• Change the term 'benefits' to 'social support'.
    Any of us could lose our jobs, become disabled or find ourselves struggling and in need of help, and we will hopefully all grow old, so let’s change our language when we talk about ‘state benefits’. Change the term to ‘state support’ and we start to talk about it for what it really is. Whilst the government is not likely to make the change (it would highlight how morally corrupt their policies have become), I hope this campaign will raise awareness about the true nature of social support and show the government how proud we are as a nation to have a welfare system, and that we are determined to protect it. Let’s show the government that we haven’t lost our compassion as a nation.
    124 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Helen Burton
  • Make Sir David Attenborough a Peer
    Sir David, now in his ninetieth year, has contributed so much towards our understanding of the natural world. He is the consummate broadcaster, and his recent interview (on his 89th birthday) with President Obama has shown him to be a strong advocate for understanding climate change. As an expert communicator, unique broadcaster over so many years, and for his potential contributions in the Upper House (in regard to the environment) he is worthy of consideration of a Peerage in the next New Year's Honours
    197 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Sandy Strachan
  • Make The Ashes available to all
    1. Children play the sports they can watch on TV. They are inspired by their sporting heroes. But if they're unable to see the most famous competition in cricket - the pride of our national summer game - cricket will wither away. The vastly larger TV audiences of non-subscription channels will include a new generation of children inspired to play cricket - getting more kids into sport and improving the talent pool. 2. The last time the Ashes was on non-subscription TV - 2005 - saw the nation rally around to will England to an extraordinary victory. Showing the games only on paid TV makes it harder for everyone to enjoy our national culture. Cricket is central to English culture: we should all be able to celebrate it, not only those who can afford to pay. 3. In 2009, an independent review panel recommended that the government re-list the home Ashes series. The government didn't act then - and the longer it ignores it, the more the game loses support. It's time to act on the report - and make the #AshesForAll Photo: "Ashes Urn" by danielgreef/Dan - http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielgreef/ Licensed under CC BY 2.0
    335 of 400 Signatures
    Created by Joe Mitchell
  • We demand that Tobias Ellwood MP resign his parliamentary seat
    Mr Ellwood's recent claim that his MP's salary is insufficient shows a disregard for and disconnect from his many constituents who have accepted limited or no pay increases over recent years in order to boost the nation's economic recovery. Furthermore we feel that his enthusiasm for a pay increase of 10% at a time when public service employees are being restricted to rises of 1%, shows contempt for his electorate and a self-serving attitude which is not in the interest of his constituents.
    1,224 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by Philip Dunn
  • Keep the BBC independent
    The BBC is meant to be an independent organisation run by trustees. It's unacceptable that the government can just walk in and confiscate several millions of licence payers money to fund an aspect of its social policy.
    69 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Philip Bolt
  • Save Glasgow's Architectural Heritage
    For years Glaswegians have had to live in the shadow of disastrous planning decisions, where beautiful relics from Glasgow's rich architectural heritage have been destroyed to be replaced by ugly concrete and metal buildings. The appearance of these buildings makes the whole environment of Glasgow appear depressing and has an adverse effect on how people interact with their city daily, if the city is charmless and ugly it is harder for Glaswegians to feel proud and motivated in their day to day lives. We need to learn from the mistakes made in the 70's I urge Glasgow City Council and NFU Mutual to not demolish this building and to find ways to retain the facade regardless of increasing costs, I urge Glasgow City Council to also not allow the demolition of any historical architecture in the city and for it all to be preserved for future generations. I urge all proud Glaswegians, proud Scots and lovers of Heritage and Architecture everywhere to please sign this petition. Let's not let Glasgow become an ugly soulless mistake of a city, which based on several recent planning decisions it sadly could become. Thank you
    203 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Edward McGurn
  • Bring Mental Health awareness into education
    This is important because more young and older men and women suffer from a selection of mental health illness and not many people are aware of what mental health illness are and what effect they have on a person who suffers from them. In school they need to give the information out to their pupils about what mental health is (without going into graphic details) so then their pupils are able to understand why someone may suffer from a mental health illness, how it effects such person and what they can do it ensure their own safety and well-being as well as other people around them. We need to give people a better understanding of the different challenges that mental health brings to a person who suffers from it. It's time we talked about it more and get people involved in voicing what mental health is.
