• Make Castle Bar Park Station Footbridge accessible to All!
    I started this petition, having researched a prior unsuccessful petition by the UK government between 2010-2015. Circumstances and environment around the station have changed since, ie there are many more users of the footbridge, hence a new approach to the petition is required, ie we need to create awareness and spread the word. I use the footbridge to cross from West to East with my 19-month-old and our pushchair. He is walking, but still needs guidance up and down steps. I also have to keep hold of his hand, as he is tempted to jump and run and whizz around. The dilemma I have is, that I must also carry our pushchair across. There is no choice of carrying one or the other across, so we have to make our way across together. I carry the pushchair on my shoulder, while holding on to my son’s hand /harness (trusting him to hold onto the banister that is really too high for him) and holding onto the banister myself in order to steady myself. Some days I am assisted by a friendly person, a parent, a mum, a runner, a train passenger, who all offer to carry my pushchair across. It is exhausting to try and do this journey every day, twice a day, 5 days a week and more. I do see other people struggling across the bridge with other items, shopping bags (or wheelie shopping baskets), bicycles, scooters etc. The footbridge and one platform are not accessible to wheelchair users (apart from the platform serving trains from Castle Bar Park to West Ealing). That excludes anyone wishing to travel to West Ealing to connect to the Elizabeth Line and any destination beyond. PLEASE SIGN NOW.....or read on for FURTHER INFORMATION: Review footbridge structure for these reasons: 1. Volume of traffic for footbridge - based on local facilities 2. Condition of footbridge 3. Available funds 4. Design criteria for footbridges RE 1. Facilities nearby provide an idea of potential volume: Schools, nurseries, childrens centre close by; - West of tracks: https://www.lyceefrancais.org.uk/apprendre/primaire/andre-malraux/ - Approx 200 pupils Brentside Primary Academy & High School - awaiting pupil stats Cybertots at Copley Close - Cybertots Children’s Nursery at Copley Close Hanwell - awaiting figures East of tracks: Childrens centre (Health Visitors, childrens playgroups, Community midwife base) – https://www.ealingfamiliesdirectory.org.uk/kb5/ealing/directory/service.page?id=A7GujkfYsJ0 – up to 475 families attending pcm Hungry Caterpillar Nursery Hathaway (West Ealing) - https://hungrycaterpillars.co.uk/nurseries-in-west-ealing/ - up to 30 children Woodlands Academy – https://www.woodlands.ealing.sch.uk/ - Over 110 pupils Castlebar School - https://www.castlebar.ealing.sch.uk/ - A special school for children aged 4-11, catering for children with complex learning difficulties including autism and other sensory impairments. Over 160 pupils North Ealing Primary School - https://www.northealingprimary.org/ - Over 700 pupils Happy Todds Clubhouse (nursery) - https://www.happytodds.co.uk/clubhouse/ - up to 22 children Apple Montessori nursery within grounds of Ealing Trailfinders - https://applemontessorilondon.co.uk/ - up to 35 children Notting Hill & Ealing High School - Home - Notting Hill and Ealing High School (gdst.net) – Over 900 pupils Leisure & sporting facilities: Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club – Fixtures and Results (ealingtrailfinders.com) - capacity for 4,000 spectators, 2,200 seats with 32 fixtures planned for the current season 2022-2023. Hanwell Community Centre – The rooms vary in size and accommodate 20-50 people. awaiting information on visitor numbers pcm Hanwell Zoo – awaiting information on visitor numbers pcm Several parks and greens serve the area, on both sides of the tracks. For example Brent Valley Park, Brent Lodge Park, Pitshanger Park, Cleveland Park, Cuckoo Park; including the sports facilities available within these parks (Pitshanger FC Clubhouse, Will to Win, Drayton Manor Playing Field, Ealing Hanwellians Cricket Club etc.) RE 2. State and condition of the footbridge All of the treads are worn and uneven. Some of the nosing (tip of the stair) is either worn or has fallen off Backs of stairs are either rusty or one of them has come away and there is no back Structure is uneven. Structure is unsafe and has a temporary fix. Stairs only for East station approach. Ramp access for West station approach. No colour contrast or bubble pavement at the bottom of the stairs of station approach, only for footbridge platform to platform. RE 3. Available funds The recent Building Developments in the area and immediate vicinity (Alton Court by copleyhanwellw7.co.uk and Ipswich Court by copleyhanwellw7.co.uk) would have contributed a Community Infrastructure Level to the local council (EBC). They would have qualified for CIL and in turn this levy payment would have presented EBC with reasons and means to review transport and other factors in the area and spend the levy according to what is needed. This footbridge and the general surrounding infrastructure have been ignored. RE 4. Design criteria for footbridges (CD353), Highway Structures & Bridges Design Present condition and structure of footbridge do not match standards. Status: 20/07/2022 - additional info and corrections
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    Created by Stephanie Toal
  • Sheppey’s right to fight for decent infrastructure!
