Dear current patrons, past patrons, and future patrons of Arts and Social Sciences Library (ASSL) at Cardiff University. On Friday 17th of May, library staff of the ASSL were informed by University Library Service (ULS) that Cardiff University Estates (CUE) are planning to repurpose the 2nd floor of ASSL from its current form of housing our fantastic collection of books and study spaces to 4 teaching rooms (holding approx. 160 students) at the end of the academic term (mid June 2026) What this means– • Removal of 7km of books including subjects such as Philosophy, Ethics, Religion, Archeology, History, Music, Fine Arts, Language, Literature, and our invaluable collections of Salisbury, Welsh and Celtic literature. • Removal of vital study space • Removal of useful resources for current students, future students, and the general public. We believe this is a monumental loss of high quality library and study space on the Cardiff University campus which will not be replaced or replicated in any site that ULS currently run. The ASSL is not an underutilised resource, the library is constantly busy, and student feedback tells us a floor dedicated to silent learning is highly valuable to them. In the past 5 years Cardiff University has closed 3 libraries on the main campus and amalgamated their collections into ASSL, and it now looks like not even the busiest and best resourced library on the campus can be kept solely as a library. As with other past libraries that have been repurposed into space which is either not accessible to students 24/7 or not an environment conductive to studying, this is purpose built study spaces that has been lost and not returned. ASSL staff have battled for years for funds to refurbish and modernise floors of the building, and after winning that battle in 2024 with new carpets, desks, and lighting installed, Cardiff University are now planning to have this work ripped out.  Polling of students has consistently told ULS and Cardiff University students prefer a mix of physical and digital books over digital only. Collections held in ASSL once removed will not return to a site to be accessed 24/7, may just be held in storage to be ordered for pickup, or worst disposed of entirely. All our collections are weeded and updated constantly, meaning our stock is in date and useful to all courses Cardiff University supplies. Nobody has asked lecturers if the removal of course material could be to the detriment of their teaching syllabuses. And finally, a removal of a floor from the main central library on campus will potentially bring job losses of hardworking and tireless champions of learning. Librarians, subject librarians, and support staff will not be needed to maintain a whole floor that is to be lost to teaching space. We love our jobs supporting students and the public that come in to learn, it’s what we live to do, and when we are gone (like the books and the study space) we will not be replaced. We ask Cardiff University to stop the removal of ASSL’s second floor book collections and study space, and to step in and stop this learning and cultural vandalism.  --- Annwyl noddwyr cyfredol, preswylwyr blaenorol, a noddwyryn y dyfodol Llyfrgell y Celfyddydau a'r Gwyddorau Cymdeithasol (ASSL) ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd. Ar ddydd Gwener 17eg o Fai, rhoddwyd gwybod i staff llyfrgell ASSL gan Wasanaeth Llyfrgell y Brifysgol (ULS) fod Ystadau Prifysgol Caerdydd (CUE) yn cynllunio ail-ddefnyddio llawr 2 o ASSL o'r ffurf bresennol (sy'n cynnal ein casgliad gwych o lyfrau) fel mannau astudio i 4 ystafell ddosbarth (yn dal tua 160 o fyfyrwyr) ar ddiwedd y tymor academaidd (canol Mehefin 2026). Beth mae hyn yn ei olygu– • Tynnu 7km o lyfrau yn cynnwys pynciau fel Athroniaeth, Moeseg, Crefydd, Archaeoleg, Hanes, Cerddoriaeth, Celfyddydau, Iaith, Llenyddiaeth, a'n casgliadau amhrisiadwy o lenyddiaeth Gymraeg a Celtaid, sef y casgliad ‘Salisbury’.  • Tynnu mannau astudio hanfodol. • Tynnu adnoddau defnyddiol ar gyfer myfyrwyr presennol, myfyrwyr yn y dyfodol, a'r cyhoedd yn gyffredinol. Credwn mai colled aruthrol yw hon o gyfleoedd llyfrgell a gofod astudio o ansawdd uchel ar gampws Prifysgol Caerdydd na fydd yn cael ei ddisodli na'i ailadrodd yn unrhyw safle y mae ULS yn ei redeg ar hyn o bryd. Mae'r llyfrgell yn brysur yn gyson, ac mae adborth myfyrwyr yn dweud wrthym fod llawr wedi'i neilltuo i ddysgu tawel yn werthfawr iawn iddynt.  Yn y 5 mlynedd diwethaf, mae Prifysgol Caerdydd wedi cau 3 llyfrgell ar y prif gampws ac wedi cyfuno eu casgliadau i'r ASSL, ac yn awr mae'n edrych fel na all hyd yn oed y llyfrgell fwyaf prysur a'r un sydd â'r adnoddau gorau ar y gampws gael ei chadw'n unig fel llyfrgell. Fel gyda llyfrgelloedd eraill yn y gorffennol a gafodd eu hailddefnyddio yn ofod nad yw'n hygyrch i fyfyrwyr 24/7 neu nad yw'n amgylchedd addas ar gyfer astudio, collwyd y mannau astudio pwrpasol hyn ac ni chafodd eu dychwelyd. Mae gweithwyr ASSL wedi brwydro ers blynyddoedd am gyllid i adnewyddu a moderneiddio lloriau'r adeilad, ac ar ôl ennill y frwydr honno ym 2024 gyda charpedau, desgiau, a goleuadau newydd wedi'u gosod, mae Prifysgol Caerdydd yn bwriadu cael y gwaith hwn i'w dynnu i ffwrdd.  Mae arolygon o fyfyrwyr yn gyson wedi dweud wrth ULS a myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd eu bod yn well ganddynt gyfuniad o lyfrau corfforol a digidol na dim ond digidol. Nid yw casgliadau sydd wedi'u cadw yn ASSL unwaith y byddant wedi'u symud yn ôl i safle i gael mynediad 24/7, efallai y caiff eu cadw mewn storfa i'w harchebu ar gyfer casglu, neu yn waeth, eu gwaredu yn llwyr. Mae ein holl gasgliadau yn cael eu gwahanu a'u diweddaru yn barhaus, sy'n golygu bod ein stoc yn ddiweddar ac yn ddefnyddiol i'r holl gyrsiau mae Prifysgol Caerdydd yn eu darparu. Nid oes neb wedi gofyn i ddarlithwyr a allai symud deunydd cwrs fod o niwed i'u hastudiaethau dysgu. Ac yn olaf, bydd dileu llawr o’r  brif lyfrgell ganolog ar y campws yn bosibl yn arwain at golled swyddi i bobl sydd yn brwydro’n, di-flino dros addysg. Ni fydd angen llyfrgellwyr, llyfrgellwyr pwnc, a staff cymorth i gynnal llawr cyfan sydd i gael ei golli i ofod addysgu. Rydym wrth ein bodd â'n swyddi o gefnogi myfyrwyr a'r cyhoedd sydd yn dod i ddysgu, dyna'r peth rydym yn byw dros ei wneud, a pan fyddwn ni wedi mynd (fel y llyfrau a'r gofod astudio) ni chaiff ein disodli. Gofynnwn i Brifysgol Caerdydd atal tynnu casgliadau llyfrau a gofod astudio llawr ail ASSL, ac i ymyrryd ac atal y diflastod hwn ar ddysgu a diwylliant.

