Sir William Wallace is Scotland’s national hero.
In 1296 he led the cause to secure Scotland’s sovereignty from England's overlordship and restore Scotland’s place in Europe.
In 1297 he secured a national and monumental victory with his co-Commander Andrew de Moray at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
In 1298 he was declared High Guardian of Scotland and protector of the realm.
Between 1299 and 1301 he spent time in mainland Europe fighting for Scotland’s sovereignty.
In 1305 he was betrayed and captured resulting in his judicial execution at Smithfield on 23rd August.
His impact on Scotland’s history thereafter has been huge, from Bannockburn to Prestonpans. In the 1800s a huge wave of monuments to Wallace were erected and in 1995 Hollywood dedicated a full film to his story.
Additionally, stats indicate tourist numbers could increase as a result of the declaration of a national Sir William Wallace day.
Evidence gathered between 2024 and 2025 from cases including that of Moray Council demonstrates a recurring national pattern where local authorities:
• Divert safeguarding disclosures into administrative or behavioural policy mechanisms (e.g., UCAP), contrary to ASPA 2007 section 4 duty to inquire.
• Misapply or ignore statutory duties under the Equality Act 2010 (sections 20-22, section 149) concerning reasonable adjustments and the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).
• Fail to implement consistent safeguarding escalation pathways across Scotland, creating postcode disparities in adult protection.
• Lack clear external accountability when Equality or Safeguarding breaches occur, as neither the SPSO nor the Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS) have enforcement powers.
These issues are not isolated to one council but reflect structural gaps in national policy, particularly the lack of ministerial oversight or mandatory training standards for equality and safeguarding compliance across all 32 Scottish local authorities.
Improve access to local healthcare in rural communities
- Final Signatures: 69
I am a retired but well trained nurse in various disciplines. Sadly I witness a worrying decline in quality and accessibility of healthcare services, particularly in rural areas. Clinics have been downgraded, leaving the rural population with inferior care and without access to emergency care or face-to-face appointments. Patients are treated by short-term GPs, therefore lacking continuity, and are being treated with indifference. Patients now face long waits and travel to distant hospitals. Many are fragile or unable to drive. We are expected to accept phone consultations. This is an unsafe and impersonal approach that can increase the risk of misdiagnosis. Clerical staff began the process of triaging or often give different opinions. After hour care does not exist. Why? The Hippocratic oath no longer exists. Safety, wellbeing and confidentiality are abandoned! We ask that the Scottish Government urgently restore rural clinic services, address the need for after hour care, diagnose in a proper manner and bring back "caring".
There is no national record tracking outcomes. Women are placed on drugs for months or years — often more than once — without an evidence base on effectiveness, side effects or long-term impact to support informed decision-making. We deserve transparency, data and accountability in our care. Women’s health should not exist in silence or guesswork.
This petition is not anti-treatment — it is pro-evidence and pro-patient safety. We need a national database to ensure every person with endometriosis receives care guided by real outcomes, not assumptions.
I have personally been on these drugs for years, and I have never been shown any evidence of success rates, risks, or long-term impact. This would never be accepted in any other area of medicine.
It’s time to change that.
I’m calling for a mandatory national database to track real-world outcomes of endometriosis treatments and HRT. Women’s health deserves evidence, not silence.
I am petitioning to ensure vulnerable individuals who can’t afford or access legal representation are not deterred from seeking justice due to financial risks.
The current civil justice framework prevents many ordinary people from enforcing their rights. Under Simple Procedure, individuals can only bring claims worth up to £5,000, excluding many discrimination and human rights cases. Claims above this value must be raised under Ordinary Cause, a complex and costly process that usually requires legal representation. Additionally, some personal injury actions under £5000 must be raised using another procedure called summary cause. The systems in Scotland are too complex for an ordinary person to access. This contrasts with England and Wales whereby the small claims systems have higher thresholds (£10000) and any claim starts by filling in a form in the Court outlining your statement. This allows unrepresented parties to use the civil justice framework with ease and without the need for a Solicitor. Finally, the legal aid situation has not improved in Scotland.
Single-track roads are counted as half as costly as two-lane roads despite similar/identical overhead costs like ditches/drains/bridges/signage. This means local councils with more single-track road miles lose a disproportionate amount of road maintenance funding.