    253 of 300 Signatures
    Created by michael cook
  • Save Hog's Back and the Surrey Hills AONB
    The Hog's Back is a steep chalk ridge that runs between the towns of Guildford and Farnham in Surrey. It is 154m above sea level at its highest point and provides far reaching and dramatic views across open countryside to the north and south. The ridge is a nationally important and much loved feature of the North Downs, formed during the last Ice Age and one of England's oldest known roads. Four farms (Blackwell, Wildfield, Chalk Pit and Manor) lie at its eastern end and are under threat from development. Guildford Borough Council has earmarked Blackwell Farm for a 2,250-home development and expansion of a business park in its draft Local Plan - a move that would burst through, and enclose, an area of ancient woodland, which forms the green belt boundary on the west side of Guildford. This sprawl would open up the floodgates for a ribbon development along the slopes of Hog’s Back. The University of Surrey, which owns the land, is already pushing to increase the development to 265 hectares (3,250 homes). This is despite promises to open up this area as an informal recreational space - promises made when the University took 64 hectares out of green belt in 2004. The farmland under threat lies on the boundary to the Surrey Hills AONB and provides views into, and out of, the Hog's Back ridge. Part of site lies within the AONB. It also includes a designated Area of Great Landscape Value, areas of ancient woodland, areas of Grade 2 and 3a farmland, medieval hedgerows, and remnants of 18th century parkland. It is adjacent to a scheduled ancient monument and to a Site of Nature Conservation Importance, and is home to many rare flora and fauna, including 4 bird species of principal importance for biodiversity. The site is also of historic importance: it includes that last remaining undeveloped corner of Guildford Royal Park - Henry II's hunting ground and an important part of the town's heritage - and it provides the last remaining views of Guildford Cathedral where it rises from an entirely rural setting. The Hog's Back itself is steeped in history. It was used by worshippers travelling to Stonehenge and much later by pilgrims visiting Thomas a Becket’s shrine at Canterbury. Views from the ridge have been admired by literary figures, such as Daniel Defoe, Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll (who is buried on the Hogs Back) and Aldous Huxley. Save Hogs Back is opposed to the development of these farms and any further urbanisation of the Hog's Back landscape. We call on Guildford Borough Council to withdraw this site from its Local Plan, and on Brandon Lewis to tighten up planning legislation so that there is more robust protection for AONBs and their settings. We also call on the University of Surrey to abandon its plans to cash in on this land and instead to honour its promise to the people of Guildford to open up this area for walkers, riders, cyclists etc, whilst keeping it as a working farm. For further information, please visit www.savehogsback.co.uk
    18,317 of 20,000 Signatures
    Created by Karen Stevens
  • Change 4 the ignored
    As part of our homelessness campaign,we would like to raise awareness of the homeless and what the government are not doing to help. Hopefully this campaign will help people understand the issue of homelessness and see what the government can do to prevent it. The government classify that there're around 20 homeless people in Birmingham but in actual fact their are 892 people. Homelessness is not a small concern. One of the news headlines, back in 2010, had said that one-in-three Britons will have been touched by homelessness.This is shocking,in fact,this should've shocked us into action. If something is not done about this,more of us will be living on the streets. Without a shelter. Without our everyday necessities. The government is for the people, not just those who have made the best decisions and made no mistakes. Our country has enough resources that none of its citizens should be without a home.It's quite shameful, that in a country, as wealthy as ours, we have citizens living on the streets. The true measure of a society is how it treats it's most vulnerable members. Therefore, the government should be doing much more than it is for the homeless population.They need help and understanding, and they need it from their government. Homelessness is your problem whether you recognize it or not. Everyday more and more people lose a job, unable to pay bills, and eventually end up losing their home. I have seen families live in cars and work while trying to survive. This is the harsh reality.
    221 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Arashpreet Kaur
  • Save Winchester, the ancient capital of England
    Winchester was an important Roman city and later became the Anglo-Saxon capital of Wessex under King Alfred the Great. It is the birthplace of England, where much of its language, heritage, culture, democracy, education and law was established, and it holds an exceptional position in British history. The Silver Hill proposals encompass 5 acres, a very considerable proportion of the city centre, and they constitute the most significant and contentious development in Winchester’s modern history. Everyone agrees that this part of the city centre needs to be regenerated, but the objections of thousands of residents to the current proposals are due to the overwhelming scale and dismal nature of its architecture. A dull and uniform mass of such size will suffocate the appeal and character of an historic cathedral city. It will jeopardize the city’s future vitality, and its outdated retail concept will emasculate the city’s thriving high street, the oldest in northern Europe. The objections are also based on Winchester City Council’s failure to procure the contract, so that over the last 13 years they have only ever considered the one proposal by the one developer, T.H. Real Estate (aka Henderson). Residents have questioned why, when Winchester is so full of architectural talent, has the Council never considered any alternative, more sympathetic proposals for what should be a civic-led development. They have also asked how, when Henderson’s 2014 proposal was derailed by a Judicial Review, the Council has agreed to let Henderson revert to an earlier version of the proposal approved in 2009, which both parties declared was unviable. Despite being roundly criticised by a High Court Judge for being in “serious breach” of the procurement regulations, the Council has failed to take the opportunity it has had to remedy the situation, the result being the relentless progress of a senseless and entirely predictable disaster, in the face of huge opposition. Winchester was the foundation of England, and the joyous charm of its city centre reflects a spirit of a cohesive community respectful of its historic environment. Don’t let that be lost. Winchester deserves a future as rich as its past, and only with your intervention can that be assured. For more information on the campaign please visit: - the Winchester Deserves Better website: http://www.winchesterdeservesbetter.com/ - the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/winchesterdeservesbetter - or the Twitter page: https://twitter.com/Best4Winchester For more information on SAVE's alternative scheme, being developed by Winchester architect Huw Thomas, please see our website and press release: http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/news/campaign.php?id=343 To donate to SAVE Britain's Heritage and support the campaign please click on the 'donate' button on our homepage: http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/index.php
    4,994 of 5,000 Signatures
    Created by Clementine Cecil
  • Save the BBC
    The BBC is a fundamental part of British culture. It has provided the backdrop for citizens lives in this country for over half a century. It is already working to a very tight budget in difficult times. Taking production budgets to pay for a social welfare policy will undermine the quantity and quality of content.
    39 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Stan Gamester
  • Homelessness should NOT be criminalised in Chester
    Homelessness is not a crime and affects people from all walks of life and criminalising it is criminal in itself - targeting those with nothing to pay nonsensical fines. It is our duty to care for people who have fallen on harder times and affording Cheshire Police more powers to simply move the 'problem' on beggars belief. Simply having provisions for the homeless who fit the 'ideal' criteria of a privatised 'care' provider (Richmond Court) is not good enough and will disperse the rough sleepers leaving our most vulnerable even further out of reach of help and causing more issues with them, residents and businesses alike.
    1,723 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by Martin David