I am one of 62 former Vodafone franchisees who lost almost everything. I took out loans to franchise three of Vodafone’s shops, only to have the rug pulled out from under me when commission rates were abruptly slashed. The impact was devastating. My revenue collapsed, and the stress was so severe I ended up on a heart monitor. My family feared I would take my own life. I am not alone; many of my colleagues have faced financial ruin, depression, and the risk of losing their homes. For another Vodafone franchisee and lifelong supporter of the company, Adrian Howe, the pressure appears to have become overwhelming. He is believed to have taken his own life in 2018, leaving behind a devastated family. In the weeks before his death, his family have said he was deeply anxious due to severe financial pressure, having been required to secure what he believed was an unviable second store against the family home. Adrian should never have been put in that position - franchisees need better protections.  From coffee shops to the Post Office, thousands of local business owners have zero protection from this kind of corporate pressure. We take the risk, but the big brands hold all the power. Ministers have promised to look into these "harrowing stories." We need to make sure they don't just look, but act. Please sign to join our call on the Government to follow through on creating strong and robust statutory protections for franchisees.

It’s one of the most dangerous poisons you’ve probably never heard of – linked to cancer, fertility issues, and even birth defects – and now it’s everywhere. "Forever chemicals" (PFAS) don’t  break down in the environment. Instead, they build up over time, and are now found in our drinking water, food, blood, and even the human placenta. [1] But right now, we have a great opportunity to push for their ban. The EU is already racing to a full ban, and the UK government is holding a consultation asking for the public’s opinion. [2] Let’s flood the consultation with 100,000 voices to demand a ban on these poisons! This isn't just a petition. When we reach our target, 38 Degrees will submit our signatures to the official DEFRA consultation. Add your name and share -- before the consultation closes. These toxic chemicals are hiding in plain sight – in everyday items we use without a second thought: non-stick pans, waterproof coats, make-up, and food packaging. [3] PFAS are almost impossible to avoid. They seep into our daily lives, and stay literally forever.  But while Europe is banning the entire group of over 10,000 PFAS across industries, from food packaging to toys, the UK government is only talking about banning them in firefighting foam. British families deserve the same protection as those in Europe — and we have a window of opportunity to fix this. The government is deciding its "chemical strategy" right now. Let’s show them that British voters won't accept second-class safety, and push them to match the EU's ban. Add your name to the consultation, to tell Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds to ban forever chemicals in the UK. NOTES: [1] Newsweek: Forever Chemicals Disrupt Placenta, May Add Risk to Pregnancies [2] FieldFisher: PFAS Regulation in the UK and European Union: November 2025 Overview [3] The Guardian: Are PFAS in everything? What you need to know about ‘forever chemicals’

We believe that road safety should be given the highest priority.  We call upon Worcestershire County Council and West Mercia Police to work together to reduce the speed limits for vehicles on the Southern Link Road and to improve enforcement by introducing average speed cameras. Many residents living in Kempsey, Norton and St Peter's struggle to enter the roundabouts and there is a history of cars crashing off the roundabouts onto the footpaths. We call for the introduction of traffic light control and safety barriers to protect pedestrians. Local residents living in St Peter's have had to endure excessive road noise and fumes from the cars travelling at 60mph speeds. There are multiple accidents occurring on each of the roundabouts with many not being reported to the police as the drivers fail to stop.

Rowans, a beloved North London institution, is under threat. Haringey Council is reviewing new plans that could see the iconic bowling alley bulldozed and replaced with up to 190 flats. The Council doesn’t own the land, but they’ve marked it as a possible housing site. The owner makes the final call - but if this goes ahead, Rowan’s could close for good. Rowans has been part of London’s nightlife since 1988. Before that, it was a dancehall where even The Beatles played! Losing it would be losing an incredibly special piece of our city’s history. We have no time to spare. We must strike while this story is in the news. Add your name today to show Haringey Council that Londoners want Rowan’s to stay.

We are a group of refugees and people seeking asylum. We have fled crisis and disaster and came to the UK for safety, with some leaving their beloved children and families in a third country, waiting to reunite as a family in the UK. When we heard about plans to force us to wait at least 20 years to know if we can stay safely in the UK, many of us could not sleep. We faced nightmares about what is going to happen to us and our families.  Now we face the mental health impact of potentially decades in limbo, not knowing whether we are going to be granted leave to remain.  These proposals don’t just delay paperwork; they delay lives, hopes, and dreams. For some of us, our children have been born and/or raised in this country and know no other home. For others, our children are trapped abroad, and these plans could make it impossible to reunite with them. We want to work and be productive, but we cannot do this if we are refused support and constantly threatened with having to leave. Applying these policies retrospectively, to people who’ve already spent years on what they thought was a path to settlement, is particularly cruel. But this is not only about us: it is also about future generations and everyone affected. Our lives are already challenging; why make them even harder? It’s time to stop scapegoating refugees and other migrants, and start helping people rebuild their lives and reunite with their families.  Please sign to show the Government that the public chooses compassion, and does not want refugees’ lives to be left in limbo.

CaterEd is an award winning not for profit cooperative between local schools and Plymouth council which has provided high quality meals to our schools and pensioners for over a decade. They supported vulnerable children and adults through covid and Plymouth City Council should be celebrating their achievements, not shutting them down. For many of the poorest children in our city, those meals are a vital service and in many cases the only hot meal they will get each day. The Labour Government say they want to reduce child poverty and that starts with good quality, regular food.

