I have tried unsuccessfully to bring to the public domain, the mismanagement of the NHS Dental Services. I had some personal emails from friends and colleagues responding to my own situation having lost our local dental services without any forward notice. One day, 3 weeks ago, we were NHS patients in Genix our local Dentist service, in Alnwick, to receive an abrupt message to say we cannot to continue unless we had to change to Private Practice. I contacted the Local Authority Northumberland County Council the Northumberland HealthWatchOrganisation without any success. Our local Tory MP did not respond to our plea for help. I was tipped off that there was a Parliament Backbench Business debate last week on Thursday April 23rd. 13 years of Tory mismanagement of the health service has seeing dentists quitting in droves. 2,000 dentists quit the NHS in 2021, around 10% of all dentists employed in England. An estimated 4 million people can’t access NHS care and with some parts of the country now described as ‘dentistry deserts’, because remaining NHS dentists aren’t taking on new patients. In real terms, net Government spend on general dental practices in England has been cut by over a third over the past decade, with the number of NHS dental practices in England falling by more than 1,200 in the five years prior to the pandemic. Labour will put patients first and make sure they can be seen on time. The last Labour government reduced waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks. The next Labour government will secure the future of NHS dentistry, providing the staff, equipment and modern technology needed to ensure patients get the treatment they need. Interventions We spend less on dentistry per head of population in the areas with the highest levels of deprivation, and stats from the BDA suggest that 1 million new or expectant mothers have lost access to dental care since the start of the pandemic. What is the Government doing to prevent those from low income or vulnerable groups being disproportionately impacted? Tooth extraction in hospitals due tooth decay remains the most common reason for hospital admissions in the 6–10-year-old age group, with an estimated cost of hospital admissions for children aged 0 to 19-years for this intervention being £33 million per year. Does the minister agree that this is utterly shameful? With 91% of dental practices not able to accept new adult patients in England, and 80% not able to accept new child patients, millions are facing the unpalatable options of waiting for months in agony, resorting to DIY dentistry or coughing up private dental fees they simply can’t afford. What is the Minister doing to tackle the crisis in dentistry? From inadequate support for prevention of oral ill health in childhood to dentistry deserts, net Government spend on general dental practices in England has been cut by over a third over the past decade. Can the Minister explain why his government have let things get so bad? Not enough has been done to recruit and retain both dentists and dental care professionals and a recent BDA member survey showed more than 9 in 10 owners of dental practices with a high NHS commitment found it difficult to recruit a dentist, with 43% of vacancies unfilled for more than 6 months. Can the Minister explain why the Government have so far failed to publish the NHS workforce plan? Can this matter not be of national concern like previous petitions from 38 degrees regarding the Tory Government recently, especially the Health Minister! We need your help to raise the dire awareness of the current NHS Dental Provision?

Whilst leaders across the political parties are playing political games and shouting each other down in the corridors of power, our rivers are dying. Our rivers are on the brink of collapse plagued by a toxic cocktail of sewage, agricultural and chemical pollution. Give our rivers a voice. Sign now and join the mighty wave of people urgently calling for political leaders to act quickly and ambitiously to rescue our rivers.  River Action, supported by over fifty organisations, are calling on political leaders to rescue Britain’s rivers for nature and people by:  1. Ending sewage pollution 2. Stopping agriculture polluting our rivers 3. Preventing harmful chemicals at source 4. Securing water supply for everyone 5. Bringing nature back from the brink 6. Reforming planning rules and prompting natural solutions 7. Protecting river habitats and wildlife 8. Monitoring pollution of all rivers 9. Inspecting polluters and enforcing the law 10. Working together to restore our rivers We call for Governments and political leaders to act now, and to act boldly, to rescue our rivers for nature and people. Join us by signing today and help the babble of voices become a flood.  Our rivers are in crisis. Every single river in England is polluted beyond legal limits, and the rest of the UK’s rivers are also in trouble. Our rivers are not fit to swim or play in, our wildlife is fast disappearing and freshwater is becoming more scarce in the face of the climate emergency.  We need to see this crisis prioritised and fixed as a matter of urgency, but the current Government’s freshwater strategy is failing our rivers. They are not treating this as the emergency that it is. The situation is scary but we have the solutions.  The Charter for Rivers, supported by over fifty organisations including The National Trust, The Wildlife Trusts, WWF, Soil Association, The Rivers Trust, Angling Trust and many more, sets out ten ambitious but achievable actions which would restore our rivers to health by the end of this decade. Find out more on the River Action website