    Dear Mr Henderson, as you are most probably aware the Island has been without water for nearly three days! In such a modern society this is totally unacceptable and could have been prevented if the water infrastructure had been modernised along with the thousands of new homes being built putting extra strain on an already antiquated system! Frequent leaks on a regular basis have been tolerated thus far but the last few days have brought this issue to a head. This simply cannot continue! We are campaigning for Sheppey to gain funding for an adequate infrastructure to match the increased influx of population due to the mass ongoing building on the island! On a personal note yesterday I had to have minor operation in Medway hospital and it took over three hours to get home due to the laying of a temporary fire hose ( totally needed) but as usual at the expense of the island resulting in grid lock and traffic backed up to Gillingham. This could all have been prevented if the water infrastructure had been addressed in the beginning! We would like you to address this issue with urgency before this happens again. We would like new housing plans to be suspended or postponed until plans are put in place to update our island infrastructures to match the population increase! Elizabeth Price
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    Created by Elizabeth Price
  • QMUL, give us our pay!
    QMUL UNISON Branch Committee has calculated that Queen Mary has been underpaying some of its lowest paid staff – including cleaners, porters, Catering, Security and Library staff – by up to £500 a year. These underpayments have profound equalities implications. Their impact has disproportionately been felt by BAPoC staff and women. In December 2019, the university’s own Equal Pay Audit raised concerns about pay discrimination, finding that the pay structure was “inconsistently applied and overly complex.” While this report raises questions about how long the university has known about the discrepancy, a recognition of the error from the University and a strong commitment to redress it is non-negotiable. We noticed this discrepancy while we were trying to calculate how much Queen Mary staff receive as a London Allowance. As you will know, the London Allowance is supposed to be a flat amount awarded to all staff on top of the national pay settlement to reflect the high cost of living in the capital. However, while other universities (such as King’s and UCL) pay the same allowance to all of their staff and publish a clear breakdown of how much they award, Queen Mary is currently far less transparent. QMUL "consolidated" its allowance into basic pay in 2005. When we initially contacted HR to ask how much it was, they were unable to tell us. As the allowance is consolidated into basic pay and therefore subject to the same pay increases, the underpayment effectively means that the lowest paid staff have also seen a cut in their London Allowance. Catering and Security staff who should now be receiving a larger cost of living adjustment than their higher paid colleagues, are instead receiving a smaller one. Even for those of us who haven't been affected by this underpayment, QMUL’s London Allowance is woefully inadequate. At £3,330 it is significantly lower than the amount received by staff at SOAS, Westminster, UCL and Kings. This has a knock-on effect for the university’s ability to attract staff and remain competitive. According to the latest research by the Trust for London, London weighting allowances would need to be increased to at least £6,549 to cover a basic standard of living. That research was conducted in 2021, before the staggering inflation we've seen this year. We therefore ask the university to commit to a significant increase in the London Allowance, to give staff some protection from the spiralling cost of living. QMUL, give us our pay!
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    Created by QMUL UNISON
  • Boris Johnson should not stay in post after resigning.
