Buses are the best used form of public transport and are vital for all ages. They enable people to lead fulfilling lives, connecting them with friends, family and the services they need. Unfortunately, due to austerity services have been severely degraded across England, with some places having no buses at all. Rising traffic has also taken its toll on services with buses caught in congestion, causing costs to rise. While the £2 bus fare cap has had a positive impact, some people can still find bus travel expensive. Information, bus shelters and ticketing are also all too often of poor quality and fragmented. This has led to many people being socially excluded with a lack of transport options. Others are being pushed into transport poverty. A radically different approach to bus services, acknowledging their wider benefits, including for the economy, would address these issues. They would create more inclusive, affordable and accessible (including for people with disabilities) services. They would help reduce motor traffic and pollution and help the UK meet its 2030 carbon target. So please consider adding your signature to the petition and help us get better bus services for everyone in England. This will give people better transport choices, reduce traffic and pollution and help us get to net-zero quickly enough.

We need company sick pay for the protection of our residents and our colleagues. We need company sick pay to give us the time to get better when we are ill. We need company sick pay to protect us financially.

We, the residents of Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire, North and North East Somerset, are profoundly concerned about the proposed cuts to Avon Fire and Rescue Service, which include the elimination of 40 firefighter positions. Cuts that, if implemented, have the potential to severely impact the safety and well-being of our communities and place immense strain on our firefighting resources when responding to life-critical incidents. We firmly believe that the safety of our community should be an uncompromising priority. Firefighters are our first line of defence against a range of emergencies, and their swift response is critical to saving lives and protecting our property. Reducing their numbers endangers us all. We urgently call on all our local authorities to allocate the necessary funding to maintain a fully staffed and robust Avon Fire and Rescue Service. However, we also recognise the importance of greater central government funding. Our safety is maintained by the effectiveness of our emergency response, and we also implore MPs nationally to prioritise this essential service. We firmly believe that a fully staffed and well-equipped Avon Fire and Rescue Service is an essential part of community infrastructure and a fundamental safeguard for us all.

Cardiff Council workers are providing vital public services that our communities rely on every single day. They are the key workers who kept the Capital going throughout the pandemic. Their value to the Capital City and County of Cardiff should be recognised by a pay offer that allows them to feed and clothe their families without having to resort to foodbanks or handouts. It is unacceptable council workers are bearing the brunt of the cuts to local government budgets! It is unacceptable that the Council has not engaged with the Union's Representative's to bring an end to the dispute and give it's workers a fair pay rise.

Brighton University claims it respects the role of the recognised trade unions to represent and negotiate for its employees. But by attacking UCU reps, the University is declaring war on the union. They are clearly signalling that they no longer want to negotiate with union reps on equal terms. They want to create a climate in which staff are too fearful to stand up for themselves, let alone to stand for a union position. What could follow is the unilateral replacement of all the agreements governing lecturers’ and researchers’ terms and conditions with new arrangements imposed by them. Managers everywhere will be rubbing their hands with glee if they can get away with this here. The future of Brighton UCU is at stake. If we want our union membership to mean something concrete, we all need to defend union branches under attack. Our Vice Chancellor and her crew of lackeys would love nothing more than to decapitate our UCU branch. They want to rule through fear and intimidation with no resistance. We need to stand up in defence of our elected reps. Please sign our petition of support and ask your branch to donate to our hardship fund here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/brightonunistrike

Our buses are in crisis! Services slashed - routes continuously under threat with many communities left isolated, particularly in rural areas. Buses unreliable, poorly maintained and not environmentally friendly – often cancelled or late. Drivers recruitment, training and pay and conditions inadequate. Fares expensive and confusing CO2 emissions from use of private cars worsen climate chaos. Recent cuts in Government funding (which pays for ‘socially necessary’ services) will make the crisis even worse. We need guaranteed, adequate funding to make public transport the most attractive option for people when travelling. Our communities need this – and the climate crisis demands it! We need an end to privatisation where bus companies put profits before people. Franchising (as embraced by Greater Manchester) should be easier to implement as a first step towards a return to full public ownership of bus services.

