Recent comments by Marks & Spencer CEO Stuart Machin have raised serious concerns about the culture being created at one of the UK's biggest employers. Mr Machin has publicly criticised the idea of work-life balance and said he does not like senior leaders being “completely switched off” while on holiday. Many people are concerned that comments like these risk creating a workplace culture where employees feel they cannot properly rest, take annual leave, or set healthy boundaries between work and home life. Burnout, stress and poor mental health are already major issues in UK workplaces. When senior leaders send the message that taking a proper break is a weakness, that culture can spread throughout the whole organisation. No employee should ever feel that their job depends on answering emails on holiday, working through illness, or sacrificing their wellbeing. We are calling on Marks & Spencer to: 1. Publicly confirm that all employees have the right to switch off outside working hours and during annual leave. 2. Commit that no employee will be penalised, formally or informally, for taking breaks, annual leave or time away from work. 3. Introduce a clear “right to disconnect” policy across the company. 4. Carry out an independent review of staff wellbeing and workplace culture. 5. Publish the findings of that review and an action plan to improve employee wellbeing. Marks & Spencer is one of the UK's best-known companies. It should lead by example and show that success does not have to come at the cost of workers' mental health. Until Marks & Spencer publicly commits to protecting the wellbeing of its staff, we urge shoppers to consider taking their custom elsewhere.

It is a crazy war and we should not be part of killing, maiming innocent people in Iran and elsewhere

The people of Groombridge overwhelmingly support the proposal to turn Groombridge Place into a Pig Hotel.  We are excited by the prospect of having such a wonderful venue on our doorstep.  We would be relieved that Groombridge Place will be sensitively renovated, improved and cared for into the future.  We will extremely disappointed and angry if this opportunity is allowed to slip away due to bureaucracy and lack of vision on the part of TWBC.

Purley Sports Club application for outdoor music and alcohol license  Purley Sports Club have applied for a license to play live and recorded music outside (live bands or disco amplified), 7 days per week between the following hours: Sun to Thurs 12:00 to 23:00 Fri & Sat 18:00 to Midnight  01:00 Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve They have also applied for a license to sell alcohol outside between the following hours 6 days per week: Mon to Weds 11:00 to 23:00 Fri & Sat 11:00 to 23:45 01:00 Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve We will be challenging this application as a potential Public Nuisance and require your support.  We believe it will cause a significant increase in noise and disturbance to the local and wider neighbourhood. Please sign for your vote to be validated. • Public Nuisance: Potential for excessive noise from music, patrons leaving the premises, or increased traffic congestion. Also covers concerns about litter or odor.

These people take a family’s holiday money when the caravan doesn’t exist. They steal identities, images of real caravans and sell then as there own. 100’s of family’s each your in North Wales alone are being scammed like this, causing great distress.  There’s are 100’s of scammers in these caravan groups on Facebook and nothing is getting done.  Police need to be active in these groups. And witnessing it for them selves.  I own 4 caravans and manage 4 caravans in North Wales and I see people getting scammed on a daily basis.  It’s heart breaking seeing  families lose their holiday.  There’s hundreds of victims in North Wales alone if not thousands every year and it’s getting worse. The owners of legitimate caravans also become victims as the scammers are taking potential revenue from us and damaging reputations when they have been cloned by a scammer. 

We see hope in every cup of tea poured in a community centre and every friendly voice on the end of a helpline, in every kids’ football ref and in every helper at the local toddler drop-in, in everyone who donates to food banks when they do the weekly shop and everyone picking litter from our beaches and parks. Life is hard for a lot of us right now. Just getting by week to week is a struggle. But we also know our communities are full of hope and care. In fact, they’re built on it. But too often these acts of hope, and the people doing them, go unnoticed.  That’s why as part of the A Million Acts of Hope, we want to create the UK’s biggest ever thank you card: a huge, collective tribute to the people in our local communities who make life a little easier and the world a bit brighter. To prove that kindness is the quiet majority. To say, “we see you”, and to show that despite what we see in the headlines, together we can make hope louder than hate.

The telephone boxes in Epping High Street are a historic and cultural asset within Epping. They serve value to our historic town and we wish to see them retained and not sold. On the occasion that they are to be sold, we call on Epping Town Council to purchase them to be used as a community asset and therefore protected from removal in the future. 