After the past few years and our results it’s very clear that after Sam Ryders performance we’ve gone massively downhill and we need a big name to bring the Eurovision trophy home and that’s why I think McFly should be our candidate for 2027

Why This Matters 1. Total Council Involvement and Six Years of Good Faith These outdoor dining spaces were not built secretly or unlawfully. During the pandemic, Stevenage Borough Council actively removed parking bays, installed barriers, and allocated the space to restaurants. • Legitimate Expectation: Businesses were formally instructed by the Council to apply and pay for pavement licences. • Undermining Investment: Relying entirely on the Council’s ongoing encouragement, licensing, and enforcement, independent businesses acted in good faith. They invested massive sums up to £130,000 per structure to build high-quality facilities. To force the removal of these structures now, at an additional cost of up to £25,000 to the business owners, is a devastating U-turn based on a bureaucratic dispute between the Council and Hertfordshire Highways. 2. A Flawed Consultation Overriding a Proven Safety Record Throughout six years of continuous, highly visible operation, not a single pedestrian has been harmed by these outdoor seating arrangements. Despite this perfect safety record, and despite the Council’s own consultation data showing 76% of the public explicitly support outdoor seating, policies are being changed. Issues with the councils survey design • Survey not designed to support outdoor dining: The consultation did not include outdoor dining as an option in the “favourite things about the High Street” question, despite its relevance. • Mismatch with actual High Street use: Eating and drinking were recorded as the second‑highest main use of the High Street, yet this was not reflected in the survey’s priority options. • Desired improvements ignored outdoor seating: Respondents expressed interest in keeping or expanding outdoor seating, but this was not represented in the survey’s improvement categories. • Activity categories excluded outdoor dining: When asking about desired types of activities, the survey again omitted outdoor dining, despite its proven popularity. • Survey wording aligned with political aims, not consumer needs: By excluding outdoor dining from key questions, the survey appears structured to support a predetermined policy direction rather than reflect genuine user preferences. A recent Facebook post demonstrates that 33 out of 59 comments all in favour of the dining seating returning. Noting that 8 of the comments, were sub comments not an actual request for it to return. The consultation gave no warning that these vital spaces would be stripped away, or the question actually being asked. The current compromise is driven by anecdotal, non-factual feedback rather than the clear public mandate. 3. The Real Parking Issue: Inefficient Management, Not Seating Capacity The argument that outdoor dining must be dismantled to claw back a few parking bays fundamentally misunderstands how the High Street operates. The issue is not a lack of spaces; it is the mismanagement of existing parking rules: • Dwell Time Realities: The Old Town is powered by service and hospitality businesses, including pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, beauticians, and solicitors. A typical visit to these establishments requires a dwell time of 90 to 120 minutes, yet the Council allows up to three hours.  • The Parking Flaw: The current free parking allowance on the High Street is poorly optimised. Because the free duration is too long, it encourages drivers to "block" prime on-street bays for extended periods, preventing the rapid turnover of vehicles that short-stay retail needs. • The Delivery Culture: Additionally, deliveries and fast-food collections result in cars parking in the road whilst they drop off or pick up. Reclaiming outdoor dining spaces to create a handful of extra bays will not fix this; it will simply allow a few more vehicles to sit idle for hours, whilst actively destroying the vibrant spaces that attract visitors to the Old Town in the first place. 4. Direct Impact on Local Jobs The hospitality sector operates on incredibly tight margins. Outdoor capacity directly translates to staff rotas. Removing these spaces forces a direct reduction in operating capacity, leading inevitably to fewer working hours for local front-of-house, kitchen, and management staff, and threatening the very survival of independent businesses. What We Are Asking For: • The Reversal of Space Removals: That the Council immediately reinstates the outdoor dining allocations that have been scaled back or removed. • Honouring Public Consensus: That the Council stands by its own consultation data (showing 76% support) and stops compromising public spaces based on non-factual, anecdotal complaints. • Honouring Public and Financial Good Faith: Recognise that businesses invested heavily based on formal council guidance, and suspend all enforcement action whilst a fair solution is negotiated. • A Smarter Parking Review: That the Council addresses parking availability by reforming the free-parking time limits to encourage vehicle turnover, rather than dismantling the alfresco economy. 5. Massive Housing Growth Demands More Community Spaces Stevenage is undergoing a significant residential expansion, with thousands of new homes being built across major developments like the SG1 town centre regeneration, the massive expansion at housing sectors to the north and west, and surrounding local plans. • The Numbers: With the borough and surrounding areas accommodating an influx of thousands of new residents, the infrastructure of the town must expand to support them. • The Need for Dining: A growing population does not just need houses; it needs social infrastructure. New residents naturally look to the historic charm of the Old Town High Street for leisure, dining, and community connection. Restricting or removing outdoor dining capacity at a time when consumer demand is dramatically increasing is completely counterproductive. The High Street needs more dining space to accommodate this growth, not less. We already see a burden on Infrastructure with examples like 9 Yards, it was and never will be feasible to accommodate the demand with the limited parking available. 7,300 new homes (houses + flats) by 2028 and most of these areas and restaurants are going to be inundated.  