    Boris Johnson should be removed from power to stop him making more unlawful decisions. "The proposal for the prime minister to remain in office - for up to three months - having lost the support of his cabinet, his government and his parliamentary party is unwise, and may be unsustainable. In such a circumstance, the prime minister maintains the patronage and, of even greater concern, the power to make decisions which power of will affect the lives of those within all four nations of the United Kingdom and further afield. Some will argue that his new cabinet will restrain him. I merely note that his previous cabinet did not - or could not - do so. For the overall wellbeing of the country, Mr Johnson should not remain in Downing Street - when he is unable to command the confidence of the House of Commons - for any longer than necessary to effect the smooth transition of government." Sir John Major - Former Conservative Prime Minister
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    Created by Christine M
  • Save the 502 bus service (Kings Hill/Wrotham school)
    Kent County Council is threatening to remove the 502 bus service (Kings Hill/Wrotham school). This is a fully-utilised and vital service. The majority of children would not be able to get to school without this bus. There are no practical or affordable alternatives. Please save this service. Without this bus service children will not be able to get to Wrotham school.
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    Created by Catherine Higginson
  • Make 'Swift Bricks' mandatory for all new build and extensions in Sheffield
    We are having a swift emergency in Sheffield. Illegal work (Wildlife and Countryside Act), has brought SSN surveyors out to defend active swift nests from building developments in S6, S10, S13 and S17. These are not isolated incidents. The Common Swift isn't common any more. In the last 25 years, UK swift plummeted by over 60%. Swifts are Red Listed Birds of Conservation Concern and classified as "Endangered". Traditional building materials and methods left gaps for laying eggs and raising chicks, high up within the eaves. Modern plastic soffits and well-sealed, draught-proof buildings lack nooks and crannies. Up to now, few town planners, architects, builders, roofers and other professionals have cared about swifts (and other valuable wildlife e.g. bats). We have to change this before it is too late. Swifts fly from Africa to the same mate and nesting site, staying in Sheffield from May to August. If they return to find their nest site has been blocked off, destroyed or encased in scaffolding/netting, it spells disaster. Being non-perching birds, they will keep trying to swoop into their former nesting hole. They will persist for up to two weeks, sometimes ending in injury and death. We recently rushed to an emergency swift survey in Handsworth. Swifts zipped silently in and out of their eaves’ nests feeding their young, the residents unaware of them, likewise the soon-arriving roofers. Thanks to our intervention their chicks are safe and will have a chance. We got very positive reactions from residents and lots of interest in their amazing migratory life cycle. The 'feel-good' factor is probably helped by the fact that swifts are delightful neighbours, eating insects and flying around with amazing grace and energy. Swifts are clean, un-messy birds making secret, minimal nests that disappear over winter. Cheaply and easily, modern buildings and renovated old buildings can provide suitable cavities, without compromising the building’s interior. We ask Sheffield City Council to promote Swift Conservation’s recommended good practice: 1. Leave existing nest places undisturbed 2. If re-roofing, after the fitting of new soffits and gutters, make new nest access holes to match the old ones exactly. See “Creating Swift Nest Places in Old & New Soffits”, https://www.swift-conservation.org 3. New build - internal nest spaces “Swift bricks” are the best. A wide variety of commercially produced hollow bricks or blocks have a small entrance to allow swifts to build a nest inside. Integrated nesting bricks have advantages over external boxes, e.g. “Integrated nesting bricks are preferred to external boxes for reasons of longevity, reduced maintenance, better temperature regulation, and aesthetic integration with the building design.” (Westminster Environmental Supplementary Planning Document (ESPD)) @£15-30/unit, i.e. around 0.0001% of the cost of an average home. The number would depend on the size of the project, following the example of progressive councils. Government planning guidance highlights the wildlife benefits from 'Swift Bricks' (NPPG Natural Environment 2019 paragraph 023). 3. If you cannot do “3” above, fit external nest boxes Many councils such as Brighton and Hove, London, City of Westminster and Cambridgeshire are committed to swift conservation through planning. But, neither the current Sheffield Habitat Action Plans nor Local Plan currently cover building-based species. This is an opportunity to strengthen the council policy in this area. We must protect and aid the recovery of Sheffield’s swift population through forthcoming Local Nature Recovery Strategies. Biodiversity Net Gain will soon be mandatory in England for developments above a certain size to achieve planning permission, but again the methodology overlooks building-based species. Live, work or study in Sheffield? Will you join us in being a voice for these birds? Please sign this petition. Share: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/swiftbricks4swiftchicks Thank you.