Following an incident at The Council House on 24/03/2026 we are asking Nottingham City Council to remove anti-bird netting from this building and ALL Council run buildings in Nottingham  On 24th March, a pigeon (now affectionately known as Duncan) became trapped behind netting on The Council House, this resulted in Nottingham Fire and Rescue attending to attempt to free the pigeon. In this instance, the fire team were unable to rescue the pigeon, they also said they may have to reseal the hole they made for Duncan and leave him to die, however after a visit to the building this evening, Duncan could not be seen, we will however continue to check over the coming days for him.  This follows on from another recent incident at Nottinghams Mercure Hotel, documented by Humane Wildlife Solutions, where we saw multiple pigeons dead and dying in netting, showing the dangers to both animals and human health that this netting can cause. They thankfully agreed to remove the netting going forward.  With regards to Fire and rescue call outs for birds trapped in netting, while free at point of use, this can cost in excess of £450 PER HOUR for non emergencies. Managing incidents that are caused by these nettings are directly costing the taxpayer; Nottingham residents and businesses are paying their council tax to pick up the bill for unnecessary costs caused BY the council choosing to use bird deterring netting that, clearly, doesnt deter birds.  Further holes, that Duncan must have got in via, were seen in the netting today, meaning this needs to be addressed as soon as possible before more birds get trapped and suffer unnecessarily and more public resources used.  A government petition to ban this type of netting has reached nearly ten thousand signatures in recent months, we are asking Nottingham City Council to get ahead of the game and show the rest of the UK they are taking initiative on this issue and will pledge to remove netting from ALL council run buildings across Nottingham.

Children walk and cycle to primary and secondary schools next to a 50mph/70mph road, along a shared use footway/cycleway that is sometimes only separated from this traffic by a narrow verge. An email from the County Council Highway Schemes says that they will only take action to install a vehicle restraint system (barrier) if "vehicles have left the carriageway and have come into contact with pedestrians or cyclists".  It is unacceptable to promote Active Travel and advertise "Park and Stride" along this recognised route to school before first making it safe. There should not have to be an "injury collision" before a barrier is put in place, as is current policy.  Encouraging people to take to their bikes or walk only works when the routes in question are safe. The council's Active Travel Strategy July 2022 notes 5 core priorities, one of which is a “promise at all levels…to treat walking and cycling as a policy priority”.  Many people avoid cycling this route because of safety concerns; adding a barrier will also contribute to the Council's priority of increasing cycling and reducing car use. We are calling for Oxfordshire County Council to install a vehicle restraint system along the A40 London Road from where it turns to 50mph heading East, along through the 70mph by Thornhill P&R to the Holton turn. This stretch incorporates direct routes to school for Sandhills Community Primary School, Bayards Hill Primary School, and Wheatley Park Secondary School. Please sign and share this petition widely, and leave comments if this personally affects you or those you know.

This issue is very personal to me. I am living with the long-term effects of viral encephalitis from childhood, which left me visually impaired and paralysed, along with a brain injury and multiple complex health conditions. While I live with these challenges every day, I focus on staying independent and contributing where I can. I am unable to work, so I dedicate my time to voluntary work, supporting charities across Devon and helping others in my community. It gives me purpose and allows me to support people who may be facing their own difficulties. Through this, I have seen how vital charities are—but also how much they are struggling. On one occasion, I spent a full day fundraising and didn’t receive a single donation. At the same time, I am personally trying to raise funds for a suitable wheelchair to maintain my independence. NHS provision is very basic, and accessing grants is extremely difficult, if not impossible. This means people like me are left relying on charity and public generosity for essential equipment. I find it very hard to accept that while people are struggling to access basic support, individuals can receive tens of millions of pounds through lotteries and competitions. I believe this highlights a wider issue about fairness and priorities, especially when the NHS, ambulance services, and charities are under so much pressure.

To advance amateur dramatics, dance and music performances in particular but not exclusively, by providing facilities suitable for public performance and other community uses such as for example celebrations, exercise & wellbeing classes, home school hub, youth club, cinema club, AA meetings and art & craft activities. The facilities – including a full size stage - will be housed at Meeching Hall in Newhaven Town Centre for which the Trustees will be fundraising in order to retain and improve this hall for the public benefit. Charitable Objects * A place for performances * A place of celebrations; party packages * A place for passion projects; cinema club * A place for wellbeing practice; yoga; pilates; dance; AA * A place for pop up themed Cafes; repair cafe, seed exchange, crafting * A place that can be a hub for home schooling * A place to be used for Adult Education such as U3A courses Meeching Hall will be open to all Newhaveners: established, recent, young and old. Our Mission: Affordable – Welcoming – Can Do We like to say ‘yes’ to the community

Medical students in the UK face significant financial hardship during compulsory clinical placements, which are full-time and often require long travel, relocation, and additional living costs without any pay. This disproportionately affects students from lower-income backgrounds and risks widening inequality within the medical profession. We call on the Government and Parliament to introduce paid clinical placements or, at minimum, a standardised national stipend that reflects living costs and recognises students’ contributions to patient care within the NHS. In addition, a consistent system to fully cover travel and accommodation expenses should be implemented to eliminate regional disparities in support. Without action, financial pressures may force capable students to leave their studies, worsening workforce shortages. Ensuring fair financial support during placements is essential to widening access to medicine, supporting student wellbeing, and securing the future of the NHS.