My dog Monty and 4 other dogs tragically perished in a fire at the boarding kennels they were staying at in June this year. The kennels had a fire extinguisher on site which is all that is currently required under current legislation, but there were no smoke detectors/alarms to alert anyone to the fire which happened during the night. There were also no sprinklers in place as this is not a requirement. By the time the alarm was raised and the Fire Department were called to scene, a few hours had passed and by then all the animals had tragically perished. I want safety standard within boarding kennels improved to at least have smoke alarms and early detection systems in place to try and ensure this does not happen again. I would not want any other family to go through what we have all had to go through knowing our beloved pets died in such horrendous circumstances.
Despite having a very good track record with loads of experience of delivering large scale events, my business has, since 2006, tried to hire land from councils but we have been continually refused. Reasons given have included not wanting land to be damaged, being too close to a residential area, and in one case not allowing us to book the event space in case someone else wanted to book it. When trying to address these concerns, we have been fobbed off and declined meetings, this includes several attempts to meet with the Chief Executives for Glasgow and Edinburgh City Councils.
There does not appear to any reason for local councils to behave the way they are, other than they have their own agenda, which excludes anyone they don't want to engage with.
Having spoken to other business owners, we have become aware we are not the only people this is happening to.
Improve and prioritise pedestrian safety
- 39 Signatures
This report, written by Sustrans together with ARUP and Living Streets, published in 2022, calls for Government action to stop cars, cycles and e-scooters encroaching on pavement space.
Transport for All has campaigned for an Equal Pavements Pledge.
(https://www.transportforall.org.uk/campaign/equal-pavements-pledge/)
Review existing legislation and legal remedies against trespassers
- 11 Signatures
The current legislation in Scotland is poorly understood by laypeople with many people believing they have universal, unrestricted right of way over private property. It provides excessive protection to those abusing it.
Current legal remedies against trespassers often means costly court action or, alternatively asking trespassers to leave with little immediate power. This means that those experiencing persistent or hostile trespassers often find themselves with significant expenses to preserve their privacy and the integrity of their home. Additionally, a trespasser is owed a duty of care even if all reasonable/affordable steps have been taken to secure property against them.
Suggested actions:
1. Absolve homeowners of responsibility for injuries or inconvenience caused to trespassers
2. Allow easier access to interdicts
3. Permit criminal charges for demonstrable distress (especially to vulnerable people)
4. Lower evidential bars to prove trespass
These suggestions are hypothetical in the hope the Scottish Government can find more acceptable solutions if appropriate.
Community link workers (CLWs) are based in GP surgeries across Scotland. They offer patients help with housing, benefits, debt, food insecurity, fuel poverty, physical inactivity, loneliness, abuse and much more when these impact on their health. They also listen to people about what they need to be well, and support them to achieve this. This allows doctors and healthcare staff to focus more of their time on diagnosing and treating medical conditions.
Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) plan to cut the number of CLWs by at least one third from April 2024. Across Scotland, the funding for community link workers is short term, insecure and unstable, meaning this is not a local budgetary decision, but one rooted in national funding arrangements.
The gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest in Scotland has never been wider. We believe cuts in CLW numbers during a cost-of-living crisis will only widen these health inequalities.
Under 16s charged with rape or sexual assault are protected and treated as children. Where are the human rights of child victims? Rape is an adult crime and should be treated as such. I believe that such individuals should be added to the sex offenders register.
The proposed Scolpaig Spaceport is hugely controversial and has attracted little public support, with hundreds of written objections submitted to the consultation.
Although public objections outweighed support by roughly 45:1, the Western Isles Council is continuing to pursue the project, claiming it will create jobs and that the economic benefits outweigh the environmental harm. This is far from clear as the project is surrounded by secrecy, and the economic case is simply unknown.
Spaceport 1 partner QinetiQ have stated “it is extremely difficult to predict at this juncture the demand for the Spaceport over the next 10 years.” [CAA website] (https://airspacechange.caa.co.uk/PublicProposalArea?pID=344).
It is my view that the planning process was flawed, with initially no EIA, then an EIA with significant errors. There is a perception that Spaceport 1 is being fast-tracked in a way that effectively limits public scrutiny. An independent review is urgently needed.
Provide birth certificates for stillborn babies
- Final Signatures: 545
I was 34 weeks pregnant when I thought I was going to hospital in early labour but it turned out to be the worst day of my life. My placenta ruptured which made me lose my darling angel baby, Harper Ann Mary Carruthers, who was born sleeping on 21/06/2023 at 18.33 weighing 4lb. I had a very healthy pregnancy and Harper had a mummy, daddy, two sisters and a brother who couldn’t wait to meet her and love her. Placental abruption isn’t something you’re told about and you’re not made aware of the signs indicating an abruption.
I also wasn’t aware that any babies born sleeping who do not take a breath aren’t entitled to a birth certificate. “Angel mothers” should be entitled to a birth certificate and death certificate at the same time. After all, they were still our kids and human little babies. I would like to see a law change and for it to be called Harper’s Law. I would like this to apply in cases where the pregnancy lasted for at least 20 weeks.
The purpose of this petition is not to take any of the necessary protection away but to prevent the abuse of the current systems that are knowingly abused to alienate children and keep them away from their parents.
Both parents have an equal responsibility and right to be involved in the upbringing of their child and should be encouraged to participate fully in their child's life even if this is done separately. Parents should be encouraged to have a meaningful relationship with their child and to share equally in the responsibilities and joys of parenting unless it is contrary to the best interests of the child.
Prima Facie can be used as the method to prevent a parent form being with their children, because court can take a very long time this can and, in my experience, will cause alienation of the child. Forcing a short time period would help to prevent the abuse of the current system and I hope help stop solicitors who may take advantage of the current systems to protect children.
Review the FAST stroke awareness campaign
- 1,473 Signatures
Anthony (Tony) Bundy tragically lost his life on 29th June 2023 after suffering a Basilar Artery Ischaemic Stroke. When Tony started suffering a stroke, his face and arms were unaffected, and his speech was not slurred. This meant that Tony passed the "FAST" stroke test, and was denied the emergency treatment required to save his life until it was too late.
Tony's family are now raising awareness of all the symptoms of stroke, including the inability to stand, cold sweats, eyes struggling to focus, slowed speech, nausea, and vomiting.
We are calling for a review of the FAST stroke campaign, looking at international examples, in order to ensure stroke awareness campaigns include the wider range of symptoms of stroke. This is intended to maximise knowledge amongst the general public and medical profession.
Increasing awareness will hopefully mean fewer families will have to experience the pain and loss that Tony’s family has endured.