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    Created by Nicola Gilbert
  • Act Now, Save Lives - All MPs must attend essential Climate briefing on latest science
    The single most important thing is that policy makers are informed of the science of how our planet is rapidly changing. As COVID has shown with daily briefings flanked by scientists, we were able to save thousands of lives. We need the same approach 'guided by the science' now to prevent runaway climate breakdown and an unlivable future for our children.
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    Created by Grace Thompson
  • Campaign for fair parking at the University of Hertfordshire
    We understand the requirement for an amended and updated parking policy and support the improvements in administration and the concessions made to assist the lowest paid. The scheme has been presented as final and non-negotiable, but there are clearly still a number of important issues to be considered, many of which are causing considerable anxiety to staff, in particular those whose pay grades are close to the 28K threshold. We ask that management urgently address these issues (certainly before the proposed December review of the scheme) and continue to work with the recognised trades unions to make changes where necessary.
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    Created by UH Unison
  • Save the Curlew at Landal Rockingham Forest Park
    Since December 2015 the curlew has been on the Birds of Conservation Concern red list as numbers have plummeted 50% in 25 years. The curlew may soon be extinct. Urgent conservations efforts across the UK are required and are being spearheaded by the Curlew Recovery Partnership -www.curlewrecovery.org. This is one of the few sites in Northamptonshire where curlews are known to be located. The curlews return to Landal Rockingham Forest Park each March with their haunting cry heralding the arrival of spring to the boggy grassland and wide open spaces which provides perfect breeding habitat during spring/summer to raise their chicks. Curlews need long grass from spring onwards to provide cover from predators for their eggs and chicks however since the park opened in May 2021 the grassland surrounding the lodges is regularly cut from February onwards. As part of the 2015 planning permission requirements the tourist development had been required to manage the grassland sympathetically for ground nesting birds in accordance with ecological advice. The many months of intrusive construction of and expansion of the holiday park could mean the death knell for the curlew on this North Northamptonshire site and will contribute to their national decline. During 2021 and 2022 I have tried to raise awareness of the curlews’ presence on the holiday park with the family owners of the land, site manager, the senior ecologist of Lockhart Garrett advising the development, British Trust for Ornithology, RSPB, Northants Wildlife Trust, Natural England, council’s ecologist (who is also Project Manager for the council's Minerals & Waste department) and Dean Wishart, Planning Officer hoping that that the curlews will have protection and conservation will be supported. Professor Russell Wynn, Manager of the Curlew Recovery Partnership has also communicated with the private and council ecologists about the curlews’ presence on the land to offer advice. Professor Wynn would be more than willing to offer ongoing help and support about curlew conservation should this be of interest. If you wish to object about this development I hope you will sign this petition which will be lodged with George Candler, Director of Economy and Place with North Northants Council responsible for signing off planning applications. In addition a copy will be lodged with Paul Hardingham of Landal Greenparks UK. I would also urge you to send an objection to NE/22/00266/FUL to North Northants Council as there are currently very few objections about this development and it will soon be decided. I hope you can help. Time is running out to save the curlew on Landal Rockingham Forest Park………
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    Created by Sandra Beale
  • SAVE STEVE WRIGHT IN THE AFTERNOON
    Steve Wright is a DJ loved by millions. He will be retiring in the not too distant future ,we will all miss him terribly when he goes but to axe his show before then is a terrible decision.
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    Created by Pat Fletcher
  • Equal Pay Justice Now
    In the 21st Century no women should be paid less than their male equivalent. A Labour Council should be setting a good example to other employers.
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    Created by Birmingham UNISON
  • Don’t make Paul Dacre a Lord
    Any day now it's expected to be announced that former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre will be added to the House of Lords. In his time at the Mail, Paul Dacre has been accused of stirring up hatred against immigrants, politicians and judges alike - and now he could have a say on how the UK is run. And he and his paper are even currently facing legal action over alleged privacy breaches. At the very least, he should not be honoured with a peerage while the court case is in progress, but setting aside the legal action, someone like Paul Dacre, who used his time at the Mail to divide the country, represents the opposite of the values of fairness and respectfulness that we share as a country. He’s not the kind of person who should be celebrated by being made a Lord. Right now, it's still not confirmed, but if enough of us speak out against the idea of Paul Dacre being made a Lord, we can make sure his appointment doesn't become a reality.
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