Keeping a useful and needed facility in the town for everyone

We’re all tightening our purse strings because of the cost of living crisis. Except, it seems, our Prime Minister - who's flying about the place on private jets and helicopters. It's a slap in the face to people who are stuck dealing with failing public transport due to his government’s inaction, while “No 10 are unable to say when Mr Sunak last went on a train.” And now even his ministers are getting in on the action! Foreign Minister James Cleverly used a luxury jet for his tour of the Caribbean and Latin America to the tune of £348,000. Enough is enough. The Prime Minister's latest private helicopter trip - which was paid for by the taxpayer and would have only taken 1 hour and 15 minutes by train - is being called out by the press and the public because people are sick and tired of the hypocrisy. And James Cleverly is being criticised for using a luxury jet when cheaper options were available. It’s time for Rishi Sunak and his team to get their heads out of the clouds and face reality. A big petition will show just how strong the outrage is and could get him to drop these expensive, unnecessary flights that contribute to the climate crisis.

I believe the lack of regular check-ups will lead to problems other than tooth decay. I had my mouth cancer spotted by my dentist leading to a hospital referral. This meant I had a biopsy within 3 weeks and this was followed by scans and urgent surgery - all within 6 weeks of my dental appointment. In effect, the dentist was at the beginning of a process that saved my life. Without the availability of NHS dentistry many others may not be so lucky, and with mouth cancer on the increase this will lead to more complex problems to be dealt with by the NHS surgeons.

There is enough problems in this country with people being unable to navigate the cost of living crisis. A disgraced PM and MP should not be handed an award, especially when he does not show any respect for the Monarch he is supposed to serve. Boris Johnson is a proven liar. He has shown that he has no respect for anyone, not his wives, children, colleagues and especially not the UK public. What impression does it give to the UK population if a person of such low character is given an award for being such a disgrace? Is it not even more of a disgrace if that person has publicly demonstrated they lack respect for the Monarchy itself? How can they be considered for ennoblement when they lack enough respec for the King, they consider bowing to him as beneath their dignity. His wife curtsied to the King and Queen yet Boris Johnson barely nodded to the Queen and ignored the King entirely. What message would it provide to the UK public for such an act to be ignored in the face of anti monarchy sentiment. It would paint a picture that His Majesty's Government itself considers insults to the Monarch to be acceptable. Is that the message the Government wishes to present? Is the Government putting out the message that they accept the role of the Monarchy no longer has a place in the UK, so much so that they support insults from Government ministers to the King. Not in words but in lack of deeds. I believe that if the government were to have the footage of the coronation analysed, they would find that Boris Johnson did not voice the oath of allegiance either. Such is my faith in his lack of respect.

The current Housing crisis combined with the cost of living crisis, commodification, and privatisation, is making the vulnerable increasingly exposed, squeezing the middlemen for all they have and helping the rich get richer. Housing is a need not a commodity. RTB needs to be scrapped to ensure every resident in England has a high-quality, secure home. We need your help to protect the most vulnerable by ending England's housing crisis. The idea is that housing is a necessity, not a luxury and every resident should be able to access housing at a cost that does not impact on their quality of life. This requires the removal of the Right To Buy policy, following suit with Scotland and Wales. In England, less than 1.6 million council homes are left with upwards of 82 council areas in England having no local authority-owned social housing. Even if councils could build back council homes 1 for 1, the size, standards, and location would not be the same as the original home. Many homes sold under RTB end up in the private rented sector; est 40% in 2016. Therefore, RTB results in the loss of homes, loss of council revenue streams, higher private rents, and a higher benefit bill. Scrapping the RTB policy would allow local councils to build back their social housing stock, ensuring the most vulnerable resident have a quality roof over their head, private sector rents will decrease allowing first-time buyers to access accommodation and funding could be raised through the councils' restored revenue stream to better regulate the rented sector. We, therefore, call on the government to scrap the RTB bill!

Midwifery students in Kent have been working incredibly hard for up to 3 years - many are weeks away from qualifying and many won't be able to finish the course, meaning they won't be able to practise. They have sacrificed other careers, time with family, have taken on debt and worked long hours for free at our local hospitals, some of them through the pandemic. Our local midwives have put hard work into mentoring them. Without a new pool of newly qualified midwives locally, out hospitals who already have low staffing levels will struggle to recruit to the levels they need, meaning that local families needing maternity care will suffer unless something can be done.