For more than two decades, East Kent has lived with the consequences of downgrading Kent & Canterbury Hospital. The result has been dangerous delays, overcrowded emergency departments, and the return of corridor care — something we were promised would never happen again. Patients in Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay, Faversham and the surrounding villages now face long journeys to overstretched hospitals in Ashford or Margate. Lives are being put at risk. Staff are exhausted. Families are frightened. And our communities have been left without the local emergency and acute services they urgently need. Kent & Canterbury Hospital once provided excellent, life‑saving care for the whole region. It can — and must — do so again. Restoring full acute and A&E services is essential to ending corridor care, reducing dangerous delays, and giving East Kent the safe, dignified healthcare it deserves. We call on NHS Kent & Medway and the government to act now

People rely on Royal Mail for important items as well as mail order items, many of which are time sensitive. We are in Greater London and yet we have had no deliveries from Royal Mail for almost two weeks. This is by no means the first time this has happened.  The complaints platform, by telephone or email produces, at best, a lame apology, but no action. This is just wrong, and should not be tolerated, either by Royal Mail customers or our political representatives.  I can't think of any other business that would get away with charging for a service that they consistently fail to deliver, and facing no consequences. It is a form of fraud. We are being taken for fools and something needs to be done.

The Padel Hub has continuously raised membership prices throughout the year, resulting in many loyal members paying well over a thousand pounds. Despite this increased financial commitment, the club has removed the previously offered unlimited-play memberships, a change that feels both unfair and unnecessary. This decision has left long-standing members feeling unvalued and disregarded. Many of us joined with the expectation of consistent pricing and access, and these sudden changes break that trust.  The Padel Hub has always had an incredible sense of community, built on friendships, shared passion, and a genuinely positive vibe among members. Many of us have remained loyal despite repeated price increases because we love the sport and valued the welcoming environment the club fostered. This community is the foundation of what makes padel thrive, and without it, the club loses what truly sets it apart. By removing fair and accessible membership options, the Padel Hub risks pushing away the very people who have supported it from the start. Preserving this community is essential—not just for current members, but for the long-term success and spirit of padel itself. Under the original membership structure, each tier allowed access to a share of the court time at no additional cost: • Bronze Membership – £119/month: Play twice per day during off-peak hours (9am–5pm, weekdays). • Gold Membership – £179/month: Play twice per day, including one off-peak and one peak session. • Platinum Membership – £229/month: Play twice per day, including one off-peak and one peak session. A 90-minute court booking normally costs £120 (£30 per person), meaning the memberships offered substantial value and encouraged regular participation. Under the new membership model, a Gold Membership costs £50/month but only provides a 30% discount on court bookings. For a player who wishes to play 24 times in a month, the cost would now be £504 in court fees plus £50 membership. This represents a 209% increase in cost, while also reducing the possible number of monthly play sessions. Under the original system, a member could pay £179 and play up to 60 times a month (2 x a day). Under the new structure, if a member wishes to keep their monthly spending at the same £179, they would only be able to play 6 times—since court fees alone would total £124, plus the £50 membership fee. This is a reduction from 60 sessions down to 6, a 90% decrease in playing opportunities. This dramatic price increase and reduction in playing opportunities highlights why reinstating the original membership structure is important for fairness, accessibility, and the continued growth of the community.

Madeleine McCann’s parents, the families of Hillsborough victims, and Caroline Flack’s mum all know what it is like to be targeted by an intrusive press. That’s why over 30 high-profile victims wrote to the Prime Minister demanding that the second phase of the Leveson Inquiry - the investigation launched after a media phone-hacking scandal wrecked lives - be reinstated to expose the secret deals between police and journalists. Yet, while Sir Keir Starmer has found time to meet with media billionaire Lachlan Murdoch, he has failed to meet these victims. Press billionaires are being given access to the highest levels of government while ordinary people whose lives were upended by the press are ignored. We cannot let the Government dodge this issue while media giants continue escaping scrutiny and ruining lives. Please sign to demand the Prime Minister puts victims before moguls and restarts the inquiry now.

Brooks Road and the surrounding roads are very busy at school times. Cars drive too quickly and lots of parked cars make visibility difficult to cross. Many local people have witnessed near-misses with young children. A pedestrian crossing would encourage more children and parents to walk and cycle into school.

The Government’s plans for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) would strip power from local communities, weaken democracy, and almost certainly push up council tax for Dartford residents. Dartford is a well-run, financially stable council. Under these proposals it could be forced into a huge new authority or even split in two alongside areas with serious financial and service challenges. That would means higher bills for us, with worse value for money. These plans would also take planning decisions out of local hands, giving us less control over where homes are built and how our neighbourhoods develop. It is the exact opposite of devolving power. We recognise there are real issues at Kent County Council (KCC) and some nearby councils. But instead of a damaging, top-down restructuring, these problems can be addressed through local service hubs, shared services, and cooperative partnerships. Solutions that improve services without destroying local identity or accountability. Meanwhile, the reorganisation does nothing to tackle the true national crises: adult social care and SEND transport. We call on the Government to: - Stop the current reorganisation and protect Dartford from harmful mergers or division. - Keep planning decisions truly local and accountable to residents. - Support collaborative hubs and shared services, not forced restructuring. - Focus on the real issues, not expensive distractions. - Work with communities, not override them! Sign and share now to protect Dartford’s voice, our services, and our local control over decision-making. Written by Laura Edie, Green Party councillor for Newtown, Dartford