The use of VAR was brought in to help referees and officials make clear decisions on how the game is officiated Instead it has created a whole new element of controversies and errors  It has also sucked the life out of the fans enjoyment of football 

I am Head Teacher of Broomhill Junior School and I want to overturn the decision by the Local Authority to demolish two of our classrooms. I want to keep them and develop an Enhanced Provision Unit to support children with Special Needs. I have been at the school as a Senior Leader for over 32 years. I have lived and breathed the school in this time. I am a Head Teacher who is part of the community and who is trusted by the community. I know what the community needs because I listen to people's views, thoughts and opinions. I am not prepared to just accept this decision. I have always led the school with a strong moral purpose and done what is right for the children. The decision to demolish is wrong and will have a negative impact on many future generations of children at Broomhill.

Corporate greed has turned our love for our pets into a cash cow. Big companies are buying up local vets and hiking up prices, while struggling households are forced into debt for pet care they could be getting for a fraction of the cost. But right now, we have a once-in-a-generation chance to break the corporate stranglehold on vet care. New proposed reforms could cap what vets can charge us. But the corporate vet lobby is already piling on the pressure to water down the proposal before they come into effect. We only have weeks to mobilise and secure these new rules from those who want to keep charging us eye-watering overheads.  Corporate chains now quietly own about 60% of all UK vet practices, but they often hide their branding. So you might think you’re supporting a local independent vet, while actually paying massive corporate mark-ups. Vet costs increased by a staggering 63% between 2016 and 2023, and nearly 1 in 4 pet owners have skipped meals or kept their heating off to keep up with pet costs. Meanwhile, vets are holding us hostage, charging upwards of £30 just to write a prescription on a piece of paper. The good news? The proposed regulations could force vets to publish clear price lists, provide written estimates for bills over £500, and, critically, cap prescription fees at £21.  But the clock is ticking to lock in these life-saving reforms. Acting right now can make the difference between families all over the country keeping their beloved pets, and being forced to say a heartbreaking goodbye. Sign the petition in support of affordable pet care, and share it with every pet owner you know – let’s build the biggest petition for our four-legged friends in UK history! 

It's unnecessary and dangerous for insects, other wildlife, dogs and humans.  We need to stop thinking that 'neat' is necessary, nature is not 'neat'. Having longer grass near trees is not unsightly and very rarely is it dangerous to highway users. If you must remove the grass around trees for safety reasons hand cutters do the job just fine.  Glyphosate  is a highly toxic chemical that damages plants, is one of the main causes of the diminishing bee population and has been known to make wildlife and dogs very sick or even kill them.  It also damages the Mycorrhizal fungi that trees and plants use to communicate with each other as well as  the quality of the soil. This is turn damages the tree over years.  The World Health Organization classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2015. A group of experts concluded in March that “glyphosate and GBHs [glyphosate-based herbicides] cause genetic damage, oxidative stress and hormonal disruption”. “Regulatory agencies in countries around the world should treat glyphosate and GBHs as hazardous, as some countries have started to do,” the experts said. “Agencies should act without further delay to limit their use, or eliminate them if legally required, to protect public health.” Please stop spraying glyphosate or any weedkiller where there are alternatives available which are safer to wildlife and people. And please stop the unnecessary killing of wide areas of grass by using quad-bike sprayers instead of spray-guns which target the growth you need to kill off.

Thousands of ordinary people are facing cancelled family holidays due to the current fuel crisis, while private jet travel for the ultra-rich carries on as usual. It’s absolutely outrageous. Why should we take the hit while the richest few keep jetting about on ultra-polluting flights that use many times more fuel? Scrapping them during this crisis would save enough fuel to allow hundreds of thousands of families to go on holiday this summer. Sign this petition today to ground private jets and protect our holidays!