Strathclyde is by far the most populous part of Scotland – home to 2.2 million people, with the largest number of bus users.  Our expensive, unreliable and uncoordinated public transport network is holding us back – it’s a disaster for our economy, society and our environment. Transport is by far the biggest contributor to carbon emissions: mostly from private cars. The Scottish Government has set the target of reducing car miles by 20% by 2030.[5] Glasgow City Council also aims to have net-zero emissions by this date.[6] These pressing climate targets will be impossible to meet without a total transformation of our public transport network so that – no matter where you live in our region – you can get around easily without needing to own a car.[7] As Greater Manchester has clearly shown, this transformation can only be delivered by taking our buses back into public control. Better Buses for Strathclyde is supported by: https://betterbuses.bringbackbritishrail.org/strathclyde/petitionsupporters.png Govan Community Council Maryhill & Summerston Community Council Clydebank Trades Council Irvine Trades Council Shawlands & Strathbungo Community Council Anderston Community Council Partick Community Council Better Buses Barrhead Thornwood Community Council  If you’re part of an organisation, group or Community Council that would like to support the campaign, please get in touch using the ‘Contact Campaign Creator’ link at the top of this petition. References: [1] March 2023, Scottish Transport Statistics, Transport Scotland  https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/scottish-transport-statistics-2022/chapter-02-bus-and-coach-travel [2] The Bee Network, Transport for Greater Manchester https://tfgm.com/the-bee-network [3] About Us, Lothian Buses  https://www.lothianbuses.com/about-us [4] June 2023, Strathclyde Regional Bus Strategy & Delivery Plan – Award of Contract, SPT https://www.spt.co.uk/media/gr3hd3gj/sp090623_agenda7.pdf [5] January 2022, 20% reduction in car km by 2030, Transport Scotland https://www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/environment/20-reduction-in-car-km-by-2030 [6] June 2021, Glasgow’s Climate Plan passed unanimously at committee, Glasgow City Council https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=27218 [7] March 2021, Every Village, Every Hour, CPRE: The Countryside Charity https://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/every-village-every-hour-2021-buses-report-full-report

Until 1986, South Yorkshire was renowned for its cheap and reliable bus services. The result was simple: families didn't need a car. Since deregulation fares have risen, services have been cut, and reliability declined. The result: fewer job opportunities, restricted access to education and training, thousands of missed hospital appointments and reduced opportunities for leisure pursuits especially in the evenings and on Sundays. People with limited mobility are less likely to venture out. Young people are meeting virtually instead of in person and shrinking their horizons. The viability of businesses and communities is threatened. 30% of our population have no access to a private vehicle. If we are serious about levelling up, we must provide a reliable bus service. The climate emergency requires a major shift to public transport. Things must not continue on this downward spiral. Other city regions have received millions of pounds to protect and improve bus services. South Yorkshire received nothing. Westminster leaders have the money and power to make this happen. Please sign up to demand fair funding now.

Hundreds of nursing support staff at Mid Cheshire hospitals have been working above their pay grade for years. We are calling on their trust to pay them the wage they deserve and to award back-pay for years of underpayment.

Local government workers are providing vital public services that our communities rely on every single day. They are the key workers who kept the country going throughout the pandemic. Their value to our communities should be recognised by a pay offer that allows them to feed and clothe their families without having to resort to foodbanks or handouts. It is unacceptable council workers are bearing the brunt of the cuts to local government budgets!

Hundreds of nursing support staff at Warrington and Halton hospitals have been working above their pay grade for years. We are calling on their trust to pay them the wage they deserve and to award back-pay for years of underpayment.

The proposal would see the Zoom Beyond travel pass removed on the 1st November 2023. In just three months, they will take away the ability to afford mobility for thousands of young people in South Yorkshire. Almost 35000 people aged 18-21 use a Zoom Beyond pass in our region. In addition, the Board is planning to raise the concessionary fare from 80p per single journey to £1 per single journey in effect from the start of November. This would reduce the ability for so many children across the region to socialise, go to extracurricular clubs, and would most likely lead to a greater proportion of school students being driven to school in car - increasing congestion, air pollution and further contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. SYMCA is currently looking into a Franchised Bus model - taking power away from the executives of profit-driven private companies like Stagecoach and First and placing more of said power in the hands of the directly elected Mayor. The Trams in Sheffield are already being taken into Public Control (I.e., run directly by SYMCA, and therefore more easily scrutinised) this Autumn, and it is looking like the buses will eventually follow. Due to this, the Combined Authority should instead aim to inherit a bus service with concessionary fares it can be proud of! The budget meeting mentions that if the 80p fare had risen with cumulative inflation from its introduction in 2016, it would be £1.20. That is an exciting thing, though! Even if it draws less profit and costs more as a subsidy, it means that South Yorkshire has one of the lowest fares for those up to the age of 18 in the country, and the lowest fare in the country currently for those up to the age of 21! The neglect of public services in the North of England by the government is a parasite to our progress. Ignorance of the needs of those across South Yorkshire mustn't continue. We deserve a flourishing, integrated transport system - supporting everyone from Thorne to Stocksbridge; one that lends a hand to all young people wanting to study, work, go out, or get about for any reason. We should take pride in the fact we are giving our young people the greatest possible chance to succeed, and we must fight to keep it that way.