If the government does not redress the balance the journey to systematic collapse of government infrastructure will continue unabated. Education, Health, Social Care, The Police, The Legal System, The Councils (roads, bankruptcy) will continue on a downward spiral. The government promised austerity would fix this in 2008. It did! For the wealthiest individuals, keeping labour cheap and interest rates low for businesses. Though people will reference COVID as being the reason for our current circumstances, the issues are all due to long-term underfunding. The funding doesn't seem to be increasing any time soon. It is a race to the bottom, with rich people having less economic shackles whilst the poorest people are having to make choices about food and heat, having their cars damaged by poorly maintained roads, police that aren't fully trained because they are rushed through training, nurses who are overwhelmed by work and difficult home circumstances because of poor pay and teachers who are focused on being social workers because of a lack of support for families.

5 reasons why you should write to your MP to prioritise LGBTQ+ youth homelessness: 1. LGBTQ+ young people are being kicked out for being who they are. 77% of the young people akt supports face homelessness when they came out or were outed by family members ( akt 2015) 2. Rejection means young people do not have anyone to turn to for support. Only 13 per cent of LGBTQ+ young people felt supported by parents or stepparents while homeless (akt 2021) 3. Often housing services are not equipped to respond to their needs. 44% of local authorities and housing associations have not received training on LGBTQ+ homelessness ( akt 2022) 4. The abuse and discrimination lgbtq+ young people face doesn't end at home. Over half (59 per cent) of LGBTQ+ young people have faced some form of discrimination or harassment while accessing services ( akt 2021) 5. The cost of living and private rented sector crisis, is pushing more lgbtq+ young people into homelessness. Charities like akt are struggling with increased demands to our services and compared to before the crisis, we can support less people for the same amount.

We believe that access to free public libraries and archives services can change lives for the better. They are needed in Dudley Borough more than ever. Library services foster literacy and a lifelong love of books, particularly among children and young people. They enable access to vital information for marginalised groups and permit students of all ages a quiet working environment. They're also community hubs, support to parents, and offer culture, music, and reading to all. Archives, along with libraries, are also vital to the preservation of our local heritage and identity. Closing or cutting libraries or archives services in Dudley will jeopardise the educational development and cultural life of the Borough for decades to come. Your support of this petition will be visible in the public domain.

The military industrial complex – the relationship between a country’s military and the defence industry – is not often the first thing that comes to mind when we think about UK universities. But as climate change and global conflict escalate, it has never been more important that our education systems are used to advance peace. But UK universities continue to invest in and partner with the companies who profit from and contribute to this instability. The dED database has uncovered £2BN+ of university investments in military partnerships - and we’ve barely scratched the surface yet!  This demonstrates the massive scope of university relationships with arms entities, rooted in an industry which will not help us tackle modern-day security threats. The arms industry cannot help to resolve the security threats arising from climate change, poverty, and global instability. Veterans for Peace have said this plainly: “War cannot solve the problems we face in the 21st century”. We cannot fight climate change with fighter jets, and cannot solve health crises with combat drones. As Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”. The military sector and arms industry make their profits from resource exploitation, conflict and the building-up of weapons reserves: the exact things generating instability. To create a more peaceful world, our universities should support and develop security innovations to help us face modern-day security challenges – rather than investing in ones that negatively contribute to the threats we face.  Universities hold undeniable power to shape society. By signing this petition you will help to make sure that this power is used in favour of peace and not war.  Add a direct message to the Chancellor of your University in the comment box available, using your university email address if possible. Organisational endorsements: Bury & Salford Peace Group Centre for Peacebuilding Organisations For Our Great-Great-Grandchildren ForcesWatch Glasgow University Arms Divestment Coalition International Peace Bureau London Campaign Against Arms Trade Manchester & Warrington AM Quaker Peace Group Musicians for Peace and Disarmament Rethinking Security Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group Scientists for Global Responsibility Shadow World Investigations Stockport for Peace Stop Fuelling War The Vivienne Foundation University of Bristol Students Union WILPF UK Sign on behalf of an organisation here: https://forms.gle/NLscs5TDJNi1KrjNA Please also consider supporting our crucial work by becoming a regular donor: https://ded1.co/donate/ > Buy dED Merch - https://webuildpeace.shop/