense of one of the most uniquely human endeavours in existence; the creation of art. 

🤔 Ever wondered what happens to the soft plastic that you return to the supermarket for recycling? Well, we've managed to find out. 🕵️ We placed tracking devices into 40 bundles of soft plastic packaging and dropped them at front-of-store collection points at Sainsbury's and Tesco supermarkets across England. 🔥 The results of our investigation reveal that 70% of the tracked soft plastic bundles that reached a final destination is burnt, not recycled.  🚢 The rest ended up at recycling facilities that downcycle soft plastic waste into products other than packaging – the majority of which were in Türkiye. ⚠️ Environmental law NGO ClientEarth warns that there is strong evidence that soft plastic recycling claims are misleading the public. 🛒 Since 2021, major UK supermarkets, including Sainsbury's and Tesco, have been rolling out front-of-store collection points to recycle soft plastic packaging, while “Recycle with bags at large supermarkets” labels are now seen across an extensive range of soft plastic packaging. 🙅 But soft plastic packaging is acknowledged by the waste management industry and the UK Government to be incredibly challenging to recycle... 🏭 With plastic production set to triple by 2060, these schemes are a symptom of a system that is out of control.  ✊ Supermarkets are part of the problem. But they’re also part of the solution. 🗣️ Now you can help push for change. ✏️ Sign and share our petition calling for Sainsbury’s and Tesco to publicly back a 40% cut in global plastic production by 2040.

Vaping can be used to help wean people off cigarettes and reduce the risk of lung cancer through smoking tobacco. However, many people who now smoke vapes have never been tobacco smokers. This is particularly true of children and young people.  Vapes are highly addictive due to their nicotine content. As recognised by the NHS, nicotine addiction affects  the nervous system and can lead to long lasting changes in cognition, attention span, and memory. Nicotine addiction can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.  Nicotine also affects the cardiovascular system, increasing the risk of heart attack. Vapes contain a variety of chemicals. There is a lack of research into the long term effects of heating and inhaling these chemicals on the lungs and other organs. Moreover, many vapes that are sold do not comply  with UK regulations as regard chemical content with millions of illegal vapes being seized each year. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute have described those vapes seized as the “tip pf the iceberg.” Children and young people are highly exposed to vapes and this exposure is increasing. The latest research by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) suggests 72% of children had been exposed to vape promotion, mostly in shops and online. The research also found that around a million children aged 11-17 have tried vaping with approximately 230,000 children vaping more than once a week. The vast majority of these children have never smoked tobacco. Australia recently changed the laws on vaping to protect against the harms of vaping and nicotine dependence. The change in the law requires that vapes may only be sold at a registered pharmacy. Vapes may only be sold to  under 18s with a valid prescription. This regulation helps protect children against exposure to vapes and makes it far more difficult for children to buy them. 

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are cancelling the winter fuel allowance for pensioners and are calling upon us to make sacrifices and accept difficult financial decisions. This is a grave and unnecessary injustice that will cause great hardship among older people.  It would therefore  be consistent and appropriate for MPs to lose their own fuel allowance that they get to cover utility costs for a second home linked to their work as an MP, and share the pain with pensioners. And if they aren't willing to do that the Government should drop plans to scrap the Winter Fuel Allowance, and increase wealth taxes on multi-millionaires and billionaires, and the windfall tax on energy companies who are making billions in profit instead.