As shown on page 40 of the [Scottish Local Government Finance ‘Green Book’ 2025-26](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2025/02/scottish-local-government-finance---green-book-2025-26/documents/scottish-local-government-finance-green-book-for-grant-aided-expenditure-and-other-allocations-2025-26/scottish-local-government-finance-green-book-for-grant-aided-expenditure-and-other-allocations-2025-26/govscot%3Adocument/scottish-local-government-finance-green-book-grant-aided-expenditure-allocations-2025-26.pdf), the road maintenance funding formula takes the total road miles in a council area and multiplies them by the number of lanes. Based on this formula, a standard road with one lane in each direction would receive double the weighting of a single-track road.
Given this, and because road maintenance funding is provided as a single pot to use over all road types in a local authority area, the issue also impacts people in towns and villages, as well as people on single-track roads in those local authorities.
Facilitate access to emergency telephone services for remote communities
- Final Signatures: 390
On the Isle of Seil we have been forced to change our phones to VOIP. In the event of power failure this will not work. BT/EE insist that a battery backup for the router, and alternative 4G service are adequate to cope with this eventuality. However, on Seil both the telephone exchange and the only available 4G mast use the same electricity supply and do not have adequate backup. As our telephone boxes have also been removed, in the recent power cuts residents have had no telephone, no internet, no mobile phone and thus no means whatsoever to contact emergency services. It is certain that we are not the only community in this position. A robust backup service must be made available to everyone to permit speedy connection with emergency services. Otherwise it is inevitable that people will die for lack of connectivity.
Make schools in Scotland safe for pupils with allergies
- Final Signatures: 939
Allergy is the most common chronic condition among children, affecting around two pupils in every Scottish classroom. 18% of all food allergy reactions and a quarter of first-time anaphylaxis episodes happening in schools. Fatal allergic reactions among children happen more in school than in any other setting.
A 2024 FOI revealed fewer than 1 in 20 schools in Scotland have all four recommended allergy safeguards in place; almost half (49%) have no allergy policy; only 8% hold spare adrenaline auto-injector allergy pens; and nearly a third of schools don’t provide allergy training. This is a dangerous postcode lottery.
Provide a sustainable funding model for Scotland’s colleges
- Final Signatures: 822
Scotland’s colleges are vital for education, skills and community development. They provide opportunities for young people, adult learners and employers while boosting local economies. Dundee & Angus College, with over 18,000 students, is a strong example. An economic report shows its redevelopment could generate £1.8bn for the region, including £130m during construction, alongside increased activity for local businesses Dundee Culture – Economic Impact Report. Despite these benefits, the current funding model for Further Education is unsustainable.
Recent funding decisions have resulted in:
• curriculum closures (including essential community access routes),
• nursery closures on college campuses,
• significant staff reductions,
• reduced apprenticeship capacity,
• removal of local sports/coaching provision,
• reduced availability of ASN and wellbeing support,
• severe strain on estates maintenance and capital projects.
These impacts highlight systemic issues and demonstrate the consequences of short-term allocations and real terms cuts of over 20% in the past 5 years.
The actions asked for by the petition would allow colleges to:
• plan workforce needs,
• commit to long-term curriculum development,
• support industry transition,
• maintain regional opportunity and inclusion,
• remain financially solvent.
Stop the Guga Hunt
- 106,352 Signatures
I have devoted my life to Scotland’s seabirds; photographing for National Geographic as avian influenza devastated colonies, winning Wildlife Photographer of the Year (Natural Artistry) and Bird Photographer of the Year (Portfolio). I have spent years volunteering on seabird islands across Scotland, including with the Scottish Seabird Centre, working hands-on to protect these birds I love so dearly. The annual Guga Hunt is no longer tradition — it is blood sport. This abhorrent cruelty dates back centuries, when island communities relied on seabirds for food, but today it is not a necessity. Despite catastrophic losses from avian influenza and unimaginable daily threats, the hunt continues.
After surviving a winter at sea, Gannets return to our shores to raise one precious chick with a lifelong partner. After months of devotion, that chick is snatched, clubbed, and strangled in its prime.
I beg the Scottish Government: end this cruelty, protect Gannets, and let them recover.