Offshore oil and gas pollutes UK seas and harms ocean wildlife. It also makes the UK dependent on unpredictable and volatile fossil fuel markets, and subject to price shocks created by global conflict. We are on the cusp of enshrining in law the end to oil and gas in UK seas. Now is our once-in-generation chance to make it happen. The government should hold true to its commitment to end new oil and gas exploration. The future of clean seas, marine wildlife, renewable energy security, North Sea prosperity and thriving coastal communities depends on it. Where oil goes, spills follow.  In 2025 there were more than 630 oil and chemical spills in UK seas, including oil spills directly in marine protected areas. Toxic pollution is harming our wildlife and could also end up in the fish that we eat. Whales and dolphins that rely on sound for hunting and communication are deafened by sonic booms used to search for oil deep beneath the sea floor. Fragile deep sea corals and rare marine life is torn apart for pipelines and smothered by sediments released by drilling. New oil won’t cut bills. The reality is that there is very little oil or gas left in the North Sea. What remains is difficult, dangerous, and expensive to extract and would be sold on the volatile international market, by private companies to maximise profits. New oil would only shackle the UK to more price shocks and uncertainty. Instead, government must hold the line on clean, green, and ever cheaper, renewable energy.  The government has promised it will ban new oil and gas with legislation but the fossil fuel lobby is desperate to maintain the status quo. We must act now. Tell the government: bring in the ban and stop new oil licences once and for all. You can lead the UK and the world to a cleaner future for our ocean and abundant, secure, renewable energy. For our ocean.  

For the first time in generations, the threat of conscription seems very real. We must act now to oppose it. With heightened debate around insecurity, we are hearing growing calls for the re-introduction of some form of compulsory national service. This would require Parliament to pass a new law, which could legislate for mandatory registration of young people, as is happening in Germany, and/or some form of compulsory national service.   Conscription, if introduced, would primarily target young people, depriving them of liberty and political agency. Members of the armed forces are required to fight, kill and die at the behest of the government.  A series of scandals has revealed high levels of abuse in the armed forces, especially affecting women and people of colour. Military service often has a long-lasting traumatising effect on service personnel and their families.  We reject conscription as a moral affront and an attack on human rights. It deprives young people of choices and opportunity at a vital time in their lives.  To force military service on the population would involve a colossal waste of funds. During a cost of living crisis these resources are desperately needed elsewhere. With war escalating around the world and record number of civilian casualties, now is the time to stand up for peaceful and cooperative approaches to conflict resolution. Joining the armed forces is a political and moral choice that should never be forced on anyone. As a matter of urgency, the government must rule out reintroducing military conscription in the UK! The petition is organised by the UK working group for International Conscientious Objectors' Day - a coalition of 13 peace organisations.

The  Humanitarian Story:  I grew up watching people carry burdens they did not create. From childhood, I saw the poor, the overlooked, and the unprotected suffer indignity — not because of who they were, but because of the systems built around them. Those early experiences shaped me. They taught me that injustice is never abstract. It lives in bodies, in families, in communities, in silence. The Trans‑Atlantic Slave Trade is the deepest silence of all. Millions of people were taken, traded, insured, shipped, worked, punished, and killed — and yet the world still does not hold the full record of what happened to them. Their names, their origins, their deaths, their stories remain scattered, hidden, or locked away in archives. Entire families across Africa, the Caribbean, and the diaspora still cannot trace their ancestors. Entire nations still live with the consequences of a history that has never been fully told. I have spent my life trying to understand why society keeps repeating the same patterns of inequality, extraction, and dehumanisation. And the truth is simple: When you hide the past, you protect the systems that grew from it. This petition is not about blame. It is about dignity. It is about the right of every human being to know the truth of their own history. It is about the right of descendants to reclaim what was taken — not wealth, but identity. It is about the right of the world to understand how deeply the slave trade shaped our modern systems, economies, and inequalities. If we do not open these records, the silence continues. If we do not open these records, the descendants remain cut off from their own story. If we do not open these records, the world keeps pretending that the past is “too complicated” to face. I believe in a humanitarian future — one built on truth, transparency, and human dignity. Releasing these records is the first step. It is the moment where we stop looking away and start looking honestly. This matters to me because I have seen what happens when people are denied their history. And I refuse to let that continue.

All across the UK people have been increasingly leaving non biodegradable memorial objects and ritual offerings at sacred sites, circles, wells and henges. This has now reached epidemic proportions and is unsustainable. The natural environment can no longer bear the weight and impact of this behaviour and it is too big and important an issue for any one person in any one place to tackle alone. This problem calls for joined up thinking from those bodies within and without the Pagan Community to create clear public guidelines for these practices, for structure that promotes better ways of interacting mindfully within our sacred sites. This will be to the benefit of all, but most importantly will safeguard our sacred landscape for future generations to come.